"Doom"
Score Composed by Clint Mansell
Audio Clips: Doom | Sibling Rivalry | Go To Hell

Video games that are converted into films simply don't fare well. Granted, there are exceptions here and there, but for the most part, it's usually an exercise of cgi, bad dialogue, and thin stories. "Doom" is a bit of an exception, however. While a lot of the movie is very much dulled down, there is an element of surprise mixed in, and a loyalty to the gameplay that I'm not sure I've ever seen before in a movie conversion. These two elements make the movie enjoyable on a 'B' level.

The score by Clint Mansell is very much in line with the movie. There are periods of idle, atmospheric conditions, but there is also spirit and energy scattered throughout. Given the type of movie this was, there was no getting around the fact that there would be a gloomy, dark underscore piercing the soundtrack. Mansell does the most with this circumstance and creates interesting sound effects with the music programming. His input actually adds notable contributions to the sound design of the movie.

The other key aspect to this score is that there is a heavy rock influence and not just from the actor! Mansell paces the action by adding intense rock music throughout most of the score and it works quite well at times. It is, in fact, the most energetic moments of the score; though it becomes a little overbearing by the time the final tracks are cued up.

The melodic orchestral notes make a brief appearance during the score too and provides a nice counter balance to the contrasting electronics and rock music when present. There was not enough of this for my taste, however.

Overall, Mansell does just barely enough to keep you interested throughout the soundtrack. Though I would have enjoyed more of an orchestral influence, this output will do for marginal entertainment.

Final Score: Genre fans, and those interested in the composer's work, will enjoy this effort. Also recommended to fans who enjoy a heavy dose of rock and roll with their scores.