Doom (Andrzej Bartkowiak, 2005, USA) May 18, 2007
Posted by Daniel Stephens in : Uncategorized, Horror, 2000s, Film reviews, Action/Adventure, Sci-fi/Fantasy , trackbackDir. Andrzej Bartkowiak; screenplay by Dave Callahan & Wesley Strick; starring The Rock, Karl Urban, Rosamund Pike, Ben Daniels
In one of the great self-reflexive moments that Kevin Smith does so well, Ben Affleck tells Matt Damon in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, ‘you gotta do a safe picture, then you can do an art picture. But then sometimes you gotta do the paycheck picture because your friend says you owe him.’ It’s a great little moment in a great little movie, and fittingly, describes the sentiments of Rosamund Pike who turns up in Doom surely because she either has bills to pay or she owes a friend. The Libertine, Pride And Prejudice, and the Devil You Know actress surely knew what a mess she was getting herself into when she read Callahan and Strick’s script. I’ll just backtrack for a second – did I just say it took two people to write this awful film – I think I did.
Essentially, Doom is like a high-budget TV movie with nothing resembling conflict, characterisation, or originality. Any videogame conversion to the big-screen can be forgiven for a lack of original material but the film struggles to find any conflict within its rocket-scientist mumbo-jumbo and over-complicated plotting. For a film that concerns a group of combat marines going into battle (after a distant planet issues a distress call), you’d expect a certain amount of tension, but director Bartkowiak seems either unable or unwilling. There’s a silly moment when The Rock tells his marines it’s ‘game time’ as they exit a helicopter to go into a building. The marines check the area for danger as an elevator opens with the audience half expecting something nasty to appear. Alas, it doesn’t and the men enter the elevator. Danger must surely be close? Not exactly, as the marines find their floor, we learn they’ve entered a building that acts, much like an airport, and transports them to the planet that needs their assistance. Essentially, they’re at a futuristic airport. So, we wonder, why all the gun-ready, macho-posturing as they first got into the elevator, because there was no danger whatsoever. Retrospectively, it’s laughable, as you could see the Wayans brothers or the Zucker’s using such a gag as parody, not serious, supposedly tension-building drama. In fact, I countered at least three false starts for The Rock and his gang of idiots before they face any real danger. By then, I’d switched off and started self-palm reading, something that was difficult because it was far too dark to do it properly, and secondly, I have absolutely no idea how to palm read.
Fundamentally, Doom is a complete failure because it doesn’t do the one thing it should. That is, to offer exciting and dramatic action, underscored by a relevant and overpowering threat. You think about the films it wants to be - Aliens and Predator - and they both had what was required in abundance. In Aliens, even before the marines face any direct threat, tension is created because they go to a planet they and the audience know could be populated by evil, unstoppable monsters. The fact that when they initially get there, everyone on the planet has disappeared, heightens this level of suspense (what happened? Why? Where are all the people?). The soldiers are faced with desolate corridors, artificial lighting beginning to fade, and the obvious signs of struggle, a last stand. Likewise, in Predator, when the soldiers find another slain group of marines, they begin to question what exactly they are up against. Can they defeat it, where another group of soldiers failed? Both these scenes appear well before any proper combat and yet the audience is left excited in anticipation. Doom is far too confused in its build-up, pedestrian-paced, and makes the cardinal sin of paying homage to films far better than itself.
Perhaps, the film’s main problem is Bartkowiak, a cinematographer-turned-director, whose credits at the helm include Romeo Must Die and the Steven Seagal film Exit Wounds. He paints Doom in stylish blacks and greys, with futuristic colour flourishes, and doesn’t allow himself to show too much of the excellent production design, wisely keeping it in shadow. Yet, his control of off-screen space is less refined. He struggles to focus our attention as the messy plot that features caricature, paper-thin characters has them scattering all over the place. Bartkowiak doesn’t know whether to stick or twist, and we’re left with a languid pace that meanders on a very confused course. He draws too much on what other filmmakers have done before, and can’t overcome the clichéd script with its uninventive plot and awful dialogue. The film is also devoid of humour, something that has certainly helped other videogame and especially comic book adaptations.
Maybe I went into the film with higher expectations than I should have had. I didn’t expect an especially great action film, but I did expect a sense of adventure. When Bartkowiak goes to Doom-vision (filming the shot in much the same way as the game is played in first person perspective) I felt it was inspired. At the very least it celebrated the film’s roots, and gave the videogame fans something intrinsic to enjoy. It was also a very good piece of filmmaking (but arrives far too late in the movie), probably attributed to Bartkowiak’s cinematographic background, as he uses fast-paced edits and a claustrophobic mise-en-scene to place the audience directly into the action with danger all around. Yet, unfortunately, it’s one bright spot in a great expanse of humourless, tensionless black. Doom is uninspired, big-budget Hollywood. Where have we heard that before?
Rating: 1 out of 5
Comments»
I’m surprised it was even possible to go into this film with higher expectations than what was warranted - even if you went in expecting a piece of crap you’d probably come out disappointed. Do these guys deliberately go in to screw up game-film adaptations? It seems to happen every time. And every time one is pumped out and critically slated you’d think Hollywood would learn its lesson, but then another is announced. Why? Probably because people still go and see this sh*te. Therefore I’d guess that there’s something fundamentally wrong with the majority of the film-going public? Theories on a postcard….
Excellent review, Daniel. Doom’s one of those films when, as soon as the sudio announces that it’s being made, you think ‘This doesn’t sound too promising,’ and then it goes on to be a predictable pile of old nonsense. The really sad part is that I honestly think it’s as good a job as they could have made with the source material. Great game, but it just doesn’t lend itself well to a movie format, and I can’t help imagining that the admittedly fine ‘player perspective’ scene is what the entire film is based asround.
When will people learn? Video games do NOT make for good movie entertainment. When the idea for this film was first mooted back in the late 90’s I remember thinking “what could go wrong?”
It turns out, pretty much everything.
I wouldn’t say video game adaptations don’t make for good entertainment. Super Mario Bros. was poor but at least it didn’t take itself too seriously, and Street Fighter and Mortal Combat had their moments. I thought Resident Evil was actually quite good, and Silent Hill had a great atmosphere throughout. However, I could take or leave every one of them - please no more Tomb Raider! - the problem being Hollywood’s lack of new ideas. The most annoying thing is when they just use the popularity of a video game to market and produce a movie. The problem with video game adaptations isn’t necessarily that they’re all poor, it’s the fact that yet again Hollywood is shying away from new ideas. Even when a video game movie works (Silent Hill, Resident Evil), they are passable entertainment at best, and all have the fundamental flaw - originality.
As long as the game is popular, there will be a market for the movie, and the studios know it. It’s so easy marketing a film that already has fans before even a shot is filmed, and thats why the comic book adaptations are also so frequent.
You’re right, and I don’t suppose they care too much how it turns out (artistically), as long as it rakes in enough business. Don’t suppose you can blame them.
I’m still waiting for the cinematic adaptation of Jet Set Willy, promised by 20th Century Fox back in 1986 - come on guys, we’re all still waiting!
I’m still waiting for ‘Pong! The Musical’.