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Why do Video Game Movies suck so much and how can a good one be made?
- Thread starter NandoGip
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The original story was partially inspired by dying and getting better in videogames and the movie takes the idea and runs with it. Its basically a character playing the same level over and over again, learning where the enemy spawns are where, their timing and of course improving their skills till they're flying through it like they are making it look easy.
Fair enough, but particularly regarding your point of replicating gameplay, I don't think abandoning it is the best path. However it takes a lot of creativity to know how much, and where, to use it effectively.
I brought up scott pilgrim because its best moments (its fight scenes) were very heavy on gameplay analogue.
However, before using them, it should be determined if the game is one that is defined by its mechanics (Bayonetta is a decent example), or if the gameplay is an imperfect attempt at what the game was originally trying to convey (e.g. Pokemon).
I don't think Video games as a medium needs validation from any other medium to be honest. They're different from all other mediums.
More_Badass
Member
Ideally, a movie would be based on the lore and general world of the series, or basic concept, rather being a direct adaptation of a specific game's story
In other words, it's a Dark Souls movie
Baroquemantic
Member
I just want a live action Shadow of the Colossus. I think it could be amazing.
One of my dream movie projects is Laika, the studio behind Coraline, ParaNorma and Kubo and the Two Strings, would make a stop motion puppetry movie based on Shadow of the Colossus with barely any dialogue and focusing on "show, dont tell". Though with the release of the Last Guardian I'd love to see a movie version of that done by them as well. That or Studio Ghibli.
It's not. There is actual structure to the story. Something that is completely missing from DS.
I feel like too many video game movies just try to be straight adaptations of the story in the game. I'd like to see more video game movies that take place in the same universe but don't necessarily follow the main protags of the game.
I think the nature of video game movies also makes them start off from a dubious position. In order for Hollywood to be interested in a video game property it has to already be a pretty big brand. You're not going to get the smaller, more intimate adaptations like you can working from comics or novels. It'll be a long time before we something like a Condemned or a Gone Home movie, for example.
I think the nature of video game movies also makes them start off from a dubious position. In order for Hollywood to be interested in a video game property it has to already be a pretty big brand. You're not going to get the smaller, more intimate adaptations like you can working from comics or novels. It'll be a long time before we something like a Condemned or a Gone Home movie, for example.
ActStriker
Member
I liked Gyakuten Saiban.
Sibersk Esto
Banned
Because video game stories are either mostly bad or just versions of movie plots that have the benefit of being interactive.
The ones that don't fit either mold have stories that only work for video games.
The ones that don't fit either mold have stories that only work for video games.
The big problem is that Video game is an interactive medium and tells its story of the course through the whole game, whereas movie are passive and only have 2 hours to tell their story.
Now that isn't to say that it can't be done but it would require serous effort where the studio pick the best elements from the game which is the character, the setting and the lore and create an original story base around that.
A good example is Marvel Civil Wars which is base on the comic but a lot of the element is changed to make it work in a movie format.
Which is why I am curious to see how the live action detective Pikachu movie does as The Pokémon Company would be very hands on during the movie production and the movie would be using the world of Pokémon and the detective Pikachu game as its base.
Wreck-It-Ralph is a good movie but it doesn't count as it isn't based on a video game property, it just happens to be set in a video game universe.
Both aren't video game movies and are adaptation off books.
Now that isn't to say that it can't be done but it would require serous effort where the studio pick the best elements from the game which is the character, the setting and the lore and create an original story base around that.
A good example is Marvel Civil Wars which is base on the comic but a lot of the element is changed to make it work in a movie format.
Which is why I am curious to see how the live action detective Pikachu movie does as The Pokémon Company would be very hands on during the movie production and the movie would be using the world of Pokémon and the detective Pikachu game as its base.
Wreck-It-Ralph is a good movie but it doesn't count as it isn't based on a video game property, it just happens to be set in a video game universe.
