Doom

Right now you can watch Doom in Australia on Paramount Plus — and it goes further with its ideas than most genre entertainment bothers to. It knows exactly what kind of film it is from the opening scene, and never loses that thread. With 2,476 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Dwayne Johnson sets the tone, and the world-building does the rest. Put it on tonight on Paramount Plus and see for yourself.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, Doom earns its spot. Doom uses its genre premise as cover for asking bigger questions. A team of space marines known as the Rapid Response Tactical Squad, led by Sarge, is sent to a science facility on Mars after somebody reports a security breach. There, they learn that the alert came after a test subject, a mass murderer purposefully injected with alien DNA, broke free and began killing people. Dr. Dwayne Johnson and Karl Urban lead a cast that never lets the concept overwhelm the characters. It hit screens in 2005. Doom resists the temptation to explain everything, trusting the audience to sit with ambiguity. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

For late-night viewing or a proper weekend binge, Doom fits the bill. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. Dwayne Johnson grounds the bigger ideas in something human. Once you are in, you will want to talk about it.