Doom (HD DVD)

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Paul W.S. Anderson and Uwe Boll have made a name for themselves by bringing video games to the big screen. Boll is responsible for the horrendous "Alone in the Dark," "Bloodrayne" and "House of the Dead." He is currently working on "Far Cry," "Postal" and "Dungeon Siege." The former, Paul Weasel Something Anderson may have entertained with the original "Mortal Kombat," but has made a career out of stinkers since then with "Resident Evil," "Alien vs. Predator" and their respective sequels that have either tarnished the silver screen or brewing in his bowels. How I fear for the name "Castlevania." Now, we have "Doom," a film brought to life by Andrzej Bartkowiak. Will he be a one hit blunder ala Chris Roberts (he destroyed his own creation, "Wing Commander" or a repeat offender like W.S. and Boll?

Without beating around the bush, it is very safe to say that "Doom" is bad. There is no denying that fact. For us gamers, the putrid stink of a film not only darkens the black cloud over video game adaptations, but it scars the sacred Doom franchise. However, it is not as if there were high expectations for the film. After all, they cast Dwayne Johnson in a lead role. Perhaps the putrid stink was whatever the Rock had cooking. I´m not sure. Casting Karl Urban as John Grimm was a good move though. The moments just before the now-infamous first person shooter (FPS) sequence easily brought about memories of the person depicting the health meter from the early Doom games. Urban is a dead ringer for that pixilated face.

Perhaps what makes this apocalyptic adaptation even more depressing is the fact that Bartkowiak tried to pay homage to the Doom lineage and insert a few ´easter eggs´ for the games´ fans. The character Todd Carmack references the co-founders of iD Software, John Carmack and Todd Hollenshed. Dr. Willits is another name from Doom´s creators. There are a plethora of other names that are related to real-life people who are part of the video game industry. Of course, there is also the much touted FPS sequence. And, in my humble opinion, the FPS sequence is the only reason to really watch this film. To sell out and be cliché, I will simply say that it rocks. The FPS moments are visceral, entertaining and a pure treat for FPS fans. After my countless hours in games such as "Doom," "Quake," "Halo," "Far Cry," "Perfect Dark" and dozens of others, I was treated with a full motion, high budget FPS sequence. Now, it is even in High Definition.

They should have done the entire film in a first person perspective. I´m sure we could have had enough reflective shots to earn Urban his paycheck. I know some have not enjoyed the sequence. Others find it as visually uncomfortable as "The Blair Witch Project." I loved it. It was different. It was unique. There was blood, a chainsaw, quick movements and other eye candy moments. For those that may suffer from motion sickness, you want to avoid this fast moving, high carnage moment. Either that or take a double dose of Dramamine.

I rave about one sequence of the film, but I call the rest of it a steaming pile of burning weasel dung. Why? Because it is and my odd and disturbing description is not just another comment towards Paul W.S. Anderson, but about the only way I can think of really describing this mess. "Doom" is a gathering of clichés, rehashed stories and run-of-the-mill sci-fi zombie stereotypes and putting in an odd method of space transportation and The Rock. The film´s story loosely matches the mythology of the game, but is a continual mix of jump scares, cheesy lines and dark corridors. Imagine "Aliens," but with scientifically created zombies. Where is the gateway to Hell? That is what Doom is about. Not this crap.

The very basic and quick description of the plotline is that a band of marines are sent to Mars when problems arise at a research station. The Sarge (Dwayne Johnson) and Reaper (Karl Urban) lead the group as they move through the ancient portal that leads from Earth to Mars. Once they arrive on the red planet, we find out that Grimm´s attractive sister Samantha (Rosamund Pike) works at the research lab. Apparently, the lab is working on a chemical that turns good people into crazed monsters and the crazed monsters can infect others. People die and sooner or later, only the Grimms and the Sarge remain to destroy the hellacious beasts that threaten Earth. A big fight brews between the Sarge and Grimm (I don´t mind spoiling it for you, otherwise, I´d be making you watch it) and the Sarge dies. The end.

When I saw "Doom" in the theater, I thought it was okay. I was just euphoric from watching the FPS sequence. Sitting down to watch "Doom" again for this review turned my stomach sour. Once you´ve seen it once, any entertainment value is quickly gone. You know everything coming up. Heck, even my beloved FPS sequence wasn´t as earth-shattering as when I first saw it. Hollywood seems intent to just continue on their destructive path of capitalizing on the good names of major video game franchises. Sooner or later, they need to realize that scripts and acting have to augment the visual effects and marquee to make a good movie. Thank goodness that Peter Jackson is executive producing "Halo." I´d have to go "Postal" if they "Doom"-d my "Halo."

Video:

"Doom" looked incredible in HD. That is one thing you cannot take away from the film – it is strong visually. The opening moments of the film where the Martian settlement is viewed from a distance was incredibly detailed and the film stayed strong beyond that. Much of "Doom" takes place in the shadows. The HD-DVD does a fine job of exhibiting shadow detail and possesses strong black levels. Highlighted by wonderfully moody lighting and a preference for the color blue, "Doom" is perhaps the best looking ´dark´ film that I can think of. When the film does get a little brighter, the film still holds up strong visually. "Doom" is presented in 2.35:1 widescreen. The supplements are contained in 1:33:1 ´standard.´