The two best videogame movies weren't even based on videogame properties and that would be Scott Pilgrim Vs The World and Edge of Tomorrow.
Both aren't video game movies and are adaptation off books.
More_Badass
Member
I think Marvel's approach to comic movies is the best path to follow for video game adaptations
Compare Civil War the comic (a sprawling saga with myriad crossover and side stories) to Civil War the movie (basic idea, simplified and altered to fit film and the MCU world). Take the core unique concept, rip out everything else, mold and alter it however you need for it work as a film
Compare Civil War the comic (a sprawling saga with myriad crossover and side stories) to Civil War the movie (basic idea, simplified and altered to fit film and the MCU world). Take the core unique concept, rip out everything else, mold and alter it however you need for it work as a film
Speaking in the sense of it being a cinematic representation of Dark Souls pacing
GuitarAtomik
Member
Basically this. The creatives behind it (I want to put blame on script writes here, but there's probably a lot of cooks in the kitchen) focus on the wrong elements to adapt. They turn Hitman, a game about a hit man who is almost never detected and often kills people without anyone even realizing it was murder, in to a Michael Bay action blockbuster. You can't do that. Look at what the gameplay was trying to convey (action, stealth, horror), the general tone, and the concept of the game's story and try to maintain that while diverging where it makes sense. Too often they diverge just to diverge.
Mortal Kombat was about as perfect an adaptation as you could get minus the gore. I also really liked Warcraft despite not being a fan of the game and almost everyone else hating it.
Alex_Mexico
Member
That movie is about videogames. Not an adaptation of a videogame. It does not count and you know it.
Grizzlyjin
Supersonic, idiotic, disconnecting, not respecting, who would really ever wanna go and top that
That kinda makes me wonder what the point is. Like, I read a good novel and sometimes think "Oh, this could be a good movie." I rarely ever thought that with a game, especially in regards to the story. The bar for storytelling is still pretty low with video games.
If I was going to make a, I don't know, Devil May Cry movie, I'd probably just write 6 things that "make" the franchise and hand it to a screenwriter.
For the Assassin's Creed movie, I understand why they have the modern elements. I actually defended the balance when the news came out cause it sorta makes sense for a movie to focus on what's "real." But why even include the framing device at all? If you have the choice of adapting this to screen, is that really the takeaway? That this is Assassin's Creed? I'd gut all that convoluted garbage and just do a period piece. No Animus. But then some would argue that isn't what Assassin's Creed is.
I made this very point in the very post you quoted. The videogamey nature of both movies is very apparent even if they aren't based on a particular game property.
Baroquemantic
Member
"Show, don't tell" is exactly what I would want from a SotC movie. Very little dialogue would be needed to get the point across. An animated film would be wonderful, but I just really want to see it in live action.
More_Badass
Member
Always thought a Hitman movie would work best if it doesn't feature 47 as the protagonist. On film, I think he would work best as the antagonist, the unseen unstoppable force that can slip through any defenses, reach any target.
Video games are based entirely around interaction. The medium doesn't translate well to a medium that is completely without interaction. Even the most narrative focused ones need player involvement to make everything come together.
Probably one of the few homeruns that could've been adapted is Max Payne as it was basically a film noir John Woo action story , and that turned out to be complete trash. P
Probably one of the few homeruns that could've been adapted is Max Payne as it was basically a film noir John Woo action story , and that turned out to be complete trash. P
Video games are such an odd duck compared to other mediums that the world of film can draw from for source material. In things like novels, comic books, or stage plays, a piece of the puzzle is always missing that a film adaption could add to create a new an/or unique experience. Novels lack visuals, audio, music, acting, etc. Comic books lack audio and acting, and stage plays lack the benefits that things like editing and cinematography can bring.
