Doom Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
No one gets out alive.
Hell Breaks Loose
In 2046, in a research facility in Mars, some subjects are released and the place is kept in quarantine. A team of Marines, leaded by Sarge (The Rock), is assigned to rescue the personnel and retrieve the research data, with the support of Dr. Samantha Grimm (Rosamund Pike), the twin sister of the Marine John "Reaper" Grimm (Karl Urban). While in the mission, Samantha finds a dark hidden secret about the monsters and the researches.
| Karl Urban | John Grimm |
| Rosamund Pike | Samantha Grimm |
| Ben Daniels | Goat |
| Razaaq Adoti | Duke |
| Richard Brake | Corporal Dean Portman |
| Al Weaver | The Kid |
| Dexter Fletcher | Pinky |
| Brian Steele | Hell Knight/Curtis Stahl |
| Dwayne Johnson | Sarge |
| Deobia Oparei | Destroyer |
| Yao Chin | Mac |
| Robert Russell | Dr. Carmack |
| Daniel York | Lt. Huengs |
| Ian Hughes | Sanford Crosby |
| Sara Houghton | Dr. Jenna Willits |
| Andrzej Bartkowiak |
5.20 out of 10 (23576 votes)
Visitor Reviews
what a can o' whoop-ass
posted on 24 Aug 2009You don't see a movie like Doom cause you want to be blown away by story. You go because there's a lot of gore and violence and its entertaining as hell. For what the movie sets out to do, its better than everything else I've seen based on the video game represented. Its a slow movie for the first half, then it really gets rewarding. Its so innovative where it goes that I have to give it a 7. Whenever you think you're gonna predict what happens, there's a break in the monotony. I loved it. they did a good job with really bringing out a decent work given so little to work with. Id recommend it, but ESPECIALLY if you've played the games. everything from "the sequence" to the end of the movie simply kicks major ass. Some will love it, some will hate it and thats fine. But if you want to see a faithful adaption based on a game, you wont come across anything quite like this.
How was the script ever approved? How is that possible?!
posted on 24 Aug 2009I fail to understand how studio execs can decide to gamble $70 million on a such an awful screenplay. Guys, of course it's gonna tank at the box office! Have you even read the bloody thing? Or did you decide that the audience was dumb enough to enjoy that drivel??I haven't played Doom, so I wasn't expecting much more than a mindless action movie - I mean come on, The Rock is in it - with some monsters and gore, perfect for a lazy Friday evening. Well that's exactly what I got in a sense. The Rock? Check. Some monsters? Check. Gore? Check. Now let's have a closer look: The Rock usually stinks but here he's outdone himself. Even his fans agree that he sucks in this. This is sub-zero acting. The next Schwarzy my arse! Zero personality, zero charisma, nothing in fact. Oh yeah muscles. But that was to be expected.NextSome monsters. Well there are a few zombie-like thingies, I mean 3, which you see for a few ridiculous seconds every 45 mins or so. They look about as scary as the Muppet Show, which is probably why you see so little of them, in the dark if possible. I suspect they used Gonzo.Gore. This is so lame it could be a PG movie. With the exception of the opening scene which is OK but fools you into expecting more.So this could be a so-bad-it's-funny flick, but it just gets SO boring I kept hoping for something to happen, ANYTHING! The characters just walk around the same corridors back and forth for the whole movie, with lame "boo" effects. When a monster finally pops in to say hello, he's destroyed immediately, then they walk around for another half hour, filling the time with boring dialogue about genetic manipulations blah blah blah. Apparently this has nothing to do with the game's story. I'm glad because after seeing that piece of junk, I was wondering how the game could be so popular.I fell asleep half an hour into the film during my first attempt at watching this. The next day I decided to give it another go, thinking there was still an hour and 10 mins left, and that finally all hell would break loose at some point, which was - it seemed - the premise of the story. I was shocked to discover that nothing happened until the end, with the stupid FPS scene etc.I had to skip a few chapters because it was too boring and painful to watch. My friend who had finished watching the film while I fell asleep the night before was filling in the "plot" details... I don't think I missed anything of interest. I've seen 1h2O of the whole 1h40 and I think I've seen enough to sum it up in 2 words:It sucks.
