DOOM: ANNIHILATION (2019)

A group of UAC Marines are tasted with answering a distress call from a secret base on Phobos, one of Mars’ moons.  Thus, begins the latest film adaption DOOM: ANNIHILATION (2019) of the popular video game.  Although this film takes inspiration from the video games it has nothing to do with the previous live action film of 2005 and instead goes on a different path. Joan Dark (Amy Manson) is one of these Marines who must learn the nature of the secret military base once they arrive and realize that they cannot communicate with any of the staff or personnel.  They don’t have much time as they soon learn that they base is set to self-destruct if they can’t get everything back online in time.

To make matters worse is the fact there is something else on the base with them that wants to kill everything it comes into contact with.  Like Most films of this type, it borrows heavily from Aliens (1986) while also making sure audiences who enjoy the game also get what they are expecting.  Manson does a great job bringing her A-Action Game for this film as I was constantly reminded of actress Millia Jovovich in the Resident Evil films especially when the creatures reveal themselves.

There are many hokey elements to the film, but they actually add to the overall entertainment of the proceedings especially if you’re a fan of the video game and know what you’re getting into from the start.  Writer/director Tony Giglio is obviously a fan of the game and wants audiences to become one soon after watching his film. 

The visual FX are really good, and the production design is excellent making for a highly enjoyable film despite the clichés that come with this genre of film and its low expectations.  Video game adaptations are not usually films that audiences really lavish much attention to but this version of the game is far superior to the previous and opens the door for future sequels.  Doom: Annihilation may not be the best film adapted from a video game but its certainly one of the better ones.

Film Review: DEATH RACE 3: INFERNO (2013)

The entire cast of the previous film (that survive anyways) is back for more death racing in Death Race 3: Inferno (2013).  Lucas (Luke Goss) barely survived the car accident that left him scarred for life but he was resurrected as Frankenstein who is the greatest racer of any Death Race.  When this film begins Frankenstein has won four matches and only needs one more to gain his freedom but everything changes when Weyland’s (Ving Rhames) company is taken over through a hostile takeover orchestrated by Niles York (Dougray Scott) who has bigger plans for Death Race by taking it global and expanding to all parts of the world instantly.  It seems that Death Race is the greatest sporting event in the world and Niles wants to take the first iteration of the global phenomena to Africa in a cross country race to the death. 

 

Returning to help Frankenstein is his pit crew Goldberg (Danny Trejo) and Lists (Fred Koehler) not to mention his always dependable navigator Katrina (Tanit Phoenix Copley) and they’ll have to work overtime as the rules to the game have changed and it will take all of them to overcome the new game and the new mastermind behind the game York.

Like the previous film in the series this one is a prequel story that leads up to the events depicted in the very first film.  Being a sequel to part two it doesn’t even seem like much time has passed but this is a new game with bigger stakes, more racers, more killing, and more danger and fans of the previous films will not be disappointed.

Film Review: DEATH RACE 2 (2010)

Death Race 2 (2010) is a prequel to the original film that centers on the beginning of the prison system reality game Death Race.  This film starts at where it all began with mob criminal Carl ‘Luke’ Lucas (Luke Goss) getting sent to prison after being apprehended after a botched bank robbery. 

At prison the talk of the town is the show Death Match in which inmates fight each other to the death.  It’s a program orchestrated by manipulative September Jones (Lauren Cohen) who works for Weyland (Ving Rhames) whose corporation owns the prison system and a broadcasting network.  After Jones sees the greater potential in Lucas she decides to convince Weyland to invest in a new venture called Death Race, in which inmates are given supped up cars in a death defying race over the course of three days and which is broadcast live for public consumption.

Lucas only has the help of his pit crew lead by Goldberg (Danny Trejo) and his navigator Katrina (Tanit Phoenix Copley) to help him get through the death race and survive when everyone around him wants him dead.

Roel Reine takes over as director of this sequel from the original’s Paul W.S. Anderson (who is producer and came up with the story on this film).  The screenplay is by Tony Giglio who does a fine time crafting a film that essentially is designed to help set up events in the first film.  Goss is no Jason Statham but he does a fine job as the lead in this film.  Although the film is not a great film by any stretch of the imagination it is very fun and exciting and plays directly to fans of the original film and these type of films in general.