Doom

You are in the wrong movie if you ask for a plot in Doom. If there's any, it stays true to the game - shoot anything that breathes, which is uttered many times in the latest movie adapted from computer games, off the heels of Resident Evil and Tomb Raider.

I might try - a group of RRTS troops (read: Universal Soldier type, it even plays out that way) gets sent to Mars to uncover some weird occurences in some high tech lab dealing with genetics. Soon, the victims become mutations of various kinds and all hell breaks loose as we follow the crew into the labyrinth of an underground lab full of dark skanky corridors right off the set of Aliens.

It's nothing fancy, but it works. The filmmakers try to up both the intelligence and babe factor by introducing Bond Girl Rosamund Pike (she's a distraction alright) to the plot, but her *ahem* assets fail to maximise the thin plot. With mercenary soldiers, we see the typical sterotyped characters like the rookie, the maverick, the questionable orders, and the hero with a buried past.

One major gripe I had with this movie, is the language. If the scripts says to swear, then please swear using as much colourful and vulgar words. Don't have it filmed, then decide during post production to tone it down, which means to re-record the audio and dub it over. So The Rock might mouth an "F-word", doesn't take a genius to realize that the word finally heard - "idiot" is two-syllable, and makes the movie like one of the old Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns. Plenty of moments like this. Worse, while Rosamund Pike was uttering a slew of scientific mumbo-jumbo, her mouth doesn't even move!!! The editors need to be shot up the rear by the BFG.

Speaking of BFG, it's disappointing. For fans, this is THE weapon to use as you blast away anything that moves. In the film, the buildup, fanfare and respect given to the Big Fat Gun (as The Rock calls it. I know you fans have a more impolite name for it) doesn't justify its short life-span on screen. Worse, there's only ONE BFG used in the entire movie, for a total of like, 2 shots?

The much touted first-person shooter (FPS) view, adapted straight from the game, turned out to be no longer than 5 minutes. So for all you viewers who are worrying that the FPS view will get you all nauseous, you might want to reconsider. I thought it could be longer, and earlier, but it wasn't. Pity.

However, the special effects, for what it's worth, is pretty nifty. Well, this area isn't much of a challenge, having source material come from a computer game, you couldn't and shouldn't do much wrong here.

Strictly for fans of the game to see how it's played out on screen, and for those who like a dose of some mindless action, led by The Rock. Hmm... did I just see him raise his eyebrow?