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Doom Movie Update
Posted by
michael
on Sun Dec 05, 2004 04:16 PM
from the floating-eyeball dept.
from the floating-eyeball dept.
WeAz writes "Dark Horizons has an update on the currently filming Doom Movie. The article sums up the history of the production thus far and also includes a cool tidbit that reveals 'a large number of sequences will be shot purely in "first-person" perspective of the leading character (Karl Urban).' Unfortunately, the article also reports that 'The monsters aren't from hell, but rather people mutated by some nasty super-virus although the monsters look very similar to those in the game.' Sounds like a version of 28 Days Later based on Mars to me."
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*rubs hands together* (Score:5, Funny)
Re:*rubs hands together* (Score:4, Funny)
Parent
Re:*rubs hands together* (Score:3, Funny)
Re:*rubs hands together* (Score:5, Funny)
Tagline: "In a world... without light... without adhesives... a hero shall arise, armed with a flashlight and heavy weaponry, but no method to combine the two."
Ugh... I spent the entire game wishing for duct tape so I could fuckin' tape my flashlight to the bottom of my rifle. Apparently everyone decided, probably by committee, that things like night-vision and underbarrel flashlights were passe sometime in the 22nd century.
Parent
Re:*rubs hands together* (Score:5, Informative)
Just thought I'd letcha know in case you didn't.
Parent
On Mars (Score:5, Informative)
Re:On Mars (Score:5, Insightful)
It's fairly obvious that whoever put up the money wants the film to have the widest possible appeal in america, and that means they don't want to risk offending middle america with the kind of religous imagery used in the games.
It might still turn out to be a decent film, it won't be Doom though.
Parent
Re:On Mars (Score:5, Funny)
I suppose we were all naive at one point in our lives. Your point is right now, friend.
Parent
Re:On Mars (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re:On Mars (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re:On Mars (Score:5, Insightful)
Fuck hollywood sucks.
Parent
Re:On Mars (Score:4, Funny)
Parent
Re:On Mars (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Re:On Mars (Score:4, Insightful)
Exactly! Why bother paying for the license when they're not really making use of it? It could be any one of a dozen cookie cutter sci-fi/action movies. If they don't keep the core (demons from hell invading Mars) then it just ain't Doom.
I'd assume the marketing suits figure all the "geeks" will want to go and see it because of the name alone. Be interesting to see if they change it too much whether it'll have the opposite effect and all the Doom fans will boycott the movie...
Parent
Re:On Mars (Score:5, Informative)
a) not set on mars
b) aliens infected with super virus, not demons
c) not about "space marines" but more SWAT team members.
d) character named "Pinky" in cybernetic wheelchair.
e) BFG is "Bio Force Gun".
so, this movie has what to do with DOOM exactly? 1st person perspective? Wow, because there aren't other games with that perspective.
Parent
Re:On Mars (Score:5, Interesting)
Parent
super v irus? (Score:3, Insightful)
Bring a barf bag... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Bring a barf bag... (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re:Bring a barf bag... (Score:5, Funny)
That's ok, just make sure you set pm_walkbob "0" in the console.
Parent
Good news, or bad news first? (Score:5, Interesting)
What plot? (Score:5, Funny)
Um, we're talking about Doom, right? What plot? From what I can recall the plot went something like "Demons. Bad. Kill them all."...
Parent
Re:What plot? (Score:5, Insightful)
Admittedly after the basic set up of being on mars in a base after a gateway to hell has opened, the plot is fairly thin from there on. Which makes it even more amazing that the makers of this film have done away with pretty much the only plot elements Doom has.
Parent
Re:What plot? (Score:3, Insightful)
As simplistic as the plot is, they've still managed to fuck it up. Also, your plot is a little thin. It's more like, "You, Space Marine. Them, Demons from Hell. On Mars. Kill them all." And yet, the movie does not have space marines, demons, hellspawn, or Mars. It may not be the strongest of plots, but it's what makes Doom recognizable. Without at least space marines and hellspawn, you don't have a Doo
Re:What plot? (Score:5, Funny)
"Boss, some guy on Slashdot just came up with the idea for 3 new movies. Trust me on this, these are going to make us rich!"
Parent
Re:What plot? (Score:5, Insightful)
That's where the original game started, but if you read the intro text, and the text and the various ends of stages you would have realised there was plot. That plot was further expanded upon in Doom3.