doom
posted on 24 Aug 2009I have played doom for years, it's the first game I played that got me into computer games (as a woman you can understand that a lot of games do not appeal to me).So when I heard that they were making it into a film - with Arnie as the original star, I got very excited.Then after all the hype it was put on hold, and I did not here anything about the film until recently.As soon as it came out on DVD in went my order and I excitedly put the film on.Started out fine, I thought they would have to change it slightly as I appreciate that it is difficult to transfer games/books onto the big screen.The action scenes are o.k but not scary enough. It was more like Aliens to begin with, with many characters, would have been better with one or two, would have made it more scary.A few of the monsters that appeared in the Doom game were there, but not many.The most disappointing thing about the whole film is that they changed the whole story. Where was Hell? there were no scenes of the dig, no pictures of Mars.It was a Resident Evil/Aliens spin off, but these films are so much better than the Doom film.The best thing the producers could do to make up for letting down the fans- who all paid good money to see it, is make a sequel that mirrors the game.Big let down after having waited so long to see it.
Not actually about Doom
posted on 24 Aug 2009I watched this movie long after it had been released to DVD and had heard quite a few scathing reviews. I went into this with low expectations and was only mildly surprised when it was all said and done. I'm a new fan of the Doom series, and have only actually played the first part of Doom 3 to completion. What I noticed first off is that the movie has little to do with the game, aside from monster design and the title itself. Personally, I think if you're going to do a movie based off a game, you should probably stick as closely to the source material as possible, and this movie shot that concept down, stomped on it, then threw it out the air-lock to suffocate on the barren surface of Mars.I thought the acting as done well, and the setting looked as close to the game as one could hope. There were a bunch of slight references to the games, and the monsters themselves looked exactly like their game counterparts, but the story itself is almost completely different. I'm not even that versed in the canon of the Doom games and I could tell this movie had nothing whatsoever to do with them. All through the first half of the film, I was waiting for the one action sequence that would turn the whole movie around for me. When that sequence came, I was cringing. While trying to pay homage to the first person shooter, they managed to create the worst looking first person sequence in movie and gaming history. It doesn't even come close to simulating the feel of the games and it definitely cannot stand on it's own as a viable cinematic technique. Think cheap light-gun carnival ride.Basically, the movie was alright. It's your basic sci-fi action flick with mutants and aliens, but it simply doesn't live up to it's name as a valid Doom story.
It is what it is.... I also checked spoiler but its mostly opinion related.
posted on 20 Aug 2009I enjoyed the movie for what it was. I gave this a 5 rating. I played the original game of Doom for HOURS and HOURS with my Dad.. lol. If the name of the movie wasn't Doom, I might not have even made the connection.The movie to me seemed like the normal bug hunt movie we all know and love. It's basically the same thing over and over and we all keep going back for more. This one had it's own little back-story and plot, but it all melts down to the same thing.I thought the special effects were pretty good and the story was good enough to support the reason for the assault team to be involved there. The thing that mostly bothered me was never really getting a good look at any of the monsters. The movie was Dark for most of the chase scenes and the not getting a good look at the monsters part didn't really leave you hoping to get a better glance.As far as it being a gamer film.. I don't think they overdid it. Like I say, I probably would not have even connected it to Doom from my experience with it anyway.The small part where they did the camera like a first person shooter though.. now that was cool. Gamer or not, you will most likely like it and if you are a gamer you will for sure. I especially liked how going round a corner had that flat effect it always has on me in game and how I tried to turn my head to make Reaper look around the corner faster, just like I do in the game. lol 5 though. Not great, but certainly an entertaining couple of hours for me.
