Yes, I am a movie freak. I went to watch Doom, the movie last Saturday.
If you like the game, Doom, you should definitely watch this movie. I remembered playing Doom many years ago… about 7-8 years ago if I’m not mistaken.
Cinema Online gave this movie 3.5/5 and IMDb gave 5.8/10 out of 619 votes.
Review by Ian Yap
‘DOOM’ was the game; THE game (yes, I said it twice), much like how ‘Counterstrike’ is THE game now in all but the most obscure cybercafes that have popped up like white toadstools after a rainy night. Back in ‘DOOM’s’ time we had no cybercafes, no fancy computers.. man, some of us didn’t even have a mouse! But we had ‘DOOM’, and ‘DOOM’ was good. Thinking back, it’s really sad how even the best of things fade away, devoured by that vicious thing that is time.
Somehow, time spat ‘DOOM’ back at us, all shiny, polished and plastered tall and proud on the silver screen. No way was anyone going to stop me from watching this; and no one did. Nothing stands between a maddened fanboy and his DOOM.
Off I scooted to the cinema, reminiscing hordes of pink monsters, chainsaws and the cynical bursts of laughter I explode into every time I killed someone (in ‘DOOM’). I was drifting from reality, and 10 minutes into the movie, I knew I was going to watch a live action computer game. So I left the real world outside with the cinema usher and rewound my mentality a good decade BACKWARDS.
Let’s see, how did ‘DOOM’ entertain a geeky teenager?
Monsters? Check.
Marines? Check.
Big guns? Check.
Damsels? Check.
Now we’re all set, Lets GO!
But wait.
This isn’t a game, it’s a movie. Rats. Now they’ve got to think of a plot.
In the distant future, mankind has found their way to Mars, and a research centre has been built to conduct archaeological work on the red planet. Then, after an amazing amount of time they discover the meaning of life and mankind lives happily forever in peace and harmony.
Just joking.
Too dandy and picture perfect, isn’t it?
Back to the real plot, a distress call is sent to Earth as something rends and tears at the scientists in a shady sector of the Mars base. Enter the marines. Led by Sarge (The Rock), they comprise of armed, armoured mounds of flesh with attitude and testosterone overflowing right out of their ears. There’s the shrew, the rookie, the hulk, the one with an emotionally complicated past, the one that doesn’t talk, etc etc. There are eight of them; try to think of every clichéd action character you’ve ever seen and you’ll fill in the gaps I left.
Off they go to Mars, to rescue the poor helpless scientists; lugging every conceivable weapon known to ‘DOOM’-kind. Chain guns, shotguns, plasma rifles. Even the classic BFG (short for *ahem* Bio Force Gun) makes its appearance.
Let’s not go on thinking this show ends up like “Starship Troopersâ€. Stupid senseless blasting was left out and Mr. Bartkowiak took the creepy thriller approach of “Alien†instead. Corridors are dark and filthy, shadows melt and dash away and growls grow and fade as the marines hunt an enemy they can’t call human.
The Rock played his role rather well; his commanding presence was a certain plus when it came to him barking orders at his subordinates, although I did feel like his choice of words were slightly off, but that’s probably just me. Karl Urban plays Reaper, whose parents died at the base many years ago, the same base his sister Samantha (Pike) works at. The conflict between the brother who turned his back on science and the sister who didn’t adds a little drama amongst the flurry of bullets and claws, and eventually plays an important role in the plot. As for the other marines, well… let’s just say they didn’t live long enough for me to skewer their acting or characters.
I’ve also nothing to peeve about the evil monsters, what with the same bunch of chaps who designed the aliens in “Alienâ€, this time adding in a whole lot of darkness. What comes out of the cooking pot? Something you DON’T want to meet in a dark alley at night.
Just watch out for the first-person shooter scene. The madmen that directed the show put a camera somewhere on Reaper’s head and had him roam the corridors looking for his sister, blasting monsters at the same time. Straight out of what you’d see on the computer screen. Freaky.
There’s no reason any ‘DOOM’-loving person would NOT want to watch the show, the shower of nostalgia is well worth the ten bucks, just… don’t bring your spouse.
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