DOOM (2005)

Let me just say that I never got to see the end of this movie. I didn't NEED to. I know what happens in the end...the main character kills the Rock, rappels down to the surface of Hell and lobs some rockets at the Idol of Sin. Hell is destroyed (you wonder where bad people go when they die now) and a portal opens back to Earth.




NOT.

What the fuck went wrong with this film? Tragically, it altered the fundamental tenets of the DOOM series, turning the original premise which was dark, innovative and unique into something as banal and routine as possible. And it starred the Rock. I hope the producers liked tossing their cash into the swirling toilet that was this film.

Setting the tone of how this movie SHOULD have been, here's the back story from the original DOOM manual

You're a marine, one of Earth's toughest, hardened in combat and trained for action. Three years ago, you assaulted a superior officer for ordering his soldiers to fire upon civilians. He and his body cast were shipped to Pearl Harbor, while you were transferred to Mars, home of the Union Aerospace Corporation.

The UAC is a multi-planetary conglomerate with radioactive waste facilities on Mars and its two moons, Phobos and Deimos. With no action for fifty million miles, your day consisted of suckin' dust and watchin' restricted flicks in the rec room.

For the last four years the military, UAC's biggest supplier, has used the remote facilities on Phobos and Deimos to conduct various secret projects, including research on inter-dimensional space travel. So far they have been able to open gateways between Phobos and Deimos, throwing a few gadgets into one and watching them come out the other. Recently however, the Gateways have grown dangerously unstable. Military "volunteers" entering them have either disappeared or been stricken with a strange from of insanity - babbling vulgarities, bludgeoning anything that breathes, and finally suffering an untimely death of full-body explosion. Matching heads with torsos to send home to the folks became a full-time job. Latest military reports state that the research is suffering a small set-back, but everything is under control.

A few hours ago, Mars received a garbled message from Phobos. "We require immediate military support. Something fraggin' evil is coming out of the Gateways! Computer systems have gone berserk!" The rest was incoherent. Soon afterwards, Deimos simply vanished from the sky. since then, attempts to establish contact with either moon have been unsuccessful.

You and your buddies, the only combat troop for fifty million miles were sent up pronto to Phobos. You were ordered to secure the perimeter of the base while the rest of the team went inside. For several hours, your radio picked up the sounds of combat: guns firing, men yelling orders, screams, bones cracking, then finally, silence Seems your buddies are dead.

It's Up To You

Things aren't looking too good. You'll never navigate off the planet on your own. Plus, all the heavy weapons have been taken by the assault team leaving you with only a pistol. If only you could get your hands around a plasma rifle or even a shotgun you could take a few down on your way out. Whatever killed your buddies deserves a couple of pellets in the forehead. Securing your helmet, you exit the landing pod. Hopefully you can find more substantial fire power somewhere within the station.

As you walk through the main entrance of the base, you hear animal-like growls echoing throughout the distant corridors. They know you're here. There's no turning back now.

This might put it all in perspective.
Here's the overall plot of the DOOM series:



1. Scientists on Mars and its moons create teleporter technology. They accidentally open a gateway into Hell, allowing the evil to spill out into our world.
2. The evil transforms everyone and everything in the vicinity to further resemble Hell.
3. One surviving Space Marine traverses this altered landscape in order to destroy as much as he can in a suicidal frenzy.
4. Managing to miraculously kill the most powerful creatures on Deimos and Phobos, he then proceeds to rappel down to the surface of Hell itself.
5. Making his way through this dimension of torment itself, he puts a rocket right between the eyes of the epicenter of Hell, the Idol of Sin, destroying it and freeing himself.
6 (66). A portal opens up on Earth itself, transforming it into a new Hell. Bunnies die.



Here's the plot of the Doom movie.

1. Scientists make a base on Mars. They build it on ancient alien burial grounds, inviting trouble.
2. After injecting themselves with alien DNA, humans start transforming into monsters.
3. The Rock and his buddies grab some talking guns and jump through a portal to Mars.
4. After getting mostly wiped out and transformed into creatures, one monster gets through the portal back to Earth. Humans are transformed into yet more creatures on the other side. The Rock finds a big fucking gun.
5. A supporting actor becomes the "good guy" who refuses to kill civilians. He gets injected with alien DNA by his sister that turns him into a super hero and allows him to kill in first-person perspective.
6. He kung-fu fights the Rock who's become a mutant, dodges a BFG blast, saves humanity (possibly, I never saw the ending), avenges his dead parents.


Here's some more contrasting between the two mediums

Ultimate Weapon

DOOM the game
Big Fucking Gun 9000
Doom the Movie
BFG = Bio Force Gun
Advantage: DOOM

Characters and motivations:

DOOM the game
Everyone except you is dead. You gotta kill demons.
Doom the Movie
Multiple and varied, including avenging dead parents and having sex with white women.
Advantage: Doom the Movie


Main Bad Guy

DOOM the game
Cyberdemon
Doom the Movie The Rock (and whatever he's cookin')
Advantage: DOOM


Dilemma

DOOM the Game
Hell itself and all its demons just walked into ur base, started killin ur doods
Doom the Movie
We injected ourselves with Alien DNA, now we are zombies. Gaggghhh
Advantage: DOOM



This is nothing but a perversion of a brilliant work of art. Maybe porting good games over to movie form is perversion in itself, I don't know. You're basically giving up the position of the main character in the drama and are instead giving that title over to the Rock, who I don't think is qualified to scratch his own 'nads, never mind star in a movie.