Reviewed by Jon Barton

Doom is a strange beast, but not in terms of whether it's a good film or not. Indeed it marks the beginnings of JP's most enticing work to date, spawning one of the best 3dmm sequels to date and climaxing with the inevitable third, D3mons: The Distant World. Unless you're a legless tramp being ravaged by a slavering pack of mutant field mice, it's unlikely Doom will disappoint the most angst-ridden horror fan. Strictly speaking Doom doesn't operate wholly on the shock value but rather the purpose and nature of the story on offer here, both rich in substance and sublime in spectacle. The fact that the platinum edition neatly leads into the events of its sequel is but one of its strengths. While the original version served to launch JP into the limelight with his undeniable directorial skills, telling a coherent story and introducing a brave new world, the platinum edition serves to build bigger bridges in the long run. I would certainly agree with Aaron Haynes that for the fan of the series both versions are required viewing, not so much for the complete experience as for advanced enjoyment.

Where JP has the most fun in Doom are fittingly where many directors fear to tread. Blending genres has always been a frankly risky affair, but here JP embraces it with open arms, the script full of reference and irreverence to what can only be categorised as the movie buff's imbalanced sense of humour. Being one myself I could appreciate Durden and Torrance's witty exchanges amidst the action on the red planet, which is not only original and enjoyable but also in certain circles inescapably creepy. To make a multi-tasking movie such as Doom come alive, all a director needs is a hook. JP acknowledges this as demonstrated with Doom's careful and very beautiful construction, but instead of settling with the minor summarised success story he nails the movie hook line and sinker. The script is witty when required to perform a balancing act with the action, even if on a side-note, its brilliance can't prevent all the focus shifting to the dark overtones of the film. Where say QT blends his culture inflicted conversations to lead into action often matching the nature of the character's ramblings (the same can be said for Charlie Kaufman and Frank Darabont to a lesser extent) the cross-cutting on offer here is while appreciated, sometimes misleading. That said, the action kicks in at just the right time to counteract this, leading directly into the awesome sound editing that brings the story's nature to life. I guarantee the first glimpse of the tunneling demon will make your skin crawl.

Hence the beauty in Doom. It's not scary as such, and in places it potentially fails to take itself seriously, but the blanket of darkness that shrouds the colour schemes, the violence and the overwhelming sense of isolation and decay following the events of Mars' colonisation give the film a distinctive chill factor. As a result of the cinematography it makes the events themselves darker and more palpable, and thus the cat and mouse chase ensues on the surface of the planet, a fantastic chase scene in itself but actually bettered by JP himself via Durden’s vertigo inducing leap of faith in The Awakening’s chase scene. Picking up on the key emotive elements of the film is a bizarre idea because the original didn’t take itself seriously, and platinum edition inherits what made the original so enjoyable and negligent of satirical insight regarding the politics and nature of the story. At the same time though, JP succeeds in shifting the direction of Doom so that it might embrace the shadowy evil that gathers in The Awakening. Above all Platinum Edition serves this purpose, but at the heart it’s also an incredibly welcoming re-run, clearly pointing the finger reminding us there’s a hell of a lot of life in the first one yet. It’s a popcorn flick bluntly put, it’s a fetish fulfilling joyride of unease and horror honestly put.

What is most interesting about the first installment of Doom is the fact that where other directors have used existing franchises to directly capture the essence of what is already in place (Goro with Ninja Gaiden, Red and Spencer with GITS etc.), JP ignores the frankly thin premise of Doom’s gaming roots and creates an entirely new sequence of events, one that deserves the titular label which to be fair is the only thing that it has in common with Midway’s classic games. The film is plot heavy and driven by the characters as equally as the action, apparent in the consistent use of cross-cutting. As a result of JP’s universe being so richly fathomed I can’t really find a problem with sharing the same name as a dated blocky videogame, and my only fear is now years after its release, when D3mons may get unwanted feedback based on the upcoming Doom 3 game.

Doom is a very rich, very intelligent horror film that serves to make your skin crawl more to out and out scare. Coupled with a detailed and extraordinary script, and finally glazed with a directing style JP is now so respected for, the film is hugely entertaining and enjoyable. Look no further than what it is, a great popcorn movie full of twists and turns to satisfy the most bloodthirsty of audiences, and your experience will be nourished substantially.

8.5/10