Game -> Movie = bad

[lothlann]

The problem, I think, is best summarised by Yahtzee, the gaming journalist.

While a movie just has to keep an audience entertained for an hour or two, a videogsme has to stand up to at least twelve hours of people like me overturning every stone in search of faults.

Any reasonable game that attracts attention enough to be made into a movie will have one fault: It will have sacrificed storytelling for gameplay, and struggles to stand up when there is suddenly no gameplay to lean on. If they aren't already fan-oriented or totally stupid, their apparent shallowness will not make a good movie.

This is probably why the Tomb Raider and Resident Evil films are even fractionally successful: They filled in gaps in the story with jaw-dropping action.

Having said that, it may just be a transition problem. After all, games made from movies tend to be truly awful. However, this is usually because the way development has to be rushed to meet the release of the movie.


Wow, am I a bore or what?

I suppose the exception to this is the fact that games are more and more focusing on storyline. Look at Heavy Rain, Assassin's Creed and Alan Wake. These games use the action as filler to move the plot along. If you haven't played Heavy Rain, I strongly suggest you do. Its like playing a film and choosing what the 4 characters do without killing them is satisfying.

 

[raisindot]

Anyone here old enough to remember the horrendous "old school" movie version of "Clue" that nearly ended the careers of Madeleine Kahn, Martin Mull and Christopher Lloyd?


J-I-B

 

[Willem]

Clue wasn't that bad, surely? I remember seeing it on tv once, kinda liked it.

 

[Danny B]

I'm going to admit my secret shame, here in front of all of you. I absolutely LOVE the film of Mortal Kombat, the sequel and the TV show spin-off, Mortal Kombat Conquest. I'm not even going to attempt to justify myself. I just like them, no matter how objectively bad I know them to be. They're not even so bad that they're camp and hilarious. They're just uniformly awful, yet I can't stop watching them.

So far as other game into film adaptations goes, the Resident Evil films were quite good, probably because the plot of the games was a bit ropey as well, so any changes were no wackier than Capcom have previously come up with. Being a zombie junky helps. Silent Hill was spooky and atmospheric (if completely incomprehensible), Tomb Raider was watchable enough, Street Fighter was an abomination unto Nuggan, as was Doom and everything adapted by Uwe Boll, widely regarded as one of the worst directors ever to make films. Hitman was fairly watchable. Anything with Olga Kurylenko becomes immediately watchable in my book. Even Max Payne, which otherwise caused me to describe the film in terms which violate the laws of physics. (This film both sucks and blows. AT THE SAME TIME!)

It's not just the video game adaptations which stink up the screen, though. Clue has been mentioned previously, but there were also two truly horrendous films made under the Dungeons & Dragons license. I'm looking forward to seeing what in blue blazes Ridley Scott is planning on doing with the license for a Monopoly film adaptation. I can't see it being anything but awful, but it's Ridley Scott, so it'll be awful and EPIC!

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

Yes I watched the tv series and films for mortal combat no doubt it they made more I'd watch them not great by any stretch but better than some dross that was on tv.

 

[Dotsie]

I loved Mortal Kombat as well! I can quote along with it (almost as annoying for Mr Dotsie as having to watch the film).

As for Dungeons and Dragons, the films were terrible but the cartoon series was well good. I have it on DVD and watch an episode on saturday mornings

 

[Tonyblack]

We used to have the movie of Street Fighter (with Jean Claude Van Damme) - it was pretty awful.

 

[shelke]

99% are awful.

Tomb Raider was okay, Hitman wasn't too bad.

Still waiting for a movie based on Tetris

I can actually see that happen, with all of those lads with tetris outfits like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0R9QtAEiQ4

 

[Archbishop73]

I have seen streetfighter with Van Damme and Kylie Minogue in the cinema then. that was a horrible experience. The animated movie of Street Fighter was quite good.

 

[Tonyblack]

I have seen streetfighter with Van Damme and Kylie Minogue in the cinema then. that was a horrible experience. The animated movie of Street Fighter was quite good.

Agreed! The animated version was much better.

 

[Finomans]

I wonder what is going to happen too Halo because that's going to be turned in to a movie too

 

[Bickaxe]

It'll look very similar to Avatar I should imagine. After watching Avatar, I thought it reminded me of Halo.
I understand they won't have Master Chief as such, as you never see his face (but he could be played by The Stig)

 

[DaveC]

Neil Bloomkamp was going to direct Halo, produced by Peter Jackson, but that fell through, so he made District 9 instead.

Halo has now kind of gone into limbo and may not be made.

Although IMDB still lists it was 2012, there is no director attached.

 

[Courtjezter]

For the Mortal Kombat fans.
If you go to you tube and search for New Mortal Kombat Movie, you will see what looks like a promising film.

I dont believe it is actually getting made into a film though.

 

[chris.ph]

It'll look very similar to Avatar I should imagine. After watching Avatar, I thought it reminded me of Halo.
I understand they won't have Master Chief as such, as you never see his face (but he could be played by The Stig)

you never saw v s face in v for vendetta

they are also supposed to be making a new judge dredd film hopefully no face in that one either

 

[DaveC]

The name being mentioned at the moment to play judge dredd is karl urban. Yay eomer! And they promise no face...

 

[chris.ph]

well bones has the chin

 

[DaveC]

well bones has the chin

Definately! Plus he can growl!

 

[Quark]

A Thief movie would be interesting. I imagine a lot of people are calling for Assassin's Creed as well.

Half-Life would make a brilliant movie, were it not for the fact that Gordon never speaks: If he didn't speak in the movie, it would be totally unwatchable; if he did, the atmosphere would be ruined.

 

[Jan Van Quirm]

Running stream of consciousness voiceover? No lip synching