Exactly what I expected
posted on 18 Aug 2009I just saw an advance screening of this movie promoted by the radio station I work for. While this wasn't a total waste of a movie I was glad I didn't have to pay for it. While the Rock looks the part of a real action hero he has a long way to go as an actor. During scenes in which they tried to feature some frail attempt at a plot I found the Rock to be the 2nd least believable character behind only the laughably blank female doctor. The special effects were the star and they should have stuck to that. This was a mindless shoot-'em-up and that's fine, but don't try to turn it into anything more.The space marines were your typical characters in any sci-fi or action movie featuring a group. We had the handsome rogue, the jerk, the preacher, the psycho leader and the interchangeable deadmeat characters who are only there to die in a loud and grotesque manner. The makers of this movie watched Aliens and the remake of Night of the Living Dead then made their movie out of a mixture of the two. I was waiting for Sigourney Weaver to make a cameo. The plot was a total ripoff! I wondered if this was done on purpose after awhile. There was a character named Patricia Tallman, who was the lead actress in the Night of the Living Dead remake. Perhaps this was done on purpose.The most interesting character aside from the leads was Goat, the preacher -- unfortunately he was killed off about 30 minutes into the movie. They left the deadmeat cannon-fodder guys for last which led to some blank scenes.Again, I wasn't expecting the next Gone With the Wind. This movie will entertain you if you don't put any thought into the plot whatsoever -- since the writers obviously didn't either. I was very surprised to see so many parents bringing their small children to this flick. This is NOT a movie for kids AT ALL. The R rating is rightfully earned and parents should take heed. The advance screening I went to actually had parents walk out due to their children being scared or even nauseated by all of the gore. The radio station even received calls of complaint about the violence. Parents should research what they let their kids watch.If you're looking for a good movie, go see something else. If you like braindead bulletfests then this is the movie for you. Good sound and special effects make this at least worth watching on DVD.
Better stick to the video game, the acting is better...
posted on 18 Aug 2009Doom, the game, is the classic grandfather of all the shoot 'em up video games. It has been followed by dozens of titles in similar first person shooter style. Doom, the movie, looks good on paper. The plot is a mix between "Alien" and "Dawn of the dead".The cast includes well respected actors Rosamund pike ( die another day ) and Karl urban ( lord of the rings ) and heavyweight fledging credible action star The Rock ( Scorpion king ). So why did it give me such a headache? because it was bad.The acting was poor, except for urban who was better then the material. The sets looked like something out of the syndicated show "Farscape". I couldn't tell the soldiers apart because their roles were so underdeveloped and acting so forced. The action sequences were the main reason i wanted to watch the film, and they were all pretty cheap. The coolest visual effect, was too short and too late in the movie. Honestly, after about 50 minutes, i was rooting for the mutants.This movie tried to squeeze 3-4 movie clichés together ( Friend turn foe, soldiers gets killed one by one, mysterious enemy/disease, and only 1 man can stop the evil blah blah ) and give it a title. This was a bad video game movie, a bad action movie, bad disease movie, ...just a bad movie. Easily one of the worst of 2005.
