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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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Samuraicop
Member
Wreck it Ralph and The first Resident Evil movie are the only video game movies I objectively think are great
I actually love all the Resident Evil films
Mineshaft_Gap
4077th
Video games have shit stories in general. Translating them to a medium where the standard of quality is higher is bound to turn out a product that doesn't stand up to other, better things that are a part of that medium.
Bad stories, bad scripts. Bad scripts and shit writing usually leads to bad acting which further exacerbates the problem. Unless the movie is going full ham as to be enjoyable on a level that takes "quality" out of the equation, nearly every VG movie follows this to a tee.
Wreck it Ralph is an original script written by talented writers based on a story not based on a game. It doesn't count as a "video game" movie. It's a movie that takes place in a world of video games. It's not a video game IP adapted into a film.
Bad stories, bad scripts. Bad scripts and shit writing usually leads to bad acting which further exacerbates the problem. Unless the movie is going full ham as to be enjoyable on a level that takes "quality" out of the equation, nearly every VG movie follows this to a tee.
Wreck it Ralph is an original script written by talented writers based on a story not based on a game. It doesn't count as a "video game" movie. It's a movie that takes place in a world of video games. It's not a video game IP adapted into a film.
NipplesAndToes23
Member
^^ Ehhh. I don't know about that.
I don't why cats keep saying this. Just like any other medium there are ones with bad stories and good stories. It's no different from games. Hell you should know. We talk about these stories like every month on this forum.
They need to let me write a script. I know Pokemon has had probably the most movies, but I'd tear that shit up fuck that Detective Pikachu they got planned. I need to play that Aurion game, but I'd be interested in writing the script for that movie too.
I don't why cats keep saying this. Just like any other medium there are ones with bad stories and good stories. It's no different from games. Hell you should know. We talk about these stories like every month on this forum.
They need to let me write a script. I know Pokemon has had probably the most movies, but I'd tear that shit up fuck that Detective Pikachu they got planned. I need to play that Aurion game, but I'd be interested in writing the script for that movie too.
i think the main problem with videogame movies is the same thing that was wrong with super hero movies back in the day. the writers and producers didn't really treat them seriously and let them be like the source material.
this one was one of the better movies because they didn't really stray too far from the games.
Probably because the story in between fights was probably about as long as an MK load screen so it was more or less the game, right down to using real people to make the sprites, haha
littlebigman
Member
I'll give Snyder one thing: he is really good at creating striking imagery. His movies look really, really cool. But actually watching them is a chore because he can't tell a story to save his life.
Yup, we literally crafted a movie around LEGO,which has no story and turned out damn fine.
Heck, we've turned short stories into moving movies.
Video game stories being shat is only part of the problem, but not the problem.
More_Badass
Member
They are and arent. Depends on the game.
NipplesAndToes23
Member
I actually think it would be cool to see another Mario movie and there's more to pull from. Initially when people here that, they would only think of the mainline games, but the spinoffs give more story and personality to the characters.
I couldn't write it though. A Mario movie would be very comedic and I'm poor at writing comedy.
I couldn't write it though. A Mario movie would be very comedic and I'm poor at writing comedy.
Extra Sauce
Member
Videogame publishers must seek independence from the big Hollywood studios by founding their own production company, as well as hire A-List talent, say a Michael Fassbender for example.
Wait a minute...
Wait a minute...
Gross, no thanks.
They need to quite making video game movies into blockbusters with bloated budgets.
NipplesAndToes23
Member
I was thinking Ratchet & Clank would've been the sleeper to do it, but that managed to get fucked up too apparently. Maybe if someone like Dreamworks or Pixar would've made it, it would've been better.
I never talk about the stories of games here. I mean, I know some people care, but I personally haven't been interested in a videogame's story since I was in middle school (ps1 and dc rpgs what up?!)
The thing is, the value of a video game, when translating to another medium, isn't in the story but in the "brand," so the story doesn't really matter. Look at the games that get adapted to film... have any of them had a good story to begin with? MK is probably the best video game movie still to this day, and it doesn't have a story that took more than 5 minutes to come up with, most likely while the creators were drunk and watching JCVD films.
It's probably easier to write an original story than to try and shoehorn some crap onto an IP that the writers had no stake in originally when it was created, and really doesn't have a decent "lore" base to create a compelling story with anyway.
You don't need good story to made good movies, as strange as its sounds there's many good movies with "bad" story.