Video games, on the other hand, contain everything movies already do plus the addition of giving control of the narrative and character(s) over to the player. Adapting a video game to a film actively removes the key aspect of what made the source material so engaging to begin with - the player's own hand in moving the events of the game forward. It's why I think that making an Uncharted movie or a Metal Gear movie would be a terrible idea. The games are already pretty much interactive movies (though David Cage's stuff pushes that way to the extreme) to the point where making a movie out of them seems utterly pointless and redundant.
Video games, on the other hand, contain everything movies already do plus the addition of giving control of the narrative and character(s) over to the player. Adapting a video game to a film actively removes the key aspect of what made the source material so engaging to begin with - the player's own hand in moving the events of the game forward. It's why I think that making an Uncharted movie or a Metal Gear movie would be a terrible idea. The games are already pretty much interactive movies (though David Cage's stuff pushes that way to the extreme) to the point where making a movie out of them seems utterly pointless and redundant.
I think they key is trying to stick to the appropriate tone of the source material. Silent Hill mostly stuck to the appropriate tone of the game and the end result was a serviceable horror movie. Mortal Kombat is intentionally B-movie schlock so the original movie embracing that worked for the best. Resident Evil didn't work for me because I thought Resident Evil went way too far into the action movie route, which wasn't tonally correct for the franchise at least at that point in time. Max Payne didn't nail the tone either in my opinion.
GalacticAE
Member
Just make a fun or good movie; the source material shouldn't matter as much. Theyre two completely different mediums and should play off their own strengths.
One thing I would suggest is to put in a lot of fan-service, accuracy, and love when it comes to adapting something like a game. Too many creative liberties like most vg movies completely ruins the point of an adaptation. This is why the MK movies are actually decent and loved.
One thing I would suggest is to put in a lot of fan-service, accuracy, and love when it comes to adapting something like a game. Too many creative liberties like most vg movies completely ruins the point of an adaptation. This is why the MK movies are actually decent and loved.
More_Badass
Member
I think part of the thing is choosing the right game. Trying to make an Uncharted movie? A Shadow of the Colossus movie? Insane, it would always fail compare to the game
But say, a Halo movie from the perspective of an ODST marine with Master Chief as a side character? That could be a cool sci-fi war movie.
DeaconKnowledge
Member
The things that make video games good don't make for good movies.
Because even the best video game stories barely hold a candle to good movie / book stories. How many people watch youtube recaps of game stories instead of playing the game? Not that many because the story themselves really isn't anything to write home about.
For instance I love KOTOR 1 and part of that is because the story. If they adapted that to a movie they would have to change up massive amounts of how that story plays out so it doesn't drag on. The story also wouldn't have the same impact for a viewer versus being the player and being part of the story.
For instance I love KOTOR 1 and part of that is because the story. If they adapted that to a movie they would have to change up massive amounts of how that story plays out so it doesn't drag on. The story also wouldn't have the same impact for a viewer versus being the player and being part of the story.
GuitarAtomik
Member
Yeah exactly. I thought that's what the second movie was going for when the first trailer came out, and then the explosions started, and then the second trailer came out showing he's actually the good guy. Dude should be treated like the original Terminator except no one but the protags realize he's actually murdering everyone.
I don't think it can be done because what makes a truly great game is very different to what makes a great film. Mortal Kombat is fine but it's basically just a martial arts film wrapped in MK clothing.
I don't think Shadow of the colossus could work as an example because part of what creates the impact is the game creators leaving the interpretation of what you the player are doing throughout the game up to your own thoughts.
The feeling is different when your left to think about why you are killing these giant seemingly peaceful creatures (mostly) vs when your just watching some action scene of an action movie character slaying giant monsters.
I don't think Shadow of the colossus could work as an example because part of what creates the impact is the game creators leaving the interpretation of what you the player are doing throughout the game up to your own thoughts.
The feeling is different when your left to think about why you are killing these giant seemingly peaceful creatures (mostly) vs when your just watching some action scene of an action movie character slaying giant monsters.
Yautja_Warrior
Member
I think the main problem is movie studios not quite getting video games and making stupid or unnecessary changes to the game material, like with the story and characters.
