Metroid Movie Samus Aran Backstory: Yay or Lame?

[Antipode]

an animated series like Samurai Jack, or Clone Wars. Little to no dialogue, short episodes (missions) full of awesome action, crazy monsters and stunning alien landscapes. A sleek visual style to boot.

something really unique and artsy to pull off the feeling of isolation necessary to capture the vibe of the game. I've always pictured it highly visual, and almost entirely devoid of dialog. Kinda maybe like a darker, more grownup version of the first half of WALL-E.

Both of these together! I would LOVE to see somebody pull something like this off. I would watch every episode.

Better yet, now that Prime 3 has introduced lots of new characters who talk (like the Federation marines, the Admiral, new hunters, etc) - I think it could be done easily. Samus would still need to talk, but not that much - let the other characters handle most of the drama and plot, let Samus handle all the exploration and action and all that. This could easily be done as a movie, too - but I like the idea of a clone-wars-ish kind of setup.

More to the point, I say screw focusing the show/movie on her backstory. Just set the whole show in between, say, Prime 3 and Metroid 2, and have flashbacks when necessary to explain her backstory during the show.

FUND IT

[Sinewav]

why zelda, mario, or metroid won't work as movies:

main characters don't talk

Ever see Bangkok Dangerous? (The original, not the crappy American remake.) It worked pretty well for that movie.

Dialogue is great when used well, but it's not always necessary to tell the story. I really dislike writers who feel the need to have their characters explain every little thing to the audience, because apparently it's the only way anyone will know what's going on. WALL-E didn't need to do that, and it's a friggin' kids' movie.

[jezon2000]

I'm surprised to see this thread is still going.

^ tl;dr.

But I think the more backstory they give Samus, the more it fucks up the draw of the series as a whole. The reason she as a character was and is popular is because you know almost nothing about her. You didn't even know she was a female 'til the end of the first game. Her mystery, the blank that is her past, is what makes her popular as a character. You're always adsking "What's her motivation? Why does she do what she does?" Incidentally, I went and saw Wolverine yesterday, and I think that exact same fact is one of the reason's HE has been one of the most enduringly popular comic book characters in history. They keep removing more and more of the mystery behind who Samus is, and concurrently removing the reason for interest in their character.

But the other draw to Metroid has always been that you are ALONE. No one to help you, no calling in airstrikes, you are ALONE. I feel they really began to change that with Metroid Fusion, which was little more than a constant stream of "Receive orders, carry out orders, and do it just so." You were told exactly where to go for every moment of that game, and it ripped the heart out of the exploration aspect. It wasn't as bad in Corruption years later, but the constant presence of the GF and all the PEOPLE talking to you just ruined the flavor.

See, that's exactly where I stand on this. I don't even really consider stuff after Super Metroid as part of my vision of what metroid quintessentially is. That's why I thought Samus' backstory was pretty much bullshit I wouldn't care about. I wouldn't want to see it. Metroid, more or less, has nothing to do with who Samus WAS. And I don't see her taking order from generals and shit: she works independently, out of her own personal motivation which doesn't even need that much explaining. If the SP are trying to wipe out humanity it's not like Samus really needs a whole lot of motivating. The fact that SP want to kill her is enough to want to kill the whole fucking lot of SP before they get the chance. These are violent galactic terrorists: you want to eliminate the threat, especially if they use biological warfare and could devastate your home world.

The only back story I see as remotely necessary is how Samus got her suit. I originally posted this thread because I was thinking of writing some kind of fan fiction, and curious what other fans thought about Samus as a character and her backstory. As far as I am concerned though, my only point of interest is delving into only one thing:

1) how Samus got her power suit

I was never really interested in demystifying her character, thought her parents being murdered by SP was cliche, thought her being raised by Chozo was goddamn ridiculous and way over the top--but that said, seeing how she actually got her power suit is the only thing that warrants an explanation. Part of Samus' awesomeness is knowing that she's human, and that fact alone is enough. The only thing that has any value to me is that Samus goes from being just human to having a Galactic Warrior badass power suit, in a way that fits enough to feel "true" to the Metroid universe. That is the problem I have with any backstories related to Samus at the moment: they just don't ring true to the dichotomy of otherworldly isolation and terror that the games had. The games were beautiful, fascinating and terrifying all at once, and I feel like a Metroid movie would feel the exact same way.