Let's be realistic here, you could easily take the plot that you discover on PDAs and from talking to people in Doom3 and create a film where only the final third of the film has anyone running around killing demons. Think about it:
We can start with the marine arriving on base and hearing the rumpours about weird things and the "dig site", spend plenty of time slowly revealing the teleporters, and the fact that there seems to be something/someplace in between leaving one teleporter and arriving at another. Add to that lots of creepy moments wandering around the base hearing voices occasionally, and incidents with marines and workers (ie teleporter test subjects) going insane, and attacking people etc. and you could easily fill and hour with nary a hell gate opened. That leaves you a nice 30 minutes of of hectic "demons everywhere" conclusion.
Doom could be made into a very good film. It won't be made into a very good film, but that's hardly the game's fault.
Jedidiah.
Parent
Re:Good news, or bad news first? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Good news, or bad news first? (Score:3, Informative)
No hell? (Score:5, Insightful)
Are people afraid to mention the word HELL anymore? Jesus christ, Jesusland is taking over!
Re:No hell? (Score:3, Insightful)
Mars-set zombie flick (Score:5, Insightful)
It's already done, and called "Ghosts of Mars".
And it came the year before "28 days later".
Bio Force Gun?? (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Bio Force Gun?? (Score:5, Funny)
(Dear mods: modding up those who respond to jokes in the above manner is pretty lame.)
Parent
Re:Bio Force Gun?? (Score:4, Interesting)
Parent
Not another virus! (Score:5, Insightful)
Why bother? (Score:5, Insightful)
Monsters aren't from Hell.
SWAT instead of space marines.
Super-virus?
Can you REALLY call this DOOM? Why do they bother? Doom fans are gonna be angry, and for the rest, the movie could have been called Resident Evil IIV : It gets crappier anyway.
Things to do (Score:5, Insightful)
1) Acquire creative control
2) Change everything except the name
3) Profit!
Hollywood, like all business, is only interested in brands, not products. Therefore it is only the title that matters, not the plot.
Happens with nearly every adaptation of any existing book/comic book/game into a movie.
Creative people should have creative control. Irrefutable example of success: The Incredibles
Business people should not have creative control. Irrefutable example of total failure: Lion King 1 1/2
Re:Things to do (Score:5, Informative)
Business people should not have creative control. Irrefutable example of total failure: Lion King 1 1/2
Except you get odd cases like Fight Club. The fact is that, relatively speaking, Fight Club bombed at the US box office. That meant that Brad Pitt got told he was only to take safe roles from here on in, and David Fincher was told no one was going to bank roll him for any creative projects anymore - that's why we got Panic Room.
Of course, in the end, Fight Club has become a huge cult success and is probably raking in money n DVD sales. It took a while to find its market.
It is for that reason, however, that the business people get to make their demands: even great creative projects don't make the initial cash that the business people bank rolling the project desire.
Jedidiah.
Parent
Re:Things to do (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
The "Religious Right" can't win can they? (Score:5, Insightful)
Besides, the "Religous Right" is a myth. They're religious alright, but they're not Christian, and they're not conservative. They would do good to read what the Bible has to say about religion.
demographically targeted tripe (Score:4, Insightful)
Funny, it sounds like a market share placed, demographically targeted pile of cliched froth from where I'm siting.
To think that Phillip K Dick never made a cent on his books and died poor before recieving a cent on Bladerunner - and this thin "plot" from a video game makes it to the movies.
The boys at ID will be glad for the money, but it doesn't sound like great sci-fi, let alone art.
How to screw up a game-movie 101 (Score:5, Interesting)
Ok, show of hands: who here is sick and tired of directors or producers who want to do a movie based on a game, but who can't get around their personal preferences and start making major changes to the story? Take this "they're not from Hell" and "it's not on mars" thing.
Whoever made the change is probably thinking "Oh, I don't like religion, and I don't believe in Hell, so let's come up with a pseudo-scientific premise instead... Viruses seem to be pretty popular lately, and 28 Days Later was a big hit... It'll be easier to convince the money people if we're copying a successful franchise... Let's do a virus. Hell is so passe..."
And he's probably thinking "Mars? There is nothing on mars but red dirt. And it isn't sexy enough. Let's make it a planet far, far away. And let's make the Pinky demon a loveable character so people will be conflicted when it attacks! Yes, that will be interesting."
And as far as the armor goes, well, they're probably just being cheap. It's easier to Ebay for used SWAT team armor than to build realistic DOOM armor, isn't it? Course it is. And all movie directors/producers "know" that we're all too stupid to know the difference, anyway. Bastards...
