Doom (**)

This Aliens ripoff is unbearably dull for most of its running time. It is only in the last 20 minutes or so when this movie actually picks up steam. Doom is based on the popular video game, which pretty much explains why this movie's no good in the first place. No video game has ever been turned into a good movie, save for the guilty pleasure that is 1995's Mortal Kombat. Doom is no exception. The movie waits way too long to get to the creatures. Why else do we go these kinds of movies? We want to see creatures shot, maimed, and killed in as many different and exciting ways as possible. Instead, Doom gives us characters we could care less about bickering and showboating until they're finally picked off one by one. The Rock is the only true recognizable face in the film, and he has some interesting character development down the stretch, but it's marginal. When the gimmick of the film finally shows up, the first person shooter point of view from the game, the audience is finally engaged and having fun, but it's a case of too little too late I'm afraid.