Movies

‘Von Doom’ is the Unofficial Film the Doctor Deserves

By  · Published on March 30th, 2017

Short of the Day

Forget the Four, This Villainous Film is Fantastic.

For my money, there really isn’t a Marvel villain as classically iconic as Dr. Doom. He looks like a villain, talks like a villain, acts like a villain, and embodies pure, ravenous evil. He’s intelligent, devious, fearless and ruthless, and he puts folks like Green Goblin or Doctor Octopus to shame on the scale of no-goodery.

But man oh man Victor Von Doom can’t catch a break on the big screen. In the 2005 and 2007 Fantastic Four films he was depicted as a pretty-boy siphoning electrical energy with his body, and in the 2015 version of events he’s a disgraced lecher turning on old friends. Neither is particularly worthy of the villain from the comics, and with the recent announcement that Venom is getting his own, Spidey-free film next year, I’m wondering if the problem isn’t Victor, but the heroes around him onscreen. And after seeing the following, unofficial short film Von Doom from writer-director-editor Ivan Kandor, I’m thinking a solo shot is just what the Doctor ordered.

Von Doom is a trippy, labyrinthine origin story of sorts, oscillating between time periods and pivotal moments in Doom’s development. It clocks in at 13 minutes and in that time it pitches a fascinating point of departure for studying the man behind the iron mask. Strong performances throughout are bolstered by dazzling visual effects that remind you at every turn this is no mere fan-film, it’s a professional and calculated effort that plays like a proof of concept for a much longer, officially-sanctioned film.

Who knows, maybe Venom is the start of the Marvel supervillain movie boom. If it is, you have to figure Dr. Doom is high on the list to get his own film. And if that’s the case, I know a guy perfect for the directing gig. See below and share.

And for an insightful making-of article – one many burgeoning filmmakers should find quite helpful – check out this link.

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