"Look Out!" and Other Texts We'd Send to the Doom Marine: What the Movie Doom Teaches About Fear, Humanity, and Control”
When video games are made into movies, they often fail to recreate the excitement and creepy feeling that made the games so popular. Doom (2005), directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak, is one of those rare attempts. It is a film that makes you feel very closed in, with lots of metal and muscle, and is set on a lonely Martian research base, where ambition becomes horror.
Starring Karl Urban, Rosamund Pike, and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, this film is more than just a sci-fi action movie—it's a bleak look at how far humanity will go in the name of progress. This idea is also mentioned in the magazine Psychology Today.
Fear often shows what is morally right and wrong, and Doom uses that fear as both a weapon and a mirror.
🚀 The Mission to Mars: Humanity’s Fragile Edge
The story starts when the Olduvai Research Facility on Mars sends a signal to say they need help. A special group of soldiers called the Rapid Response Tactical Squad arrives to look into the situation. The team is led by Sarge (Johnson), who is very strict. He is joined by Sergeant John "Reaper" Grimm (Urban), who has a personal connection to the mission: his twin sister, Dr. Samantha Grimm (Pike), is one of the scientists working at the site.
When they arrive, the base is silent and in chaos. What they discover is no accident—it's the aftermath of genetic experimentation gone wrong. Scientists who want to "improve" human evolution have opened a door to monstrosity.
The American Psychological Association Notes: The moral problems of genetic modification make it hard to tell what is right and what is wrong. Doom shows this in a dark way.
💀 “Trapped with Monsters”: The Fear That Mirrors Us
The marines soon realize that the monsters stalking them were once human. They had been transformed by the addition of a mysterious 24th chromosome (C24). This genetic code makes a person's basic nature stronger: those who are cruel become monsters; those who are kind become superhuman.
This changes the story. The monsters are not aliens; they are just reflections of human desire and aggression. The C24 mutation is similar to the "shadow self" described by the psychologist Carl Jung. It shows what is hidden inside us.
As chaos unfolds, the film's fast-paced action mirrors the experience of the original Doom game—a non-stop fight-or-flight simulation. This is a study from the magazine Scientific American.
Explain that fear is more than just a reaction; it helps us to know our limits. So, the marines are fighting a physical and moral battle: they have to survive but also fight against corruption.
⚖️ Moral Decay: When the Hero Becomes the Threat
As the situation becomes more and more tense, Sarge's leadership becomes cruel and authoritarian. He starts killing survivors because he thinks that saving anyone might mean they will get infected too. His change from being a commander to a tyrant is similar to Doom's main idea that it is very dangerous to be someone who saves people but also destroys them.
Reaper, torn between his duty and what he feels is right, injects himself with the same C24 serum to gain the strength needed to stop Sarge. This makes him the perfect example of an ethical paradox, because he uses danger to combat danger.
It's a scary way of showing how power and control can be used wrongly. This is an idea that is talked about in The Atlantic's "The Dark Side of Ambition."
💬 “Dear Doom Marine”: 10 Letters We’d Send From the End of the World
A film as intense as Doom leaves a lasting impression. Did Sarge's transformation surprise you? Did Reaper's sacrifice inspire you? Tellsomething is the perfect way to express your feelings through text, images, or video.
Here are 10 unique ways to write about the movie using the "Dear..." letter format:
Dear Sarge,
When did the mission stop being about saving lives and start being about your own fight? You became the thing you were trying to avoid.
Dear Reaper,
Your choice to inject the C24 chromosome was a big decision. Thank you for showing that true strength comes not from power, but from wanting to protect others.
Dear Dr. Samantha Grimm,
As a scientist, did you ever really understand the horror you were about to cause? The Olduvai station is an example of this.
Dear the Last Surviving Monster,
What do you remember about being human? Is there any of your old self left inside, or is it only rage and instinct?
Dear UAC Corporation,
You are the real villains of this story because you are greedy and you want more. This disaster is your fault.
Dear My Younger Self (who played the game),
Do you remember the hours we spent fighting demons on the computer? The movie's first-person shooter sequence was a fantastic tribute that made me feel all excited again.
Dear anyone who has a brother or sister,
Reaper wanted to save his sister. It shows how far we would go for our family.
Dear Dwayne Johnson,
It was interesting to see you play a bad guy so early in your career. You played Sarge in a really scary way, which was very different to the kind of heroes you play now.
Dear the C24 Chromosome,
You have the power to change the world, but you could also cause it to end. You show what a person is really like.
Dear Future Scientists,
Let Doom be a warning. Some doors are meant to stay closed.
🧠 What we can learn from Doom about control
Beyond the explosions and monsters, Doom asks a deep question about the mind:
If you could make humanity better, would you risk destroying what makes us human?
As explained in BBC Future's article called "Why We Love Monster Stories.”
We are fascinated by creatures because we are interested in understanding fear. Fiction and reality both show us that monsters reveal how much we can empathize and how easily our moral systems can be upset.
By the time the film ends, the true horror isn't the mutated flesh—it's the loss of self-control. Sarge and Reaper represent two extreme reactions: aggression without restraint versus strong moral values.
💡 Ready to Tell Your Own Story?
If Doom made you think about science, ethics, or what it means to be human, use that energy to be creative. On Tellsomething. You can do the following:
- Now write your reflection: Start with "Dear Fear" or "Dear Progress,” and describe what Doom made you feel.
- Mixed media: Combine text, photos, or short videos to create a more interesting post.
- Join the discussion: Use the hashtags #SciFiHorror, #RoomMovie, #FearAndMorality, or #VideoGameFilms to find others thinking the same.
🎬 What did you think overall?
Doom is more than just a monster movie. It's a brutal study of fear, control, and the dangerous beauty of human ambition. It reminds us that every new idea has a dark side, and every hero is at risk of turning into the thing they are fighting against.
So maybe the real text we'd send to the Doom Marine is simple:
"Look out! The scariest monsters are often the ones inside us."