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A Hellknight (main pic) is one of the baddies doing battle against Karl Urban and the Rock (left)
Doomsday
The seminal horror shooter DOOM is making its big screen debut. Henry Northmore looks at the making of the latest game-to-film conversion.
993 was an epoch-defining
moment in videogames:
Doom was unleashed on the public. Not only would gaming never be the same again. but you can see it in everything from Resident Evil to G724. No longer do amphetamine—fuelled hedgehogs. chubby plumbers and numerous other day-glo cutesy characters rule the gaming charts: we want blood. sweat and fears. And it‘s all Doom's fault. It secured its own genre (the First Person Shooter or FPS); it's estimated to have been played by at least 15—20 million people via the shareware version; it was branded a ‘mass murder simulator‘ by Lieutenant Colonel David Grossman of the KiIIoIogy Research Group; it got implicated in the Columbine High School Massacre and there have been four novels and a series of comics. Now it's heading to a multiplex near you.
The film-to-game route has been plundered for years but. travelling in the other direction. the game-to- film crossover is still in its infancy. And we all know the rocky road they‘ve taken so far. from the frankly crap Super Mario Brothers to the brash but vacant Tomb Raider series. Some have had a few flashes of inspiration (Final Fantasy) but most have
relied too heavily on (‘01 and no brain action (Mortal Komlmt) or headed straight to the video hell they so richly deserve (Ballistie: Eeks vs Sever).
Doom aims to redress that balance and is sticking perhaps more steadfastly to the aesthetics
of the game than any other conversion. Taking 2004's
incredibly well received Doom 3 as its template. this lifts the
to-lilm adaptation that has so far led to a clutch of stinkers‘.’ And what can Doom do to redress the balance? Firstly. it helps if your lead actors enjoyed playing the original game format. ‘I was a big fan of the game.‘ says Johnson. He may play grizzled combat vet Sarge in the movie but in real life he‘s perpetually good-humoured. all Hollywood smiles and quick gags. ‘I spent a lot of time down in Texas with Id Software. the creators of Doom. There‘s a wide interpretation with the movies and the characters but I wanted to understand the geography and where we were and make sure the script and their thoughts matched together.‘
Urban also loved the game. ‘When I was making (‘lzronieles o/‘Riddiek with Vin Diesel. he had this place with this massive ten foot projector screen and we would play Doom. When my agent called me up I was very. very. very interested to he a part of it. Most importantly for me was the script: it‘s unapologetic. it’s dark as hell and it's gory. I think it‘s a really faithful rendition of the game.‘
Many production companies appear to buy the licence. then just make a film that vaguely touches on the themes of the game (see House oft/1e Dead for evidence). In the case of Doom. the film studio (Universal Pictures) and its director Adrzej Bartkowlak respected the game from the ground up. working closely with Id Software. Much like the rest of us. as an avid gamer himself. producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura
'WHEN YOU PLAY THE GAME THEN SEE THE MOVIE YOU'LL SEE DIRECT CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE TWO'
atmosphere and dynamics directly from the game but creates a new story around them. Starring New Zealander Karl Urban (last seen in the final two Lord of the Rings films) and wrestler-turned- surprisineg-decent-actor Dwayne ‘the Rock' Johnson (surely one of the nicest men in Hollywood despite his intimidating bulk and bulging biceps). this is a gritty. gore-drenched epic in the same vein as Aliens as only befits the source material.
It went straight to the top of the US box office on its release. going some way to recouping the $70 million budget. But is there something inherent in the game-
hadn't been massively impressed by previous game movies. so reached back to the source material. ‘We looked to Id to be our guide to make sure that we were doing what the fans would want us to do.’ says di Bonaventura. He‘s backed up by co-producer John Wells. who adds: ‘I‘m hoping that we‘ve set the bar high and that the people who want to try coming after as are truer to the spirit of the original game and the way in which it was created. I think that's one of the reasons Id stuck by us for so Iong.’
The men behind the film have
paid homage to the game by >
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