Doom: Annihilation is a 2019 American science fiction action horror film written and directed by Tony Giglio (Timber Falls; storyline for Johnny Frank Garrett’s Last Word; Death Race 2 screenplay). The Universal 1440 Entertainment production stars Amy Manson, Dominic Mafham, Luke Allen-Gale and Nina Bergman.
The movie, which seems to be an in-name-only sequel to Doom (2005), was produced by Jeffery Beach, Phillip Roth (Death Race: Beyond Anarchy) and Ogden Gavanski (Cult of Chucky). Lorenzo Di Bonaventura (Transformers) and John Wells are executive producers.
Plot:
A group of space marines as they respond to a distress call from a base on a Martian moon, only to discover it has been overrun by demonic creatures who threaten to create Hell on Earth…
Reviews:
” …although the film is mostly dull, boring, and by-the-numbers, it’s not altogether a waste of time. It’s a decent enough adaptation of the first game, albeit with plenty of quirks inherent in the adaptation process, there are some neat nods to the games sprinkled throughout, and the action […] can be sufficient to sate you if you need a quick fix.” Allusions of Grandeur
“It’s fast, bloody as hell, and keeps the action coming nearly non-stop. It’s better than the 2005 version – if only a little – but that little bit makes the whole bloody affair at least watchable. So if you were excited by the prospect of another hard-R adaptation of the ever-popular Doom franchise, this is the movie I think you were hoping to see.” Arrow in the Head
“Doom: Annihilation isn’t especially ambitious. All it really had to do was be better than the Doom movie from 2005, and it is. It’s a lot better. It makes sense, it doesn’t step on the elements of the video game franchise that work, and it’s edited and shot in such a way that you can actually tell what’s going on most of the time.” Bloody Disgusting
“A slow start is not remedied by fast action to finish, and the go-nowhere story, which has no real direction despite a few salient but ultimately futile stabs at metaphysical, religious, and dramatic relevance, are only interferences to the action, which is not particularly good, anyway. Expect the worst and get something that is maybe a step above bottom scraping dreck, but not by much.” Blu-ray.com
“The movie may not emulate Doom’s mood in many areas, but it does include key cards, a chainsaw, exploding barrels, even an amusing little wink at “Wolfenstein” hero B.J. Blazkowicz. I definitely don’t recommend Doom: Annihilation. But I can’t in good conscience rate it too negatively…” Culture Crypt
“For the faults of the original film, there was no shortage of uniquely hellish demons. The characters were at least distinguishable despite having testosterone dripping from their ears. Doom: Annihilation’s failure to do anything remarkable with this beloved franchise is its greatest sin.” Cultured Vultures
“My main issue is the transition from game to movie. I mean if you are not playing one of the characters will the audience be engaged for the 90 minutes? I think there is enough action, and thus Doom: Annihilation never gets bogged down or has slow parts. There is always peril and the characters show a sense of urgency.” Dan’s Movie Report
“The action’s slick, and the creature effects look impressive, but the real standout is Manson, whose character undergoes a spiritual journey that elevates the film a notch above the level of Syfy-channel fare. Bethesda was wrong to disown this; it may be the best Doom movie we ever get.” Forbes
“You’ll see a fancy gun, keycards, fire balls, UAC swag and a research facility in peril. That’s some standard DOOM action, and it’s right in time for the latest game which is probably a smart tie-in. This is a fine film, it stands out by itself in a unique way..” Gamer Headquarters
“Where this film succeeds over the original Doom movie is that Giglio brings the horror elements of the video game franchise into his film, blending the sci-fi story with the tropes of the haunted house, by way of both zombie and monster movie. And unlike the first Doom film, his heroes are flawed and therefore the horror comes through them, the audience fears for them as much as they fear for their own lives.” Nerdly
“The same lame attempt at a jump scare (something runs in front of the camera and the music goes loud for a second) gets used twice in the space of ten minutes and there is zero reason to invest in anything that’s going on, or in any of the characters.” Reel Horror Show
” …while the threat suddenly returning at the end is also ridiculously familiar from untold legions of horror films, the Doom fans will probably love it as that is how all the games do actually end. Oh, well. It’s not exactly terrible. It’s just…routine. Average. Unexceptional. Familiar.” Rivets on the Poster
“With only a taste of the demonic energy that could feed this franchise, Doom: Annihilation is a solid B-movie that rips and tears its way to the finish line while remaining a faithful adaptation to the popular shooter franchise.” Sordid Cinema
“As with any Aliens wanna-be, guns are fired, lifeforms are de-lifed, drama is had and the obviously evil human character turns out to be evil. Obviously. Even with low expectations, Doom: Annihilation couldn’t limbo itself into my heart.” The Tomb of Anubis
“Most of Giglio’s credits have been action films and it shows. Doom: Annihilation is rarely scary. Even when the final act goes off into Event Horizon territory it’s more about the BFG 9000 than making you jump. What should have been an exciting action/horror film is reduced to a mechanical piece of straight to video filler. It’s all competently done, but very sterile.” Voices from the Balcony
Release:
Doom: Annihilation was released on home video on October 1st, 2019.
Cast and characters:
- Amy Manson … Joan Dark
- Hari Dhillon … Doctor Ahmed Kahn
- Louis Mandylor … Chaplain
- Nina Bergman … Carley – The Car: Road to Revenge
- Luke Allen-Gale … Doctor Bennett Stone
- Dominic Mafham … Doctor Betruger
- Lorina Kamburova … Sandy Peterson
- Amer Chadha-Patel … Rance
- Jemma Moore … Li
- James Weber Brown … Captain Hector Savage
- Arkie Reece … Tarek
- Chidi Ajufo … Akua
- Gavin Brocker … Harry
- Nathan Cooper … Ezekiel
- Katrina Nare … Veronica
Filming locations:
Sofia, Bulgaria
Technical details:
95 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.78: 1
