Doom

Andrzej Bartkowiak 2005

On a remote research base on Mars bad things are happening and it's up to a bunch of grizzled space marines to pop by and sort out the mess.

Lets face it, films based on computer games are never brilliant. Any film that is an adaptation of something that is held dear by many people will come in for criticism and any director who takes on a project like this is quite brave.

I am a fan of the Doom games but not an obsessive fan so I was able to derive immense pleasure from this. Big guns, violence, demons, good-looking men and Dexter Fletcher's accent.

I can't say I've ever knowingly sought out a film starring The Rock before and while I don't think he'll ever do Hamlet (although a part of me desperately wants to see that) he is a damn good action star and perfect in this film.

On the other hand, I've seen Karl Urban in a few films now and he always seems to pick projects that are slightly beneath him. He's giving it the Laurence Olivier while those around him just about manage high school drama. But his gravitas works well and added to the tone of the film.

Looks wise I thought Bartkowiak did pretty well, most of what I remember from the Doom3 game is transferred to the screen. And the 'your point of view' sequence was impressive and fun to watch.

This film is fun, it didn't teach me anything, make me review my life or have even a hint of a gay cowboy about it. People can be too dismissive of films like this, I'm never sure what they expect. A nice action no-brainer to pass the time.