Game-based ‘Doom’ recalls B-movies of old

In theaters

DOOM, directed by Andrzej Bartzowiak, written by Dave Callaham and Wesley Strick, 104 minutes, rated R.

In the growing legion of video games turned into movies, Andrzej Bartzowiak’s grunting, live-action cartoon, “Doom,” has enough manic energy and fiery moments to be among the more watchable of what has long been an undesirable lot.

Those who sat through the hell of “Resident Evil,” “Mortal Kombat,” “Tomb Raider” and that forgotten jewel “Super Mario Bros.” might dismiss the movie as junk without seeing it, but the film is what it is and it does what it does better than most will expect.

From Dave Callaham and Wesley Strick’s script, “Doom” is trash sci-fi that achieves a lean, focused center and final act that’s admirable in the tension it creates.

Set sometime in the distant future, the movie stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Sarge, a tattooed beast with a perpetual scowl and an attitude problem who is leading an elite core of Marines on a rescue mission to Mars.

There, at an underground research facility led by the geneticist Sam (Rosamund Pike), a mysterious 24th human chromosome has been discovered, studied and found to be wreaking havoc on what’s left of the planet’s residents.

The chromosome is akin to a virus. Should people have the misfortune of coming into contact with it, it either will transform them into a towering monster with a healthy appetite for flesh, a zombie worthy of anything in Romero’s “Dead” series, or it will allow them superhuman powers that can be used for good or evil.

Since the film has no interest in exploring the specifics of such a chromosome or how it came to manifest itself (just imagine the brain cramp the writers would have suffered had they gone there), onward it blasts, with Sarge’s crew rapidly dwindling as they rush through the metallic corridors with guns blazing, dialogue tanking, monsters lurking, pecs bouncing and people being slaughtered at every turn.

With the film’s genesis steeped in computer code, “Doom” predictably lacks soul, but it does generate the raw, sketchy rhythm of a B-movie, which gives it a few gross-out jolts.

The film is designed for fans of the game, who will dig the point-of-view perspective Bartzowiak creates toward the end (a direct nod to the game), and who likely will overlook the cheesy tough talk and lapses in logic in the wake of the many decapitations, severed body parts, spurting jugular veins and zombies busily littering the landscape as zombies are wont to do.

Grade: C+

On video and DVD

FANTASTIC FOUR, directed by Tim Story, written by Mark Frost and Michael France, 123 minutes, rated PG.

It is impossible to watch Tim Story’s disappointing superhero movie, “Fantastic Four,” without being reminded of last year’s Academy Award-winning superhero movie, “The Incredibles.”

In every sense, the latter movie – which also follows four superheroes trying to defeat a nasty little zealot with an attitude problem – is superior. The similarities don’t end with the storyline.

For instance, “Fantastic Four” features Jessica Alba as Sue Storm, who has the power to become invisible and create force fields, just as teenage Violet could in “The Incredibles.”

There’s Dr. Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd), otherwise known as Mr. Fantastic, who recalls Violet’s mother, Elastigirl, in that he can stretch his limbs to infinity and beyond. There’s Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis), a.k.a. The Thing, who brings to mind Mr. Incredible in his bulk and body issues.

And there’s the Human Torch (Chris Evans), who is here to provide comic relief – as Dash was in “The Incredibles” – and who indirectly recalls Dash in the sheer speed he can achieve while burning through the air. As his name implies, Torch possesses the unique ability to generate fire at will. He can snap his fingers and – poof! – there’s a super nova.

Too bad he didn’t turn it on this movie. While “Fantastic Four” was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1961 and thus can’t be accused of ripping off “The Incredibles,” its familiarity doesn’t let it off the hook.

One only has to look at how Christopher Nolan approached his terrific film “Batman Begins” to see how Story should have approached his own film about the origins of well-known characters.

Instead of breaking free from expectations and raising the bar for superhero movies, as Nolan did by focusing on the core of who Batman is, Story never goes deeper than the ink on a comic book.

His film about five people whose DNA is altered by a radioactive space cloud features no surprises. It’s never more than slight, uninteresting kitsch wrapped around some of the worst special effects of the year. Not even the evil fifth person, Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon), has the necessary bite to be a great villain. For much of the movie, he’s just seen festering along the edges, wringing his hands and smirking malevolently, until his electrical powers are called upon to generate some trouble in the flame-out finale, which is a fantastic bore.

Grade: D

Visit www.weekinrewind.com, the new archive of Bangor Daily News film critic Christopher Smith’s reviews, which appear Mondays in Discovering, Fridays in Happening, and Weekends in Television. He may be reached at

Christopher@weekinrewind.com.