The large set-pieces at times feel overdone. Very little in this movie isn't. The guns are huge, creatures enormous, and the effects stuck in places where there shouldn't be any. Creatures remain subdued in their design, with a fleshy, burnt look that adds to the creepiness of the long corridors, but doesn't do much to the movie.
The long winding corridors of Doom almost make it feel like an Alien clone. Sadly, nothing else about it does. It's a dull action film, and it's hard to think of a more critical flaw in the genre than that. Video game fans have been betrayed again by Hollywood. 
Doom is a movie that relies completely on its video and audio presentation to make it work. The standard DVD release was impressive, and this HD-DVD is a step up. The added resolution works to dramatically increase the gory details. Dirt on the walls gives the environments a desolate feel not found previously.
What this disc doesn't avoid is heavy film grain. The film is drenched in blue shades, and the compression is admirably held back. However, that could also be due to the grain overwhelming any other problems. Most of it is left to the backgrounds with solid colors, though certain shots are riddled with it. It hurts the movie and the experience at the same time. It's on the print itself, and likely on the DVD release too. In an unavoidable problem of added clarity thanks to HD-DVD, it stands out. 
Audio packs an additional punch compared to the DVD release. The added effect of the surround channels is noticeable. Subtle movement is constant, particularly as the film moves into adventure mode while the marines search for survivors. It's to the film's benefit in those early moments when the characters are on edge, and every little noise is meant to terrify. Bass is wonderfully used during gunfire, and in a few other areas when called upon. 
Extras are pulled from the DVD release. "Master Monster Makers" looks at Stan Winston's creature shop. It's a place where DVD fans have been to previously, though it's always nice to see some traditional effects in action. However, there is nothing on the first-person sequence here. Basic Training with the Rock takes us through a training camp the actors went through to prepare for their roles. For a movie about space marines landing on Mars to take on horribly disfigured mutants, accuracy training seems like a stretch. At the least, it explains where the budget went.
![Doom [UMD for PSP]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/513Z8NRR4PL._SL120_.jpg)
Article comments
1 - Kaonashi
"As Keith Urban character begins an assault through his own eyes true to the game, it's a sequence..."
LOL, don't you mean Karl Urban? ;) Keith Urban is Nicole Kidman's country singer husband drying out at rehab somewhere.