Necrotard

The original three films had boobs & drill kills. That's what people came for and that's what they got... but not much else. All three films were made by female directors, and this one feels like women finally taking the genre back rather than just following sleazy orders.

It's not without issues. The acting isn't always great, there are some annoying weak false scares, and the killer manages to not age in the 30 years between the prologue & rest of the film. But I had fun with the twists, gore, and amusing references to the first two movies. So overall, I enjoyed.

The writing starts off corny but gets better as it goes. Characters are definitely written for the youth of today, which is obviously going to turn off some older fans who enjoyed the originals. Times change and there isn't much anyone can do about that.

If boobs are half the reason you watch slashers, or if you've ever unironically called a movie "woke trash," just don't bother.

I've seen some complaints asking who this is for. It's for female slasher fans, and male slasher fans who aren't too sensitive to have their genre critiqued & played around with.

The sets are great, and the writing, acting, special effects, and cinematography are passable. None of it was bad enough to yank me out of the narrative. The music was decent, but some metal would have made it feel more like Doom.

A few of the action beats felt weak and the very end left a little to be desired, and I'm sure the budget is to blame. It feels just as cheap as the 2006 movie, but it has more gore and faith to the source material.

Overall, I stayed entertained. I appreciated the faithfulness and I loved the Hell sequence late in the film, which I thought looked great.

Scrolling through the reviews, I'm seeing a lot of complaints about the fact that the lead character is a woman. I don't care. "Doom Guy" is a blank slate in the games and I honestly don't give a crap who fills his shoes. It's not like this scrawny little woman is pulling off absurd feats of strength. She's pulling triggers on guns.

I've seen reviews call the movie "feminist," just because the lead is a woman. Gender is NEVER brought up in the film in any way. There is no "girl power" message or equal rights agenda being pushed in your face. It's just an action movie where a small percentage of the gun-toting cast is female. I'm not insecure enough with my gender to get upset by this.

I even saw one review that only brings up one negative: the marines say "clear" a lot. Really? People are so eager to hate this movie that they start nitpicking military protocol that's in every movie with soldiers in it?

I came for demons and gore and that's what I got, with the badass Hell sequence being a cherry on top.