“It’s one of the worst films ever made”: Rosamund Pike destroys his Doom with The Rock

The actress has a hard time with this catastrophic adaptation of the video game.

In the mid-2000s, Rosamund Pike’s career was just beginning to take shape. The public noticed her shortly before in Die another day, where she played an icy antagonist opposite James Bond. Promising breakthrough for the Briton, who notably goes on to Pride and Prejudice by Joe Wright. And the same year, here she is in a blockbuster that she would rather forget…

Recently guest on the podcast How to Fail with Elizabeth DayPike reflected on the turbulent experience of filming Doomadaptation of the famous video game.

“ When I was doing Pride and Prejudice and having a ton of fun in my cornfields with my beanie on, I got a call to join an action franchise. They were making a cinema version, a narrative version of the video game Doom. And I, with my hat, in the middle of the haystacks, I say to myself: “Of course, I can do anything. I can jump on this haystack in a crinoline, so I can certainly go kill zombies on Mars.” »

Except that once on set, the discrepancy quickly becomes obvious: “ Suddenly I find myself in this movie with Dwayne Johnson, and I realize how completely unequipped I am to be an action star. There were these very macho guys. There were weights on the board. Every time a weapon appeared, it was almost like a sacred relic for fans of Doom. Me, I was completely out of my comfort zone, completely overwhelmed. »

Directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak and also directed by Karl Urban, the film follows a squad of marines sent to Mars to confront demonic creatures. At the time, Dwayne Johnson was also making the transition to cinema after his role in The Scorpion King.

Upon its release, Doom meets neither the support of the public nor that of the critics. The film grossed just under $60 million worldwide and racked up harsh reviews, with a score of 18% on Rotten Tomatoes. Looking back, Pike does not seek to embellish this memory:

“ It was a total failure. A real disaster. Honestly, it probably could have ended my career. It was arguably one of the worst films ever made. A disaster (…) I don’t read the reviews, but we quickly understand that we are lucky to have survived this one. »

A few years later, she would become one of the most respected British actresses of her generation, notably thanks to her role in Gone Girl by David Fincher.