So there’s a new stab at making a movie based on the video game Doom… called Doom: Annihilation. It was previous attempted in a flick just called Doom starring Dwayne Johnson and Carl Urban and it had a budget, it was well produced, and it was very bad. This new movie’s trailer was bad… clearly low budget and hokey looking. And, as it turns out, direct-to-video (it’s on iTunes and Amazon Video). So that’s an even bigger clue that this is going to be a real garbage fire… which is why I rented it just to kind of hate watch it and have fun at its expense.
Except… well… it’s not all that bad. I mean, it’s clearly low budget… the sets are cheap looking, the costumes and props off-the-shelf, the creature effects decent but unoriginal and unimaginative, and the acting hovering between acceptable, disinterested, and bad. It’s clearly a B movie… but as far as B movies go, it’s actually a decent movie. Now, I’m not saying that you need to rent it and certainly if you aren’t the kind of person who likes a good B sci-fi movie, then you’ll need to stay far, far away. But if you go in with low expectations, I dunno, it’s a decent movie.
So the story… well, this is based on a video game where the main character you play is just called “Doom Guy” (or Doom Slayer in the latest game). Scientists on one of the moons of Mars are experimenting with teleportation… but something goes wrong and demons from hell (or maybe just aliens) show up and slaughter everyone and/or possess them. A bunch of space marines land at the base and are set upon by the zombies (demons?). Which is basically… well.. the story of every Doom game ever, as far as I can recall.
So what does this movie do that makes it not terrible while actors in costumes you could cobble together from a sporting good store walk around dodgy sets? Well, the action is actually decent to start. The creature makeup effects aren’t creative or even interesting but they are more-or-less well made. Ummm…. what else? Well, I just wasn’t bored. I thought, for all the cliches and “homages” to Aliens, that they did a decent job with some of the characters (even as they spout ALL the cliches). The movie just kind of chugs along without face-planting over a cheap prop. Within the extremely limited budget, you get the sense the director (and some of the actors) are actually trying.
Now, as a video game movie, I should note that the film does provide some fun Doom staples. Chainsaws, inexplicably exploding barrels, color-coded keycards, and a dodgy BFG. But they also reference John Carmack and Wolfenstein. Oh, and the main character (who is not a Doom Guy, but a Doom Girl) is named Joan Dark… which might be a reference to Joan of Ark (aka Joan D’Ark) or it could be a reference Joanna Dark from Perfect Dark. And there’s a scientist with glasses and goatee who looks a lot like Gordon Freeman.
So, yeah, if you want to take a risk on a budget-conscious B movie based on a video game (I see all your hands raising), this isn’t a bad movie. It’s shocking – surprising – but it’s a better movie than the much bigger budget first stab at the property.
Score: 76