doom video game fans will enjoy this movie and salute the director
posted on 14 Aug 2009thanks for the 1 person view. this is a real tribute to the game.oh yeah enjoyed the movie a lot. with a lot of remakes of remakes hitting the shelves. this one is a 9 for original plot and entertaining with a lot of jumping out of your seat. non doomer's will be asking a few questions or think...gee that's dumb during the second part of the movie.... but the peeps that have seen or played doom will be asking a lot of questions or saying gee that's dumb in the first part of the movie. overall this is an action movie that has a few creepy scenes. if you like resident evil then you will like this type of movie.ISF_badognobiscuit
Lacking all the aspects that make a good action movie
posted on 12 Aug 2009Movies based on video games seem to be a hopeless thought. And it's not so strange really. Considering that most successful games are heavily influenced by movies in different ways it becomes almost a contradiction when movies are then being based on games..."Doom" is like some sort of mixture between on one hand "Aliens" and on the other movies like "Resident Evil". The "Resident Evil"-similarities are striking in many cases, which is perhaps not so strange considering that they are both video games, although games of a very different nature. When it comes to the "Aliens" part it always seem to me that action movies that put a lot of horror in the mix and places the protagonists on a desolate place try to emulate "Aliens". And why not, i hold "Aliens" to be among the best action movies ever made and one of my favorite movies regardless of genres."Doom" tries to lighten things up with a few small tricks. Like for instance the nod to game-players where they name a few characters after the game's developers, and of course the by now (in)famous "first-person-view"-scene. What i don't understand though is why they have chosen to leave so much else from the games out. If i remember correctly the monsters in the original "Doom" came from a portal to hell that was opened by mistake. Here it's rather some sort of zombie-thing and ancient martians running around. Why they would change things in this way is beyond me.In the end this is just another sad action movie lacking all the aspects that make a GOOD action movie. There is no pulse-raising action, there is no true excitement. Rather "Doom" barely has a pulse at all. It's one of those movies where they think it's enough to have guys with huge biceps running around with huge weapons talking like military caricatures. This is simply a movie that would never have been made at all if it weren't for the fact that thousands of gaming fans will be at least a little bit intrigued - perhaps enough to actually pay for a ticket or a rental.2/10
Mish-Mash of crap
posted on 08 Aug 2009I went in to this movie not expecting much from it. I just hoped that it was somewhat entertaining. Instead, I feel as if I've lost 2 hours of my life, this is one of the few times I really want my time back. The movie takes a LONG time to get going. Mostly it's just a bunch of guys trying to figure out why what's going on is going on. Ms. Pike and Mr. Urban really should've let their accents out, they sound bad. Especially Ms. Pike. None of the characters are particularly likable. The script is filled with clichés. Most of the time it just feels like someone crossed Aliens and Resident Evil and somehow came up with this crapper. Please don't go see it. I'm usually fairly easily scared, all I did here was stare at the screen in unbelief. The scares fizzle, the one-liners flop, it all feels so very tired.
Misfire...
posted on 08 Aug 2009Doom is a pretty terrible movie, but I still enjoyed watching it. Not so much because of its achievements, more due to its lack of them. I'm no scriptwriter, but after wasting months of my life playing the games since they first hit the shelves all those years ago, I reckon I could have come up with a better story than this second-rate Aliens rip-off. Lets see...how about the one from the game itself? You remember, a group of scientists working on Phobos (or was it Deimos?) accidentally open a gateway to Hell, causing an outpouring of seriously yuck monsters who even the army can't mop up. Hence the need for the gamer, in the form of a hulking space-marine, to wade into the carnage and try and find the off-switch. Weirdly, this promising scenario has been shafted in favour of a loose remake of the Resident Evil films, with DNA splicing and mutants instead. Why? Is it because they've been financially successful and the studio expects audiences will happily settle down for more of the same? It would appear the greedy executives have miscalculated, given the lame box-office Doom has drummed up. It has its moments (like a fun scene where the audience takes the point-of-view of a character as he dashes about, slaughtering mutants) but it's mostly incidentally pleasures, like brief glimpses of the BFG, and laughing at the Grimm twins (played by an Aussie and a Brit) and their wildly erratic American accents. At the end of the day, Doom is just another well-paced dud with just enough action to keep you focused until the closing credits. Its OK to sit through, but it could have been so much better.
way too many idiots complain for no reason!
posted on 08 Aug 2009This movie was fun. Yes they could have gone in a completely different direction and included the whole bizz on hell, when in fact the first game actually mentions experimentation. The way that they did incorporate references to heaven and hell i think was a much more intelligent idea, even though this movie isn't a very intelligent one. The first hour and a half is like watching Aliens.. but guess what.. thats whats good about it. It may be contrived but it was still fun.. at least they didn't follow the style of a really bad movie. Also this movie captures the feel of the game.. what it was like going through all those corridors not knowing what to expect. They didn't include hell.. so what.. stop whining, at least they tried to give the fans a film. This movie has been in production hell, so probably the only way they could get the movie financed was by changing the hell factor so it was for a more general audience.(i don't know really why and i don't care) The movie is fun.. i was glad they made it.. i plan on buying it when it comes out. And, hey, i am a fan of the games too, but it doesn't mean i complain like a friggin idiot. I hope they make another one!
