DOOM

As is typical with Hollywood adaptations of games, they take the general plot of the source material, and alter it (sometimes slightly, sometimes to an unrecognizable degree) to make it more “marketable” to an audience unfamiliar with said source material. Often, this is NOT such a great idea. However, with DOOM, a game where, up until it’s most recent iteration, there WAS really no solid “plot”, what they’ve come up with works well, at least for an action movie. In 2145, an archeological research and development crew on Mars is suddenly quarantined, thanks to several of its scientists either going missing, or ending up very dead. They call in a team of Marines (led by The Rock) to sort out the mess, and typically find much more than they bargained for. What follows is a movie filled with gore, guns, and wildly swinging camera work.

Alright, so, for folks who are familiar with DOOM 3, the game, here’s how the movie’s plot breaks down in comparison. Be forewarned, the following section contains spoilers if you have not yet seen the film. In the game, the trip to Mars somehow unlocks at gateway to Hell, where demons suddenly come through and start tearing up shit. For the film version, there is no Hell (though they make mention that it “seems like Hell” often enough) and the demons are actually mutated scientists and others from the research team. It seems that the original inhabitants of the dead planet were a bit more advanced than us humans, what with their extra 24th chromosome and all, giving them super strength, super intelligence and whatnot. Sadly, not all humans should be subjected to this chromosome, as some humans may have “evil” encoded directly onto their genetics, and will turn into hideous creatures intent on spreading their vile seed and wiping out existence (assumedly, what happened to the original Martians). This involves the dead returning to life (the zombies from the game), or even mutating past death into larger, more horrific creatures (the hulking demons from the game). The research team on Mars even has some minor weapon development at the station, which unveils a gun familiar to many of the game’s fans (as well as what its abbreviation is REALLY thought to mean). While the visuals are certainly reminiscent of the game, it’s obvious the plot took some interesting liberties.

Still, despite these minor changes, the film does still retain the feel of the game, most of the time. Like the game, the film is very dark, and much of the action involves guns…ok, that sounds worse than it really is. In many ways, it’s TOO much like the game, since so many of the sequences are so dimly lit, that one’s not sure what’s being shot at, let alone what’s even happening on screen. Still, it adds that certain air of tension, and gives the good “horror” feeling associated with the game. When the viewer finally DOES see the creatures, they are immediately recognizable from the game, and are amazingly well adapted for the screen. In fact, most of the creatures are done with traditional special effects, and only one is actually rendered in CG-I (the Pinky demon, though I’m not sure how the character of “Pinky” from the film becomes this creature, since he doesn’t appear to have been bitten by the infected, nor does he have that “evil” genome).

Of course, one can not review the film without mentioning the ultimate homage to the game, the “first person” sequence. In some simply brilliant filmmaking, there’s a five minute scene done from one character’s (Reaper, played by Karl Urban) perspective, as he roams the hallways of the station, taking out zombies and creatures much in the same manor one would play the game. There’s even a music cue at the beginning of the sequence that resembles the original theme from the first game. The entire sequence is filmed as though it’s one continuous shot, and really gives fans of the game something to embrace from the film, and those unfamiliar get a really cool looking sequence shot from the character’s perspective that serves to heighten the tension in the movie tenfold.

While there are some parts of the film that don’t seem to fit within the game (the final “fight” between the film’s main characters) there’s enough here to say that DOOM is a well done adaptation, despite not being wholly faithful to the original game. As an action film, it’s got plenty of stuff to make the bloodthirsty happy and as a film of a game, it has enough winks and nods to the gamers to keep them satisfied. Well, so the studio hopes, anyway…

As for the DVD itself, it comes in two flavors: rated and unrated. The unrated DVD is a whole 12 minutes longer than the theatrical release, which I assume just adds more gore to the final product, as well as the full 5 minute FPS sequence (which apparently was shorter in the film’s theatrical release). The unrated DVD also contains a few exclusive special features, including a look at how the FPS sequence was shot, and a feature called Game On, where an unseen gamer named Jason gives basic tips for playing through DOOM 3. I like this feature for two reasons: not only do I think it’s a brilliant and captivating title, but it also shows nothing but clips from the game, so those unfamiliar with the game who picked up the DVD can actually see how close to (and in many cases, how far detracted from) the series the film actually is.

In addition to those features, there are also some additional extras available on both versions of the DVD. Basic Training shows how the actors got into the use of the many weapons of the film. Rock Formation is a short exposition into the makeup done for The Rock for his final sequence in the film. Master Monster Makers is an excellent look into the creatures of the film, showcasing how most of the grotesque beasts you see on screen are done with animatronics and guy sin suits, rather than the more modern CG-I uglies. Rounding out the disc are DOOM Nation, which features interviews with the developers of the game as well as folks from the G4 network speaking on the game’s influence and appeal, and finally, a playable level of DOOM 3 for Xbox. I would have liked to have seen a special feature on the BFG, and at least a small EPK with the writers on how they came to adapt the film, but usually, that never happens with one of these anyway.

For folks who dug the film in theaters, the disc offers a good amount of features to expand the experience, even if you weren’t familiar with the game. In many ways, the disc actually enhances the DOOM experience, in that it allows those who have never played the game a chance to see what it was like and how it compares to the film. For fans of the game, however, we already know, and this disc is still a worthy addition to our miniscule collection of decent video game adaptations.

A NEW HOPE

With all that said, we end our little look into game cinema. I may continue this type of feature, taking a look at the back catalogue and how things went wrong with what’s come before, and how things can improve. Plus, what game film rant would be complete without a mention of Uwe Boll…? Well, that will have to wait for another time, as I simply just don’t have the room here this week. Until next time, friends…Game On!

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