Anyway... I may still write a fanscript for myself, at least to try it out. I'd suggest that to anyone who wants to see a Metroid movie: just write your own personal version for your own personal enjoyment. In the end, it's illegitimate fanfiction, and if it gets you your Metroid movie fix, then no harm done. Though I would agree with a Metroid movie if it started from the ground up, meaning there was an existing story fans of the series already approved of that got picked up later on for production. That would be pretty cool.

One thing I will say in defense of a Metroid movie, though, is that there's a whole lot more the Metroid universe has to offer compared to Aliens, and Aliens still did a hell of a good job with a whole lot less. Granted, what I have in mind when I say that is Alien 1 and Aliens, the sequel. Aliens is not perfect, don't get me wrong, but for a movie just about killing aliens, I don't think there's a legitimate contender in the world of sci-fi. Unless of course, there was a Metroid movie. Giant terrifying aliens? Awesome as fuck alien technology? Enigmatic main character with the potential to be the most badass heroine in the history of science fiction? I'd say it has serious potential.

[friendlyHunter]

I can't imagine a decent Metroid movie with no backstory... for all the same reasons that make the "Shadow of the Collosus" movie a terrible idea. I'm sure an incredible director could do something really stunning and artsy with it, but it has little potential when it's presented as "just a bunch of stuff that happens" with no story. It's not like Wall-E where details constantly reveal things about Earth's past or Wall-E's past. How can a faceless bounty hunter exploring caves and shooting aliens for 90 minutes be anything but shallow to someone who doesn't already know what's happening?

What made games like Super Metroid deep and immersive was the interactivity. More linear titles like Fusion and Prime 3 don't have the same Metroid-y flare for this reason (among others). A Metroid movie's exploration is as linear as it gets, unless tons of time is spent going the wrong way, getting secret items, backtracking, wondering where to go next... but how can that compare to actually playing the games? I don't think it can. Back when Sonic games encouraged exploration, they were fun and the gameplay was deep - but try WATCHING a video of someone exploring in Sonic 1 or 2, or a newbie exploring in Super Metroid.

Reading the manga added a lot for me. Ridley used to be just a reoccuring boss. Mother Brain was a reoccuring boss that had a second form in Super Metroid. But now I can look at them in a completely different way. SPOILERS AHEAD if you read the rest of the paragraph:

Would you rather watch Samus fight a nameless fire-breathing dragon, or the enigmatic leader of the Space Pirates responsible for everything bad in Samus's life? The single biggest threat to the galaxy, responsible for decades of unrest and piracy?

Would you rather watch Samus shoot missiles at a giant brain, or the Mother Brain: the mysterious Chozo "interface" for planet Zebes, creator of Samus's suit, and overall nasty self-absorbed evil villian?

Would you rather watch Samus travel through a planet you've never heard of before, or the planet where she was raised by the "obsolete" Chozo as their successor, where she reluctantly learned to harness the power of her suit? The planet where she witnessed the invasion of the Pirates, the betrayal of Mother Brain, and the near death of an entire race?

I don't care how artsy or breathtaking a storyless Metroid movie could be - there are amazing pieces of backstory that make the mystery deeper rather than taking it away. Including backstory is pretty much necessary to make a Metroid movie that anyone can follow and enjoy (including Metroid lore nerds). Metroid canon itself is rather hazy and incomplete - even knowing everthing there is to know about Metroid, making connections between the manga and the games is flaky (as well as connections between the different Metroid games). I'm all for hazy mysterious loose connections between the games and a Metroid movie, but 95% of the audience will know squat about Metroid lore, and for them the movie will be nothing but processing what's on the screen; watching a character you know nothing about explore a planet you know nothing about and kill aliens for some reason. If you make a movie based on a book, you don't make it utterly meaningless for people who haven't read the book.