a good remake and a awesome movie
posted on 06 Aug 2009I love doom. The games are terrific and the graphics are cool, but the movie is just that only a whole lot better. We start out with the huge and muscular Rock called Sarge getting orders to go to Mars and contain and neutralize the threat. He, Portman, The Kid, Destroyer, Mac, Duke, Goat and Reaper are to go down to the Mars Station and destroy Hell's forces, but they underestimate the creatures and soon end up falling to their foes, one by one. Quite the movie and quite the experience but before I close this comment ask yourself, do you like doom and if no then why not? What do you think they did wrong in making this great and intense movie?
Shouldn't be called DOOM
posted on 04 Aug 2009This movie has absolutely nothing to do with DOOM. The only similarities are that it takes place on mars in the UAC complex (the game actually takes place on Mars's moons, Phobos and Deimos) and that there is a gun called the BFG; that's where the similarities end (unless you count the name of the movie as a similarity). It's not really that the movie is bad; it's that the title, "DOOM," is misleading. I went to the movie hyped about seeing a movie version of a great game but was very disappointed when there were only a couple hints at the game. I would recommend that fans of the game NOT see this movie because it is a waste of time; although, I know any fan of the game will still see it for himself despite my warning.
How NOT to make an action movie
posted on 02 Aug 2009Back in the eighties, 'Doom' would have been one of those cheap, straight-to-video Alien rip-offs that made happy viewing after a few pints on a Friday night. But in an era of increasingly poor quality control, this kind of tripe is being bankrolled to the tune of $60million and making it into cinemas.Everything about this movie is terrible. The story is confused at best; the characterization is non-existent; the dialogue as bad as the acting; the production design is boring and generic post-Alien industrial chic; the monsters rarely step out of the shadows, and when they do, the CGI is decidedly second rate; the music is wildly inconsistent; the action scenes are incoherent and amateurishly edited.Bartkowiak and Callaham are really quite gifted in managing to screw up the seemingly unscrewupable. They turn creatures that were terrifying in the game into tedious slimy monsters in the dark, and heart-pumping chase sequences become unforgivably leisurely strolls in the park. These two manage to make running for your life along dark corridors, pursued by some nameless creature from hell, boring. It really is quite an achievement to take such good quality raw material and turn it into such a pathetic excuse for a finished product.Twenty Years ago, with 'Aliens', James Cameron established a benchmark for SF-action-horror. He not only knew how to plan, shoot, and edit a jaw-dropping action sequence, but inherently understood the importance of character development – it doesn't matter how good the chase sequence is if you don't care if the character gets caught. 'Doom' could very well become a new teaching aid in filmschools around the nation as a textbook example of how NOT to make an action movie.
A Resident Evil side-kick
posted on 02 Aug 2009This was a great movie! Why does everyone rate this badly? Some friends told me they hated it since it didn't follow the game. So what? I don't care if it does or doesn't. It's got blood, action, shooting, The Rock, and a Resident Evil-style plot. I remember watching this and thinking it was pretty good. I rated it eight out of ten since it was a mock-up of Resident Evil in many ways, but also it had some pretty awesome action! It wasn't all that bad. Some parts I didn't exactly like, but other parts made up for it. The ending was also different from what I thought it would be. Whether or not you played the game, you have to watch this movie. It's a must!
