News

While many of the biggest action movie stars working today consistently appear in straight-up carnage-filled blockbusters, lots of these performers have also tried their hands at other genres. Some of the most exciting heroes and heroines in Hollywood have also taken to sci-fi and horror, as these types of movies allow them to explore deeper themes with strong characterization and narrative intrigue. This variety in their filmography makes these stars infinitely more interesting as viewers get to see them deliver performances that go deeper than a hero who simply saves the day.

Many of the biggest action stars of the 1980s had incredibly diverse resumes, as films during that period and beyond often blended action with sci-fi and horror. While some action stars are intrinsically linked to other genres, as actors like Arnold Schwarzenegger became inseparable from movies like The Terminator, even these performers have branched out and surprised viewers with their later parts.

A new episode of the Revisited video series has just been released, and with this one we’re looking back at the 2005 video game adaptation Doom (watch it Here) – a movie that didn’t spawn the sort of franchise the game did, but there was a second movie that was released direct-to-video in 2019. Oddly, the title of that movie was Doom: Annihilation, just like the original video game adaptation of Mortal Kombat received a sequel called Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. That’s a story for another time – for now, you can hear all about Doom by checking out the video embedded above.

Directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak from a screenplay that was crafted by David Callaham and Wesley Strick, Doom has the following synopsis: 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.

Karl Urban gets a chance to redeem his past video game adaptation failure with his Mortal Kombat 2 casting as Johnny Cage. Mortal Kombat 2 builds anticipation with new characters like Shao Kahn and Kitana, setting the stage for improvement over the first film. Urban's portrayal of Johnny Cage may take a darker twist, departing from the character's usual cocky and upbeat nature.

After Karl Urban's disappointing video game adaptation with 18% on Rotten Tomatoes, the actor finally has a chance to make up for the project thanks to Mortal Kombat 2. Karl Urban's casting as Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat 2 was announced in 2023 and helped add some extra star power to the reboot. The iconic fighting series first transitioned from its video game format onto the big screen in 1995, but after its sequel two years, the franchise didn't return to cinemas until 2021's Mortal Kombat, which set up an...

Doom

Written by David Callaham and Wesley Strick

Directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak

Czech Republic, Germany, United Kingdom, USA, 2005

In 2013, The Rock was named the highest grossing actor of the year with his films pulling in a combined $1.3 billion. Things were not always this great for The Rock though. When he first started out his initial run of action movies in search of action stardom, he didn’t have much luck. The Rundown and Walking Tall, while perfectly fine action films on their own, both underperformed at the box office. Then came Doom, which was either going to be his third strike or his home run. It ended up being the former, causing two things to happen – The Rock’s action career disintegrated for 6 more years, and the belief that video game adaptations are unsuccessful was bolstered.

The film follows a group of marines led by Sarge (The Rock) who go...