So What's the Deal with Video Game Movies? Why Can't They Get It Right?

[Kahran Ramsus]

Isn't playing them part of the problem though? How you feel playing a game is a subjective experience, and with a lot of games these days there are so many variables in how you actually go about finishing the story. It's not quite choose your own adventure, but there's an element of that present.

If I play something like Assassin's Creed I can chose which part of the map I want to go to, whether I want to continue with the main story or do a side quest or do something else entirely, in which case my experience is going to be different to another persons. That's not like TV shows, novels, comic books, or plays which tend to follow a similar narrative path to movies. You can really only experience that type of medium one way. So, I don't think it's about people not understanding the games, it's that there's a different type of experience with games, one that's not as easy to define given we all play them in a different way. The question I think is hardest to answer with any creative team in this genre is 'What part of this game are we trying to adapt?'.

Again, that's only certain games. Assassin's Creed is an open world game so there is a great deal of freedom of what you can do. Other games such as Uncharted or The Last of Us are entirely on rails. Games like Ace Attorney even moreso than that.

 

[Sundancer]

If I play something like Assassin's Creed I can chose which part of the map I want to go to, whether I want to continue with the main story or do a side quest or do something else entirely, in which case my experience is going to be different to another persons. That's not like TV shows, novels, comic books, or plays which tend to follow a similar narrative path to movies. You can really only experience that type of medium one way. So, I don't think it's about people not understanding the games, it's that there's a different type of experience with games, one that's not as easy to define given we all play them in a different way. The question I think is hardest to answer with any creative team in this genre is 'What part of this game are we trying to adapt?'.

It comes back to what you center on for story, probably the main quest . Your movie experience and your game experience should be different. Studios are not solely making these movies for gamers.

 

[Punisher_MAX]

I hate when people bring up Doom because that movie is such a disappointment it hurts. The "Aliens" approach was probably the right way to do it but they executed it SO poorly. The creature designs were on point.

 

[NotNickFury]

Because the wrong people are involved, maybe.

That said, I still love the original Mortal Kombat film and consider the best adaptation. Not mindblowing or overwhelming, but the story is easy to follow, the characters are fun to watch and they each have their own arcs, and the action for the time was pretty good. I have no shame in saying that this was the first Blu Ray that I purchased after getting a Blu Ray player. That and it's leagues above Annihilation.

That and the original Street Fighter. Again, nothing spectacular, but it's cheesy fun and knows fully what it wants to be. It's a camp fest, but I love how much Raul Julia gave it for Bison. And there are a bunch of characters in the film that do look the part: Bison, Zangief, Chun-Li, and Vega. And this movie is just about Oscar worthy compared to Legend of Chun-Li.

I think Prince of Persia is decent and does have a lot in common with Sands of Time, but my biggest issue with it is the direction because the fight scenes are as up close as Batman Begins.

 

[Octoberist]

It depends on the franchise.

For example, I'm playing Dishonored 2. A lot of the mythos, backstory, and narrative is based around the gameplay. So often you're alone, doing mostly missions to advance the story. Like infatuating, sneaking around, and so forth.

So a movie adaptation would have to add more supporting cast members, and create a story that won't be as tedious as, 'you must find this guy'. Now you must find that other guy'.

It's reworking the plotting, but if the world building is amazing, then it should've be an issue.

Like a Zelda film would totally work because you have Hyrule. You just have to figure out how to adapt Link (make him into an introvert) and introduce/flesh out the other characters by his side (or against our heroes).

 

[dude stannis]

The funny thing is movies that the best "video game" movies aren't based on video games. Aliens, Crank, Deadpool, Edge of Tomorrow, Bloodsport.

 

[Guts]

Hardcore: Henry is also a great video game movie.

 

[ehh]

Video Game movies are not destined to be bad.

Does anyone remember some of the early Marvel films? The made for TV Captain America movies, the 1990 Captain America movie, the 1994 Fantastic 4 film, the Nick Fury: Agent of SHIELD film, the movies continuing the 1970's/80's Hulk series, and so on. I've known people who thought Marvel comics would never work on film and that only DC could work with Batman and Superman. Today, Marvel Studios has made the most successful movie franchises and shared cinematic universe that many other studios want to replicate.

I think we've had a number of bad video game films. There is the infamous Super Mario Brothers movie, DOOM, the Resident Evil franchise (which can be a guilty pleasure at times), and so on. But if you get the right producers and talented filmmakers with a vision, you could make a good movie based on a video game. Many games today put more emphasis on story that older games did not, such as Uncharted, Last of Us, Metal Gear Solid, and plenty of these could easily make for good feature films.

 

[MadVillainy]

Hardcore: Henry is also a great video game movie.

No it's not.
When people talk about VGM it doesn't mean it takes video game tropes they mean it's based on a video game.

