The Final Cut: A Closer Look At Doom, Stay

This week, The Final Cut takes a closer look at Doom, starring The Rock;  and Stay, with Ewan McGregor.  Also showing on the big screen come Friday are Shopgirl, North Country, and Dreamer; and in limited release you can look for Kids In America, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, After School Special, Uspizin, and Protocols of Zion.  Had the opportunity to check out any of this weekends’ releases?  Tell your fellow Gear Live readers what you thought by leaving your opinion in the comments section.  Check out our thoughts on Doom and Stay after the jump…

Doom

Starring:  Karl Urban, Rosamund Pike, Razaaq Adoti, The Rock

“Something has gone wrong at a remote scientific research station on Mars. All research has ceased. Communication has failed. And the messages that do get through are less than comforting. It’s a level 5 quarantine and the only souls allowed in or out are the Rapid Response Tactical Squad—hardened marines armed to the teeth with enough firepower to neutralize any enemy… or so they think. The research being done at Olduvai station has unwittingly opened a door and all hell has broken loose. A legion of nightmarish creatures of unknown origin lurk behind every wall and stalk the countless rooms and tunnels of the facility, killing what few people remain. Sealing off the portal to Earth, Sarge, Reaper and their team must use every weapon at their disposal—and some they find along the way—to carry out their orders: nothing gets out alive.”

Fans of the video game by the same name should be pleased with this film that is based closely on the Doom III game.  Not that familiar with the game?  Well, I’m sorry to say that buying a ticket to see this action/sci-fi will probably end up being a waste of your hard earned money.  You see, just about all of the positive reviews floating around online are from people who are more than acquainted with all that is Doom, while the less than positive reviews come from those who have probably never played the game.  Even with a first person shooter scene, this movie doesn’t appear to be that great.  In fact, I think Joshua Tyler of CinemaBlend said it best when he said,  “A lot like sitting next to your buddy, looking over his shoulder while he plays an old first person shooter on his computer. Watching isn’t as fun as playing.”

Stay

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts, Ryan Gosling, Janeane Garofalo

“Stay stars Ewan McGregor as Sam Foster, a psychologist who begins to feel his grip on reality slipping away because of one of his patients. Ryan Gosling plays Harry Letham, a patient who has been offering disturbing predictions that have come true. When he claims that he will kill himself in three days, the psychologist sets off on a journey to help him. Sam learns that there is a netherworld, a place where spirits are not meant to stay, between this life and the afterworld.”

While sifting through the many reviews available online, it has become clear to me that if you go to see this film, you will either: 1) Love It, or 2) Hate It.  The most noticeable thing in all the reviews is that those who hated the film hated it because they said it made absolutely no sense, while those who loved it, loved it because it was so smart and cleverly written.  The people who enjoyed the film seemed to be of the opinion that if you like films that make you think, and you think you can follow along with the parallel storylines, you’ll enjoy this film.  I haven’t had the opportunity to check this film out yet, but the previews did catch my attention, and it does have a great cast, so I think I’ll be heading to the theater sometime in the near future to find out for myself if it’s good or not.  As for y’all, I’ve got to say VIEW AT YOUR OWN RISK!