Doom
In the year 2026, an ancient portal was discovered in the Nevada desert. Affectionately labeled “The Ark”, the portal led scientists to Mars, to the remains of a long forgotten, alien civilization. The Olduvai Research Facility was created on the surface of Mars to facilitate the study of this long dead culture, but some things won’t stay dead. Now, something sinister has awoken on the surface of Mars, infecting the station with an evil as old as time. Willing to do whatever it takes to contain the situation, it’s up to the military’s Rapid Response Tactical Squad (RRTS) to investigate but their mission is about to go straight to Hell, literally.
If you like movies with big guns, if you’re addicted to muzzle flashes, if you love to see military commandos kicking the asses of slimy, bottom-feeding demons, then Doom is the movie for you!
The set up is simple. Something has gone horribly awry at the Olduvai Research Facility and the space marines have been sent in to restore order. They don’t know what they’re up against, but if you’re a fan of the Doom video game series (yes, this movie is based on a video game series, just in case you didn’t know) then you’ll have some idea.
The RRTS team is classic in its make up. We’ve got the hard-headed Sergeant (Dwayne Johnson AKA “The Rock”), the “wounded” soldier John Grimm (Karl Urban) haunted by a tragic past, the company lecher, the wizened veteran nicknamed “Destroyer”, the spiritual fanatic and even the new kid. No matter who you are, you’ll find someone to root for and someone to wish horrifying, disemboweling death upon. All sorts are catered to in this one.
The squads uniforms are great, their weapons are heavy (they even work the BFG into the plot – that’s the Bio Force Gun for anyone who thought it meant something else) and even the jargon and movements of the squad scream authenticity. When you check out the DVD extras, you’ll learn why.
The settings are a cross between the Starship Enterprise and the mining vessel Nostromo from Alien. There’s a nice diversity between clean, corporate foyers and offices decked out in marble with soothing indirect lighting and the actual research facility which is dark, dirty and made up of black iron, open conduits, piping and vents topped off with steel flooring grids. Everywhere there’s a dark shadow waiting to reach out and rip your head from your body. The use of flashlights as the primary lighting source while traveling through the facility makes the setting that much more visceral, causing a convincing feeling of claustrophobia and angst. Again, this is another feature of the very popular game.
Andrzej Bartkowiak, the director, pulled out all the stops when bringing the disturbing creatures of Doom to the big screen. They’re slimy, multi-eyed, razor clawed mutations created from the introduction of alien DNA to human subjects and they look awesome. The physical effects are superb as are the computer generated ones. You can forget about the era of the rubber monster. Elvira wouldn’t be able to mock this movie in her cynically witty way. After seeing the movie, I’d even hazard to guess that they may have used real body parts, perhaps from a slaughterhouse, to enhance the veracity of the creatures. Sorry Jonathan Frakes. The alien autopsy performed in this movie actually looks real.
Last but not least, I really liked the dialogue and the human interaction in the film. It’s gritty and realistic, the type of dialogue that you yourself would expect to have if you were experiencing the same events as the RRTS team. They ask the right questions and have the right reactions. They’re an investigative team; the writers made them inquisitive. So when the Sarge (Dwayne Johnson) passes an alien mutant stuck halfway in and halfway out of a phase shifting lab door, that’s still snapping its jaws in a continued commitment to killing, he doesn’t hesitate to ask, “What the hell is this?” I’ve seen too many movies where characters have unrealistic reactions to mind blowing phenomena, but this scene made sense. If you were there, you’d be saying the same thing. Poor scriptwriting can ruin the illusion of a film but you won’t find that in Doom.
Doom is a fast paced, action packed, sci-fi thriller that delivers some nice, suspense filled, creepy chills along with some great fire fight action sequences and a few mono e mono fist fights which will get your blood pumping. Awesome effects, a more than competent script and some really fun performances by the cast all snowball into a very enjoyable movie going experience that kicks mutant, alien ass. Check it out. It’s a Hell of a ride.
For now, that is all. Goodnight.