Maybe if they hired some decent directors and writers, that might help too.
Maybe if they hired some decent directors and writers, that might help too.
They already made an Uncharted movie it's called Indiana Jones. Actually, I take that back, that is giving Uncharted too much credit. The plot of UC4 is basically National Treasure 2 or at the very least heavily influenced by many adventure movie tropes.
More_Badass
Member
Or hell, he doesn't even have to be the bad guy. Imagine a political thriller or revenge flick (if the target is a more seedy underworld type) and then Agent 47 gets dropped in the middle of the story, screwing up or helping the protagonist's plans due to 47's own actions
DiipuSurotu
Banned
I always thought the first Fatal Fury could make a great martial arts revenge movie.
I actually think games would make for better TV miniseries than movies. Much like long novels, they need more room to breathe and allow their story and grandiose action to shine.
Honestly I think Fall of Reach (the book) would work as a decent origin and war movie story for Master Chief. The books did a much better job of building a world and story than the games did.
Messofanego
Banned
Yes! Even Wild Bunch who did a great dialogue-less animated movie this year, The Red Turtle.
They don't make those anymore, though. Haven't for 20 years.
Wreck it Ralph was indeed good. But not entirely sure that counts for this thread, that was a movie first and kind of just included video game stuff.
It's hard because adapting stuff in general is hard, and the nature of a lot of games makes translating stuff kind of weird. There always to be a fuckup in artistic interpretation of video games, and it's probably because games are so different as a medium. I'm sure someone will find something once or twice at some point though and make a good movie based off a game.
Creepy
Member
This.
There's no reason that they have to be bad, but they tend to miss that super-popular games are that way because of how they play, not their super-compelling stories.
Monthly comic books are mostly dreck, but people are doing a good job of pulling the gems out (now). It will take a similar approach to be successful with a video game movie.
Monthly comic books are mostly dreck, but people are doing a good job of pulling the gems out (now). It will take a similar approach to be successful with a video game movie.
What did he mean by this?
Member
Nope, the issue is not changing enough from the source material. Video games have drawn out padded out stories and static characters and dense lore filled worlds that have no business being in a 2 hour movie unless some coke-binged executive is really feeling themselves with their planned out 4-part Tetris quadrology
Ex. 1) all the nonsense in Warcraft instead of doing a simple Orcs vs Humans story.
sans_pants
avec_pénis
There is nothing inherently difficult about taking a beloved character (thinking mostly Nintendo here) and putting them in a fun movie.
Just because they botched super Mario bros in the 90s does not mean the game can't be a massive film success
The first Resident Evil film was actually decent, but it wasn't a direct adaptation of the games. Still, it had many of the elements from the games that it wasn't just some random horror movie with a RE brand slapped on it.
The sequels, however... Jesus.
The less said, the better, although I don't mind the third one which was a nice Mad Max 2-meets-Day of the Dead homage/rip-off.
Silent Hill was also a more-than-decent attempt, but I remember it grinding to a halt for 10 minutes just to explain the plot with a big-ass flashback (a sequence near the end of the movie). That's a huge no-no in storytelling, and a possible sign that a literal adaptation maybe isn't the way to go as far as game-to-movies adaptations are concerned.
The sequels, however... Jesus.
The less said, the better, although I don't mind the third one which was a nice Mad Max 2-meets-Day of the Dead homage/rip-off.
Silent Hill was also a more-than-decent attempt, but I remember it grinding to a halt for 10 minutes just to explain the plot with a big-ass flashback (a sequence near the end of the movie). That's a huge no-no in storytelling, and a possible sign that a literal adaptation maybe isn't the way to go as far as game-to-movies adaptations are concerned.
bigboss370
Member
i really liked Warcraft
Shamrock7r
Member
Super Mario Bros. was a great surrealism interpretation of the videogame series at that time. Salvador Dali and Charles Lutwidge Dodgson would be proud. Bring it!
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