[Antipode]

I don't care how artsy or breathtaking a storyless Metroid movie could be - there are amazing pieces of backstory that make the mystery deeper rather than taking it away. Including backstory is pretty much necessary to make a Metroid movie that anyone can follow and enjoy (including Metroid lore nerds). Metroid canon itself is rather hazy and incomplete - even knowing everthing there is to know about Metroid, making connections between the manga and the games is flaky (as well as connections between the different Metroid games). I'm all for hazy mysterious loose connections between the games and a Metroid movie, but 95% of the audience will know squat about Metroid lore, and for them the movie will be nothing but processing what's on the screen; watching a character you know nothing about explore a planet you know nothing about and kill aliens for some reason. If you make a movie based on a book, you don't make it utterly meaningless for people who haven't read the book.

I don't think anyone's suggesting a "storyless" or at least "backstoryless" metroid movie/show. What I'm all for is something that acknowledges all the backstory and doesn't go against canon, but doesn't FOCUS on it. A movie about the Samus we know from the games completing some new mission with a new plot would be WAY more exciting to me than watching K2-L get raided and all that. And as I said, I'm all for flashbacks when necessary. Basically, look at the way the animated Clone Wars series took Star Wars. It was almost all amazing-looking, incredibly well-designed action and art, with lots of references to backstory (oh hey look, there's a gamorean! Oh look, that's one of those IG-88 droids) and all that. Yeah, I know the Star Wars background has been covered millions of times, but I'm referring just to the production and the type of show Metroid could have. If this hypothetical metroid show/movie were handled this way it would be highly entertaining to general sci-fi fans and would still massage all the metroid diehards! Basically, I just feel like it could be way more effective if it covered almost all new ground - not lacking in necessary backstory or anything, but instead focusing on NEW plot and connecting gaps in the games instead of retreading what's already been done.

[jezon2000]

I don't think anyone's suggesting a "storyless" or at least "backstoryless" metroid movie/show. What I'm all for is something that acknowledges all the backstory and doesn't go against canon, but doesn't FOCUS on it. A movie about the Samus we know from the games completing some new mission with a new plot would be WAY more exciting to me than watching K2-L get raided and all that. And as I said, I'm all for flashbacks when necessary. Basically, look at the way the animated Clone Wars series took Star Wars. It was almost all amazing-looking, incredibly well-designed action and art, with lots of references to backstory (oh hey look, there's a gamorean! Oh look, that's one of those IG-88 droids) and all that. Yeah, I know the Star Wars background has been covered millions of times, but I'm referring just to the production and the type of show Metroid could have. If this hypothetical metroid show/movie were handled this way it would be highly entertaining to general sci-fi fans and would still massage all the metroid diehards! Basically, I just feel like it could be way more effective if it covered almost all new ground - not lacking in necessary backstory or anything, but instead focusing on NEW plot and connecting gaps in the games instead of retreading what's already been done.

Yeah... I think you've got a point there. I think general sci-fi fans who know nothing about metroid could be really blown away if there was a movie/show that was well done. I think the real point here is that a metroid film would require it's own style, which suits the story and the format the show/movie would be in. Countless anime invent unique styles that fit their shows, and I would say some of them do a damn good job. I watched an episode of Texholonyze yesterday, which uses almost no dialogue, and still manages to convey a good deal of information on introducing its characters.

I also agree with the idea of using images / exploring ruins to reveal things about the past. Another thing to think about is what kind of world and universe metroid is set in: to some extent a writer can make the rules beyond the point of style (culture, etc), which could potentially lead to a cool way of telling the story. I think underestimating that is a mistake. It also depends on what is being covered to another extent as well: the structure of the film/show also dictates what is being shown, and if the writer wants to give a good sense of setting up this universe, there is a lot that could go into advancing the plot and circumstances that would also be exciting to watch, but would not require Samus to be on-screen at all times just "exploring". I'd that is actually pretty typical of anime. So in that sense "flash backs" don't automatically have to mean that they are flashes into Samus' childhood, which I think would be unnecessary, especially when you consider there could be much more important things going on during the present.

