'Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition' drops the VR requirement, offering serviceable Aliens thrills, anytime, anywhere (review) (Image credit: Universal Pictures) In stark contrast to modern games like "The Last of Us", however, "Doom" wasn't overly blessed in the story department. Indeed, in the early '90s, you were lucky if you got any plot at all sandwiched between the extended action sequences that were the medium's bread and butter. "Doom"'s protagonist didn't even have a name, though he would later be given the unofficial moniker of "Doomguy". This left "Doom"'s creatives with the sort of blank slate that can sometimes be a blessing. In this case? Not so much. In a truly bizarre move, even the mythology that did exist was significantly reinvented. This decision was partly motivated by the fact that the filmmakers didn't want to risk alienating churchgoers with controversial depictions of demons and Hell. The movie subsequently gave its monsters a more secular origin story, the spawn of science run amok rather than some malevolent force of evil. (Image credit: Universal Pictures) Beyond that, "Doom" borrowed liberally from superior science fiction movies of the previous two decades. From "Stargate", it plundered the idea of archaeologists discovering a portal to another world, left behind by an ancient, technologically advanced civilisation. In this case, the destination — as in the games — was Mars , where the architecture of the United Aerospace Corporation (UAC) base has been heavily influenced by the Martian settlement in "Total Recall" (coincidentally, another film that uncovered relics of the red planet's previous occupants). And then, of course, there's " Aliens ", a classic you don't try to imitate unless you're very brave, very naïve, or both. Get the Space.com Newsletter Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. The men (and they are all men) of the RRTS (Rapid Response Tactical Squad) are Colonial Marines in all but name, dispatched to the Olduvai Research Facility when communications go down. Their orders? Use "extreme prejudice" and "search and destroy". But while James Cameron's classic 1986 bug hunt took care establishing all of its soldiers as characters — even the ones who'd be dead within seconds of their first close encounter — their "Doom" equivalents can be categorized as "anonymous", "expendable" or "detestable misogynist scumbag". (Image credit: Universal Pictures) One member of the cast who was unlikely to fade into the background was Dwayne Johnson, then operating under his wrestling callsign, The Rock. The WWE legend was already being touted as the successor to an earlier generation of action heroes — in fact, Arnold Schwarzenegger had even appeared for a few seconds at the start of 2003's "The Rundown" ("Welcome to the Jungle" in the UK), instructing the younger man to, "Have fun". It was something of a surprise, then, that the Rock opted to play "Sarge", the RRTS's brutal commanding officer who becomes the film's de facto villain in its final act. "I knew I wanted to be a part of this," Johnson said during production. "Will Smith always saves the world, so I thought it would be more interesting if I tried to end it." Johnson had originally been offered the chance to play the more heroic John Grimm (callsign Reaper, geddit?), a role that ultimately went to Karl Urban, a New Zealander who'd got his big break playing Éomer in "The Lord of the Rings". If the film had any emotional depth at all, he'd be the heart of the story; a soldier who lost his parents on Mars, and has spent the last decade estranged from his sister… who just happens to be a forensic archaeologist on the base he's been sent to clear up. You may like Source: https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/doom-at-20-a-staggeringly-dull-movie-that-really-should-have-been-left-buried-on-mars