It's like people calling Unbreakable a comic book movie just because it has superhero tropes

 

[dude stannis]

He was replying to me, where I specified they where unofficially video game movies.

 

[MadVillainy]

...
I dont read things

 

[ehh]

...
I dont read things

Spoiler

 

[Spider-Aziz]

The funny thing is movies that the best "video game" movies aren't based on video games. Aliens, Crank, Deadpool, Edge of Tomorrow, Bloodsport.

Did I mention before that that movie is a great template for a Resident Evil movie? Resident Evil 2 as a game is inspired by that movie.

I'll include Guardians of the Galaxy to this mix, mostly cause it reminded me of that Double Dragon movie.

 

[NotNickFury]

Another thing is that video games, especially now, are already cinematic, so a movie feels unnecessary. A Metal Gear Solid film may as well just copy and paste the game's cutscenes and add an HD coat of paint.

 

[ehh]

I would actually think that Metal Gear Solid would be great for film if they streamline some of the story. That franchise is quite confusing in terms of its canon.

 

[kguillou]

I decided to go through the Resident Evil movie series for the first time. I'm watching the first one as I type this and its amazing how little resemblance to the video game this movie bears. Like, this movie might as well been called something else.

 

[NotSoLongAgo]

These movies never put story and characters first. They seem more interested in copying the visual aspects.

 

[kguillou]

Ok, so now I feel like a bit of a hypocrite, as the one who started this thread, I just finished the first RE movie for the first time and I actually had a really good time with it. I mean, I wouldn't deem it quality cinema but I was thoroughly entertained an I'm excited to watch the sequels.

 

[Isildur´s Heir]

Ok, so now I feel like a bit of a hypocrite, as the one who started this thread, I just finished the first RE movie for the first time and I actually had a really good time with it. I mean, I wouldn't deem it quality cinema but I was thoroughly entertained an I'm excited to watch the sequels.

Glad you liked it.
For me personally, all of them are horrible.
They are big budget b-movies.

IMO, there still isn't one single good movie based on a video game.
1 or 2 might be bearable, but they are not good.

 

[TheCommissioner]

is no one going to talk about the masterpiece film 'House Of The Dead'?

 

[TheVileOne]

It depends on the franchise.

For example, I'm playing Dishonored 2. A lot of the mythos, backstory, and narrative is based around the gameplay. So often you're alone, doing mostly missions to advance the story. Like infatuating, sneaking around, and so forth.

So a movie adaptation would have to add more supporting cast members, and create a story that won't be as tedious as, 'you must find this guy'. Now you must find that other guy'.

It's reworking the plotting, but if the world building is amazing, then it should've be an issue.

Like a Zelda film would totally work because you have Hyrule. You just have to figure out how to adapt Link (make him into an introvert) and introduce/flesh out the other characters by his side (or against our heroes).

Except as I pointed out earlier, Link is basically a proxy for the player. The player inserts their own personality into link. Link has never really a developed character on his own, that's why he's basically a blank slate. This is why when you try making Link into a character you end up with the animated series where he's a yuppie *****e and goes "Well excuse me princess!"

Yeah these games have created their own mythologies. They have world building and such, but that doesn't mean they are easily adaptable into movies.

Mass Effect has that too. But guess what? They had a writer for the Mass Effect movie, and he couldn't crack it. He couldn't figure out how to get the movie out of it. This is despite Mass Effect having a very cinematic story and style.

 

[TheCommissioner]

Except as I pointed out earlier, Link is basically a proxy for the player. The player inserts their own personality into link. Link has never really a developed character on his own, that's why he's basically a blank slate. This is why when you try making Link into a character you end up with the animated series where he's a yuppie *****e and goes "Well excuse me princess!"

Yeah these games have created their own mythologies. They have world building and such, but that doesn't mean they are easily adaptable into movies.

Mass Effect has that too. But guess what? They had a writer for the Mass Effect movie, and he couldn't crack it. He couldn't figure out how to get the movie out of it. This is despite Mass Effect having a very cinematic story and style.

indeed

this is why it bugs me when fans get all "Link should be this, Link is that and so on"

Link is whatever you want him to be, but he isn't the same for everyone

 

[DarthSkywalker]

One of the biggest problem is almost everything they try to adapt, is already a pretty obvious generic take on an already established film franchise. Think about how obviously derivative Assassin Creed, Warcraft and other video game movies are. What makes playing a game and you are left with lightweight versions of better films with better stories.

Hardcore Henry was pretty good example of playing with established game tropes and having fun with it. Not taking it too seriously and thus having fun with the ridiculousness of it. Same with Wreck-it-Ralph.

 

[TheVileOne]

I thought the first Crank movie was a good example of making a video game movie that wasn't really a video game movie. Then the second movie kind of ruined it.

 

[dude stannis]

...
I dont read things

That's completely unpresidented for the Hype.