It's not bad...
posted on 31 Jul 2009It's a good action movie.... nothing more, nothing less. It's not THE film of the year, but it has some good action and gore scenes in it. I didn't expect too much plot and in-depth story when i started watching, but which movie based on a video game had a really intelligent story?! The cast is good. Everyone fits into his role. Especially the main character does a good job and he almost looks like the hero in Doom 3.The story is OK, nothing too thought-provoking though. Fast told, easy to understand, but it provides a good basis from which the action can be released. Sometimes it's predictable... but i don't mind. It's not the 100% original story from the game though... but you can definitely see that it's Doom.I enjoyed it.So... if you want a good sci-fi action movie with blood and gore, watch it. If you like Doom 3, watch it. If you like movies with a good plot, intelligent conversations and great feelings, watch another movie.Some Details about the movie:The facility, the corridors etc. are 100% Doom 3. The monsters and Zombies are well made and absolutely like in the game. The SFX are good standard and fit into the whole movie (I think Sci-Fi Movies must have some more computer-animated effects than other films).The Weapons: Sadly the makers didn't take the weapons from Doom 3 (except the BFG). Some Weapons (Reaper's weapon for example) are a G36 with something mounted under the grip.... I like the G36 but it would've been cool to see the original Doom 3 weapons in the movie. Whoa... and there are flashlights mounted ON the weapons!!! Clothes: The Marines don't wear the green "armor wests" you always pick up when playing through Doom 3.One thing makes the whole movie a few classes better. It's the "scene", where the camera switches to first-person-view. It gives the movie a real good feeling... if only the whole movie could've been filmed that way... or at least some more scenes.
A good mindless gory movie
posted on 29 Jul 2009I know what many of you are thinking. WHAT? He gave THIS piece of trash a 5/10? What a lunatic? And I would tend to agree with you. I believe Doom is, quite frankly, a piece of crap. However, I am rating it based on its entertainment value as an action flick. The 5/10 is a combination of its rating as an action flick (9/10) and its rating as a good movie at all (0/10). There are some movies where if you turn off your brain, you will enjoy it. Some movies do not work even then, but fortunately Doom is not one of them.To summarize the plot, a group of the Rapid Response Tactical Squad is summoned to a remote research base on the planet Mars, named Olduvai. They are able to get through Mars through something called the Arc, a highly advanced alien technology discovered deep underground in the American desert that transports anyone instantly to Mars. As you can probably guess, something has gone horribly wrong at the Olduvai Research Station. While researching archeology the scientists accidentally released some deadly virus that turns people into horrifying, mutilated zombies. Doom definitely earns its R rating.The action in Doom is, honestly, very well pulled off. The horror element, involving the zombies, is neither over-played nor under-played...they scare us just enough to mutter to ourselves, "ew" and interest us just enough to openly admire, "wow, that IS gross!" The makeup on the zombies is very well done. There are barely any CGI creations in the movie, purposefully to give the zombies a more "real" look. And it works. The RRTS, led by the Rock, take on these creatures with mega fire-power, and eventually, the Big F***ing Gun, whose technical name is the Big Force Gun. Honestly, didn't whatever scientist invent that gun realize that the "F" in that acronym would be taken to its most extreme point? In any case, the special effects in Doom should be admired....the filmmakers pulled no punches and cut no corners when it came to this department. There is a sequence, in homage of the first person shooter video game off of which the movie is based, that is particularly interesting. Approximately 5 minutes (in the Extended Unrated Edition) are shown from Karl Urban (Reaper's) point of view. It is a very interesting technique, and I thought it was an appropriate way to pay respects the video game that has virtually become a cult classic. The action in Doom is, overall, admiringly well-pulled off, with blood and gore flying everywhere, and if you have turned off your brain, you can enjoy it. This brings me, however, to what happens when you leave your brain on.The characters in the movie are one-dimensional, flat, and basically uninteresting. The only thing they have going for them is that they're human. I'll cringe when I see a guy's arm ripped off, but I'm not actually feeling anything for the character. Since, in Doom, basically everyone dies, the characters serve no other purpose than as a buffet for the zombies. Karl Urban and the woman who plays his sister are vaguely