If I could get a few of these boors into a tiny, windowless room and apply a cluebat to them, I would simply say that if you're going to adapt a game, KEEP THE FUCKING STORY. Keep the characters and technology. KEEP THE LOOK OF THE ENVIRONMENT. Keep the main idea intact. You don't have to make the movie a shot-by-shot copy of the game, but for Christ's sake, don't change everything! Tone down the ego, boys, and up the humility.
Not like there's any chance of that. VIdeo-game movies are going to continue to suck forever more because of the immense egos of the people with enough power and money to produce/direct. There's no help for it.
We're better off just playing the games themselves, and letting the movies die out from disappointing box office returns.
NOTE, and COUNTEREXAMPLE: I thought Alien Vs. Predator wasn't bad, because they staged the movie in "the past" (still our future), predating all the games and other movies, and adding in some tasty backstory (how Weyland-Yutani got started, why they're so interested in aliens and predators, etc). So obviously SOME people can get it right.
That movie's only problem was insufficient Predator-Alien whoop-ass. Maybe they had a shortage (only a few cans got delivered?).
Wake me up (Score:5, Interesting)
When they make something on par with Alien, Aliens, or Event Horizon. Aliens was part of what Doom was based on. In fact, Doom originally used an Aliens license.
The next time I go to a horror or horror action film, I want to be deeply disturbed. The new Texas Chainsaw Massacre did that for me. Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection both missed it entirely (even though Resurrection did have some xenoeroticism, hehe). We need more original horror films.
Hell and body mutilation tend to be pretty good ways to disturb me. Event Horizon had both. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre had both. Aliens a Hellish evironment plus body mutilation. Alien had the latter.
If Doom the movie has people being cut open, internal organs spread out on the operating table, hung by hooks, and surrounded by Satanic symbols, I might watch it. If Doom has wall textures that look like spinal cords, sewn skin, pipes of blood, behemoth demon brains, and decorations based on tortured human bodies, I might watch it. But if it is just another zombie film with the good guys being chased by zombies for the rest of the film, I'll just make my own film to disturb.
In conclusion, H. R. Giger (the man who designed the artwork for Alien) should design the atmosphere for Doom the movie.
You don't want more of this? (Score:5, Insightful)
Don't rent it, either. Wait until it's can be seen someplace where your viewing of it does no contribute any extra to it's coffers. Encourage others to give it a miss.
I lost track long ago of the number of times I have heard people say, "It's going to suck! I *have* to see it!" And then the same people wonder wny most movies blow white hot chunks.
If you must have the needs and character of a three year old, at least have some patience (is it *that* emotionally difficult to avoid seeing a suckfest?) and view it in a way that does not encourage Hollywood to make any more.
Hollywood has the right idea! (Score:4, Insightful)
All sarcasm aside, this movie is going to totally blow. DOOM is the type of intellectual property that I think can only be made into a movie ONE WAY, and this way sure as hell ain't it. The best us die-hard DOOM fans can do now is sit back and watch it crash and burn horribly, never to be spoken of again. As far as I'm concerned, they might as well have given it to someone who could at least butcher it in style like Uwe Boll [imdb.com], but he was probably busily turning another videogame liscence into pure tripe.
Place your bets now (Score:4, Funny)
Doom
Duke Nukem
Dungeons and Dragons 2
Vampire:The Masquerade
Re:First Person Movie (Score:4, Interesting)
There are a number of things an author can't write into a story without a narrator. It also limits all knowledge of the world to the interpretation of one character. Very difficult to write a good story in first person.
Now, the REAL accomplishment would be to produce the movie in second person.
Parent
Re:$70 million film? (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re:Comment from the writer of the Czech article (Score:4, Funny)
Space marine discover Statue of Libert half-buried in sand, realizes the remote planet was actually Earth, and shouts "You maniacs! You blew it up! Damn you! God damn you all to nasty super-virus!"
Parent
Re:Minor changes (Score:4, Funny)
In related news, the producers of the movie "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" said they wanted to keep the books' atmosphere, though there are some minor changes to the film's concept. The character Arthur Dent is an American drag queen, Ford Prefect's name will change to Dodge Vpier, Zaphod will not be a two-headed alien, but a purple dinosaur, and Marvin will become the comic relief. And instead of space, the story will take place on a luxury ocean cruiser. Other than that, they said, the movie will stay true to the books.
Parent