The whole thing reminds me of when your friend would hog the game, refusing to let you have your turn.
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I'm going to tell you this right now, I don't like movies based on TV shows. Yeah, I like "Dukes of Hazzard", but I'd rather catch a rerun on cable rather than go see a new theatrical version. I feel the same way about movies based on video games. Sure, I like playing Super Mario Brothers, but I didn't have any urge to see it translated onto the silver screen. As bad as TV-based films are, at least there's "The Fugitive" with Harrison Ford, the only diamond in a pile of coal. I can't think of any video game-based movies that are halfway decent. Unfortunately, "Doom" doesn't do anything to change my mind.
Id Software revolutionized the video game industry by creating a new genre in the first person shooter, starting with "Wolfenstein 3D." Using a first person perspective, players immersed themselves in the game environment, blowing away enemies with an assortment of weapons. Id followed "Wolfenstein" up with two other franchises, "Doom" and "Quake." Dozens of copycats have popped up over the years including X-Box bestseller "Halo", which is set for its own feature film.
The film version of "Doom" begins at a remote research facility (is there ever any other kind?) on Mars. The facility deals with archeological digs, genetics research, and weapons development. As you'd expect, something has gone terribly wrong. A so-called Rapid Response Tactical Squad, led by former pro wrestler The Rock, is sent in to handle the situation. Rock plays the no-nonsense Sarge, who is backed up by Karl Urban as John Grimm, AKA Reaper. Filling out the rest of the team are: Duke (Razaaq Adoti), Destroyer (Deobia Oparei), Goat (Ben Daniels), Portman (Richard Brake), Mac (Yao Chin), and The Kid (Al Weaver). Don't worry about keeping a scorecard, they won't be around for long.
The Squad is uncomfortably teleported to the Martian base and find that the scientists and lab animals have been mutated into zombies. What follows is a lot of running, a lot of shouting, and a lot of stuff getting shot at. The characters are essentially cardboard cutouts that only serve to be targets for the monsters. Reaper is the closest one to having some form of depth. His parents were killed at the facility years ago and he is appalled to find that his sister, Samantha (Rosamund Pike), still works there. Everybody else conforms to the usual archetypes. There's the rookie, the tough guy, the ladies' man, the sleazy guy, and the quiet, religious guy who ends up going insane. I got that one from "The Simpsons."
"Doom" seems to owe a lot more to "Aliens", than to the original game. Rough and ready marines, vicious creatures that pop up out of nowhere, a sinister corporation. All that's missing are the memorable characters, great dialogue, and taut action sequences. If Sigourney Weaver's Ripley was a leap forward for female leads, Pike's Samantha is a giant leap backwards. All she does is watch people die and scream at the top of her lungs. It's a shame because I thought she played a great character in the otherwise dismal, "Die Another Day."
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[release]17637[/release]