Video Game Movies

[Sixto]

Heavy Rain.

[Crulex]

It doesn't take a fan to potentially make a good game movie. It takes people who are willing to look into the history of the franchise, see the stories and characters, and be willing to use all of the mythos that franchise has to offer in building the script. From there, it takes people who are actually good at their craft... be it acting, directing, cinematography, whatever. And then of course, you need people who are good at special effects, set design and so forth.

The problem with game movies, is that most of the time there are several of those things missing. They might find decent actors, or get some nice shots, but the majority of what gets laid to film feels like everyone was slacking off... they it was just being done for a paycheck (i.e. anything by/for Uwe Boll).

There's nothing that says a fan will be good at writing, acting, directing, or any other aspect of making a film. Being a fan doesn't make that person skilled. You just need people who really care about their craft enough to be good at it, regardless of what the source of their movie is.

Well, yeah, I didn't mean any clueless no-skill fan. I meant people who are good at what you said (like actually making movies, writing, etc.) knowing enough about the series or game to make something decent and maybe having some prior experience with the game. I'm just saying that if they know what it's about, they'll hopefully avoid another SMB and SF2.

[DramaNoMore]

Earthbound! In "Bugsy Malone" style.

(oh god that would be so wrong, I shudder just thinking about it)

[Native Jovian]

Street Fighter.

Wait, maybe Doom?

.... Resident Evil?

All three of those movies were awesome.

Search your feelings. You know it to be true.

[Stargem]

Coop has already mentioned how the importance of examining the history and settings of a videogame-movie conversion would be, and I think the Super Mario Bros Z sprite series is a good example. Granted, it does combine combine the worlds of Mario and Sonic with Dragonballian fight sequences, but aside from looking great, the series also uses humor and characters that closely mirror the genuine articles. A very good example of using settings without butchering their content.

Now, as for games that I think would make a good transition.

Star Control II: Interesting setting, memorable and disturbing characters, good art style. Would make for a top-notch animated series. Battlestar Galactica mated with Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, with a dash of Babylon 5.

System Shock: An concept simple enough for the common director to figure out, with the potential for a good one to really take the movie places. Perfectly set up for a trilogy. Honorable mention goes to Bioshock.

Policenauts: A solid plot made by Hideo Kojima, this has a very good balance in action and intellectual aspects. Would probably be controversial in America right now, considering the state of our medicine. Kojima's Snatcher would also be good.

[Rozovian]

Someone made another thread about this? Oh well...

Part of the problem comes from the video games' tendency to repeat themselves. "Oh you found a crystal. Go find 2 more." "Oh you defeated a robot master, go defeat 7 more." "Oh you killed all the monsters in X. Now go to Y and do the same thing."

All the things you need to gather/defeat/do obviously don't fit into a movie. At best, they'd work as challenges in the same dungeon, like a test of character for the protagonist on his quest. Mega Man, Mario, Zelda, Sonic, most RPGs, Halo, and games like them have a plethora of iconic enough locations and characters that the inclusion of one means you must include the others as well. Just consider the inclusion of Gorons. Then you need a Zoras. Then you need a forest people. And Gerudo, and Sheikah, and Stalfos, and Lizalfos, and Moblins and Poes, and... Well, yeah.

Metroid on the other hand could easily be condensed into movie length (as could Bioshock and other games like that), unfortunately they'd screw up the character by dwelling too much on the backstory. And worse. "Hey, she has a backstory. Let's use that. What else does she have? Shooting aliens? We'll have to mix that up a bit. She needs oneliners and sidekick and a sexy new design. And a hot male enemy, maybe her father. Yeah, that'll be a cool twist. Let's say it's an homage to the first game's ending."

WALL-E is an exception to the Hollywood rule of blah-blah plus bang-bang. Good thing Hollywood is losing grounds to indie productions all over the world, too bad those are just as likely to screw stuff up. Just not the same way.

Nah, games are best kept as games, and game movies, with the exceptional shining examples of how to do a mediocre job at not sucking, should be kept as dreams of ours. Those dreams are a lot better.

At least mine are. Also, if I get to make a Metroid movie, I'd do it properly. Unlike YOU! Alien planet. Samus and only Samus. Jumping and shooting and blowing things up. And barely making it out alive. Everything else is superfluous and can just be hinted at.

[Arcana]

I still think a movie that's nothing but watching Samus run around shooting aliens solo would be like well, watching someone play Metroid (rather than playing it yourself).

[A-RoN]

Earthbound!

It was sort of halfway done with a rushed storyline and already with the worst special effects:

However, if animated, I prefer the Mother series was done Matt Groening style since it can come across as comedy rather than an epic movie. If Earthbound were a live block-buster motion picture, I'd only trust J. J. Abrams to direct if Nintendo were to let Hollywood at it.

[JCvgluvr]

Here's my metroid movie idea

That plot that you just described there? Yeah, that's the only way I can see a Metroid Movie being made.

And THAT'S why I HATE the idea of a Metroid Movie so freaking much! Either you take this route, which relegates dialogue to only flashbacks and perhaps monologue, or you directly transfer a Metroid game to the silver screen, and have little-to-no-dialogue in the movie at all (which would be practically impossible, and would never get green-lighted).

Honestly, just forget it. The "Metroid Movie" can't be done properly. And you know what they say: Don't do something unless you do it right. Shoe-horning it into a cliche'd action movie plot is NOT what I want to see!

[BardicKnowledge]

Yvonne Strahovski as Samus? I'd pay to see that.