As for a new Metroid plot which takes place after everything has happened... could be cool? Still, though... it wouldn't be the same without the usual bosses. I mean, a fight with a 4 story tall Kraid or Mother Brain? You can' fuck with that in terms of epic win.... besides didn't Metroid Hunters do that? And honestly it sounds more like "The Chronicles of Boba Fett" than a Metroid game.

[Antipode]

Man I would be so down for the chronicles of boba fett.

[friendlyHunter]

Yeah, a completely new story that's more suited for cinema could definitely work. Either that or a retelling of an existing Metroid game - a retelling that's almost nothing like the game itself, but still conveys the same feelings of eeriness and isolation. Something that uses Metroid canon without actually contradicting it... where the creatures and environments and events are more about the lore than they are about an exciting adventure.

The problem is, if most of the movie deals with Samus in isolation, how will viewers with no knowledge of Metroid backstory be able to appreciate the significance of anything? It's clear there has to be SOME backstory... here are a few ways to include it:

1) Stuff happens before Samus becomes isolated.

2) Other characters do stuff while Samus is isolated (movie switches back and forth).

3) It shows stuff from the past before Samus becomes isolated.

4) It shows stuff from the past while Samus is isolated (again, switching back and forth).

I included (1), because it can create an incredibly immersive world in a short amount of time, without spoiling any of the "mystery" of Samus's character. To those around her (and at this point to the viewer) she is a mystery. And when the movie turns to Samus being isolated, there's a HUGE contrast between this massive galactic community threatening to break into war, and this single character completely alone deep in a cave on some planet with no outside contact. If you completely ignore the outside world before Samus starts exploring, you don't get that intense contrast.

I don't think (2) is a very good idea... I think it would take away from the isolation, switching away from Samus to show something completely unrelated. It is contrast with Samus's adventure, but could you imagine watching the start of Wall-E if it kept switching to/from the empty wasteland every 10 minutes?

I didn't choose to include (3) because, again, I don't think Samus's past should be revealed quickly. If you know everything about Samus before you see her as a mysterious bounty hunter, then she's not mysterious at any point of the movie. Everyone knows that movies throw away canon like crazy, so even someone who's read the Metroid manga might know very little about the movie version of Samus.

I included (4) because I think Samus's past with Ridley and Mother Brain and the Chozo, as presented in the manga, is a genuinely good story, and would convert very nicely to the big screen. It's far deeper than the story of any single Metroid game, and it touches on everything important in the Metroid universe. Just a couple of pages from Samus's past create a deep engrossing world where previously there was NOTHING. And since the flashbacks can be interpreted as Samus's memories, you can have a huge continuous chunk of the movie with nothing but Samus completely alone with her thoughts/memories.

Watching Samus do something as simple as explore, shoot aliens, or fight a boss is intensely more interesting when you know what she knows, what she fears, why she's doing what she's doing. In a Metroid game you know all these things because YOU are the one exploring - that, and it gives you the required backstory before the game begins.

[Trygon]

Personally, I'd like to see the cinema do what cinema arguably does best (but almost certainly better then all but very exceptional video games) and be pure character development set on Samus' backstory. First half of the movie is Samus growing up, learning the ways of the chozo, etc., with the second half focusing on her taking on bounty hunting jobs after the chozo vanish, and her hunt for Ridley.

Maybe lead up to the first game?

Yeah, end the movie with Samus beating the hell out of Ridley and chasing him to Zebes. Display something like 'To be continued... In METROID' with the NES title screen image of all blue letters, and play a few bars from the title music.

I'd pay to see it, just for the delicious plots in a series that needs it.