interesting, but both their talents as actors are wasted on cliché, predictable lines. The Rock is just a yelling, screaming, every-day average marine sergeant. I was surprise, though, at the turn his character took near the end of the movie, so the Rock is not entirely at fault for creating a one-dimensional character. Everyone else in the script, and in the RRTS, has signs hanging around their necks, that flash neon lights at the camera, saying, "I'm going to die." None of the actors are given a chance to elicit emotion from the audience in any way, they just, like robots, read their lines, and then calmly get slaughtered.The plot is also nothing to brag about. A four sentence summary of Doom: Something goes wrong at the research station. The Marines go in. A bunch of people are killed. Only one or two people survive. With that, you have basically missed nothing of Doom's plot. Even the "twist" that the filmmakers put in the movie is highly predictable. It would have been much more interesting if the zombies had somehow escaped the research station, and if maybe a cure could have been found, or less of an emphasis on all the killing and gore and more of an emphasis on the whole back story of the research station and also what was going on back on Earth. Near the end of the movie, Karl Urban's character becomes superhuman, but it's really nothing more than he's stronger. And you never really have a chance to notice his superior strength, as he goes up against one other person who is just as strong as he is. Highly anti-climactic.Doom is gory. Doom is action-filled. Doom is poorly written. Doom is poorly acted out. Like I said, though, I kind of enjoyed the movie. Picking it up off the Hollywood shelf, I knew its reputation. I knew everyone hated it. Which is why I was ready for it. Believe me, the criticism against Doom is well-earned. But if you go into it expecting ONLY good action, not good characters, and not good story, you'll be highly rewarded.
Doom Doominates
posted on 27 Jul 2009I know the critics hated this film. But its not supposed to be an Oscar winning picture. Its a horror flick. However this film is by far the best VG adaptation to date. I loved the plot. I personally dislike the Rock but he was awesome in Do0m. Karl Urban is a true anti-hero! The effects were nothing short of extraordinary. Warning this film is not for children. The gore level is extremely high. However like every other film it is not without flaws. Some plot holes needed to be filled. I do wish it was longer. But this film overall was awesome. My favorite part was the First -person segment. The only reason to pass this film down is because of a weak stomach. The reason this film received 9/10 is because there is always room for improvement :) See this movie now!!!!
Hollywood is a mad scientist
posted on 24 Aug 2009One of the most controversial and most popular video games finally its shake at the big screen with mixed results.The story starts with an emergency on a research facility located on Mars. Some nasty demons are making lunch of the people there and a team of super tough marines led by The Rock are called to investigate problem. Soon some secrets that the researchers hid are uncovered and carnage ensues.Director Andzrej Bartkowiak throws in many clichés and the film overall feels uninspired. In the trailer there was a quick glimpse of the use of first person point of view, a great ode to the game, but that was tragically underused and only in one sequence. Since this movie is essentially aimed at fans of the game why only include one scene with what they remember most from the game? If the use of first person was in more than just that one scene, such as when the marines explore dark caverns and open doors, it would have made the movie: a) more exciting to watch and given it a more inspired look, b) would have been more like the game. How many times since "Aliens" have we seen marines exploring dark hallways? I mean seriously, start counting. Then the one movie which could have shown it in a very different way omits the idea.The other glaring point of annoyance is genetic experimentation. In the game there were mutations, but they were formed differently and the game's story cleverly omitted the mad scientist cliché which the movie somehow thought to embrace. It seems that Hollywood take all sorts of material (most notably hit foreign films) and transforms it into its own conservative creation. Maybe Hollywood is the real mad scientist, except one that is afraid to experiment with something new and just tries clockwork formulas on most material it works with.On the flip side the gore effects and production design were cool and will undoubtedly please the intended audience. Even the infamous BFG 9000 makes an appearance. Throw in bits of humor here and there, a decent climatic fight scene between two super-humans and you've got a decent action/horror film that strays just a little too far from its source. 6/10Rated R: strong violence/gore and profanity