[Strike911]

Cheetahmen the Movie

[Binjovi]

I've mentioned it before, but I think Metroid would work as an animated series akin to Samurai Jack, or Star Wars: Clone Wars. Little to no voices? Check. Very ambient? Check. Top-notch action? Check. All the things that are required for Metroid to be Metroid are present in those series, both of which seemed to pull it off marvelously and were well-received. On top of that, it's presented in a slick, animated format that I can see Metroid working extremely well in. Make it just a collection of random bounty hunting missions that she has to go on. Some are epic, some are light-hearted funny things she's asked to do.

[Sinewav]

I've mentioned it before, but I think Metroid would work as an animated series akin to Samurai Jack, or Star Wars: Clone Wars. Little to no voices? Check. Very ambient? Check. Top-notch action? Check. All the things that are required for Metroid to be Metroid are present in those series, both of which seemed to pull it off marvelously and were well-received. On top of that, it's presented in a slick, animated format that I can see Metroid working extremely well in. Make it just a collection of random bounty hunting missions that she has to go on. Some are epic, some are light-hearted funny things she's asked to do.

Ooh ooh ooh oh ohhh!!!!!

DO WANT!

[Less Ashamed Of Self]

It was sort of halfway done with a rushed storyline and already with the worst special effects:

However, if animated, I prefer the Mother series was done Matt Groening style since it can come across as comedy rather than an epic movie. If Earthbound were a live block-buster motion picture, I'd only trust J. J. Abrams to direct if Nintendo were to let Hollywood at it.

I don't think ANYONE could do Earthbound justice. It's too unique a blend of so many things. I don't think it would make sense on film.

But then, they said that about a clockwork orange didn't they?

[JCvgluvr]

I've mentioned it before, but I think Metroid would work as an animated series akin to Samurai Jack, or Star Wars: Clone Wars. Little to no voices? Check. Very ambient? Check. Top-notch action? Check. All the things that are required for Metroid to be Metroid are present in those series, both of which seemed to pull it off marvelously and were well-received. On top of that, it's presented in a slick, animated format that I can see Metroid working extremely well in. Make it just a collection of random bounty hunting missions that she has to go on. Some are epic, some are light-hearted funny things she's asked to do.

I think I remember this idea. I approved of it back then, and I still do!

Can somebody get Genndy Tartakovsky on the line? Have we got a proposal for him!

[EC2151]

Am I the only one who thinks the Doom movie is totally hilarious?

It was his first mission!

Well it won't BE MY LAST!!!!!!!!

[The Author]

That plot that you just described there? Yeah, that's the only way I can see a Metroid Movie being made.

And THAT'S why I HATE the idea of a Metroid Movie so freaking much! Either you take this route, which relegates dialogue to only flashbacks and perhaps monologue, or you directly transfer a Metroid game to the silver screen, and have little-to-no-dialogue in the movie at all (which would be practically impossible, and would never get green-lighted).

Honestly, just forget it. The "Metroid Movie" can't be done properly. And you know what they say: Don't do something unless you do it right. Shoe-horning it into a cliche'd action movie plot is NOT what I want to see!

It can be done if you accept some variation. Using the flashback as a "framing device" seems to me the better choice. I can't think of a movie that pulled it off. Yes, it's a bit of a non-standard narrative, but hey, it's all about experimentation.

[noTuX]

I would like to see a movie based on StarFox 64 in 3D. Now, that would be awesome.

[Doni]

Y'know I always kinda liked the SMB movie...

EDIT: Post # 2500!

The Mario brothers movie could be summed up as "the biggest disappointment of my childhood"

[AJ-enova]

Apparently the Metal Gear Solid movie has been cancelled (thank fuck too), I wish I could say the same about the Shadow of the Colossus movie.

Some of the best games ever but dont need to be done into films and would get fucked.

Next Resi film (Afterlife) expected this year I think

Silent Hill 2 eventually

Kane and Lynch movie next year - could be awesome

[DramaNoMore]

I don't think ANYONE could do Earthbound justice. It's too unique a blend of so many things. I don't think it would make sense on film.

But then, they said that about a clockwork orange didn't they?

As a fan, I have to agree. The game demands ridiculous amounts of the player's imagination, and no movie director can match my experience of it. But the same could be said about books, and many books were turned into films, and many bookfans were outraged about it. But at least, they had a movie for comparison, and they could say "I would've done it diferently", and by thinking how, the reasons why they were fans became a lot more clear.

So, it's always worth it, in my opinion.

[JCvgluvr]

It can be done if you accept some variation. Using the flashback as a "framing device" seems to me the better choice. I can't think of a movie that pulled it off. Yes, it's a bit of a non-standard narrative, but hey, it's all about experimentation.

Such variations would either be too drastic, ruining the source material (like most game movies), or very subtle variations that wouldn't translate well to movies and/or tv. The ONLY way I can see Metroid becoming a proper, non-interactive experience is if it became a "Samurai Jack-ish" tv show, or something like that.

[Arcana]

While a lot of video games wouldn't work as movies, a lot of video games I think would make passable TV series. They're very different media.

[A-RoN]

I don't think ANYONE could do Earthbound justice. It's too unique a blend of so many things. I don't think it would make sense on film.

Point taken. Yet the question I'd come up with is what makes movies like Clockwork Orange and Napolean Dynamite appealing to fans of an obscure genre of film? If there were reports of Shigesato Itoi himself meeting with directors (highly unlikely) to discuss what works and what doesn't work, I think it can be pulled off. But then, the film would be more than 3 hours long, so to compliment Arcana's above post Earthbound would make a great TV series (just don't rip off Smallville. Gigyas would make a horrible Davis Bloome-ish character).

[Olarin]

Ultima III.

Specifically, a movie that follows the Japanese manga version.

(There probably isn't anyone else here who will be as amused by that as I am. So, never mind. Suffice it to say that the manga takes... considerable liberties with the source material. Not that there was a lot of source material to work with, as old a game as it is.)