“I guess you gotta face your demons sometime.” —John
Today’s quick review: Doom. Responding to a distress call from a research station on Mars, Sarge (Dwayne Johnson) and his team of Marines find that the station has been overrun by hostile creatures. It falls to them to secure the station before any of the creatures can reach Earth. Complicating matters for John (Karl Urban), one of Sarge’s men, is his own connection to the base: his estranged sister Samantha (Rosamund Pike) is one of the scientists there.
Doom is a sci-fi action horror movie based on the video game of the same name. Doom aims to cross the tension and scares of a survival horror movie with the gun-toting action of a video game. Unfortunately, it gets caught somewhere in the middle. Doom lacks the atmosphere needed to make good on the horror aspects of the movie, the creativity needed for its action to shine, and the plot and characters needed to let its story carry the weight.
On the horror front, Doom gets the basic mechanics right but not how they fit together. The Marines spend the early parts of the movie creeping down the narrow corridors of the research station, trying to get a bead on the creatures that are lurking nearby. The movie manages a few scares, but the samey environments and clumsy monsters keep it from building up any real tension. Doom goes through the motions of horror but never grasps its spirit.
The last third of the movie sees the action come to the fore. The surviving Marines have a clear enough picture of what they’re up against to take the fight to the creatures. The transition is abrupt but satisfying. The suspense disappears almost completely in favor of gory action. The last few combat sequences show more care and creativity than anything else in the film, although they aren’t enough to make up for the film’s many weaknesses.
As for the story, Doom has little to offer. The plot revolves around an ancient city found on Mars and the question of what killed its inhabitants. The answers prove to be uninspired, although the movie does have a few good ideas tucked away here and there. John and Samantha are flat but functional characters, but Sarge is a missed opportunity. He’s too ruthless to be likable and too central to the team to serve as an antagonist.
Watch Doom if you’re in the mood for action horror and don’t mind sacrificing some quality to get it. The movie gets stuck between two competing visions and lacks the skill to pull off either one well. Still, as a source of raw suspense and action, Doom is a passable pick. For better execution of a similar premise, check out the Alien franchise. For another action horror movie with more creativity, check out Priest.
5.2 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.0 for decent actiotn but little else.