More_Badass
Member
It took 30-40 years, even longer if you include "superheroes" from radio serials for the one that hit it big and proved that you can do a good one
Video game movies have been around far less time and have had only 42 attempts, including the straight-to-DVD stuff and Uwe Boll
The entire concept is still in its infancy.
It's less that it can't be done, rather that it hasn't been done yet. Although I'd argue that Lara Croft was at least a decent action b-movie
Video game movies have been around far less time and have had only 42 attempts, including the straight-to-DVD stuff and Uwe Boll
The entire concept is still in its infancy.
It's less that it can't be done, rather that it hasn't been done yet. Although I'd argue that Lara Croft was at least a decent action b-movie
NipplesAndToes23
Member
So you said they're bad earlier, just because you don't care about them?
There's a lot of stuff to pull from MK if you want to be real about this. At the time I think only the first two games were out, but there's a ton of lore to Mortal Kombat. I didn't realize it until I played Deception.
I disagree about easier making an original story vs the IP. It's just a case by case thing. One day I might find it hard to think up of an original story, but another day some existing IP intrigues me and I write a bunch from that. Seeing something bad doesn't also immediately deter me from it, I see it as an opportunity to improve it.
You completely missed the point... Like entirely
Chicken and the egg thing I guess? I don't care because they are generally very bad at best. Easier to just ignore them, especially because whether a game has a good story or it has no bearing on if the game is good imo. I'll gladly play games with shit (or no stories) and good gameplay over the opposite. Cut scenes are generally time to check my text messages or make a sandwich.
I suppose a professional writer could make a good story from anything, including some shit like Assassins Creed, and I can't speak for all creatives, I just feel (lol) that creating something wholly original gives you ownership over it, and with ownership you also feel more pride in it so you wanna make something special. If you are just a hired gun to crap out a story about a Ubisoft game then it doesn't really matter what you write, I think that kind of deal bears itself out in the video game films as see on the screen. No one cares, it's all about expanding the IP and not telling a compelling story.
I know, lots of "feeling" and no facts maybe, but the results of video game movies speak for themselves, whether it's my hypothesis that's correct or some other reason it doesn't really matter, results are the same.
Stop, please stop this nonesense out of no where about games having bad stories. That's entirely false. I mean how can anyone tell me with a straight face that The Martian has a complex story than Deus Ex? I mean you have to really want to make a myth about this good story bad story to believe it.
To be fair, 30-40 years it not like they were trying the entire time.
Thanks for telling, appreciate the wellput insight.
More_Badass
Member
You can say the same about countless movies too. Some of the best or most interesting movies are the ones that take a premise done by myriad other movies and executes it masterfully. The killer animal, the alien onboard, the serial adventure action hero, self-aware AI, etc.
I hope I'm not sounding offensive, sorry if comes across that way. The reference to titanic was to buttress my earlier point. The story by most peoples definition on here is unfocused rubbish because it's a non story really but because the characters of Jack and Rose go through all this trouble together on a ship, we enjoyed thier journey and it's what we remember about it, not the whole family drama or how the captain loved his ship or even the doom of the ship itself. All those things serve as a back drop for how the characters react to pressure around them.
I don't know about you but I'd take Deus Ex over Interstellar or The Last of Us over 28 days later
What did he mean by this?
Member
Thats ignoring the fact that some of those radio serials were well-received and made money tho
This! This! So much this. People seem to have this idea that movies are original with ideas but that's not true. Lots of it are usually a peak point from an incremental innovation of an idea carried forward via mediums.
I won't say the story of movies are greater than a games per say, but it's got a bigger catalogue of great stories told which quite often are based on real stories recorded of an historical event. Games by nature are morphing from an origin of mechanical thinking like say chess to a medium of interactive narratives. We have seen how effective they can be to hammer home a point when used effectively
There's nothing particularly special about Deus Ex, as a cyberpunk story. It's significant in the realm of gaming, but this is a very narrow storytelling space. In the wider world of cyberpunk there's probably dozens of stories just as good as Deus Ex, maybe better.
Hell, even Neuromancer doesn't have an adaptation yet. I don't really think Deus Ex is more deserving of a film adaptation than Neuromancer.
Now, I haven't actually read or watched The Martian, though I plan to, I'm familiar with the synopsis and it is at least a novelty in the sci-fi space. It's also well positioned because we're also in a renaissance of sorts of hard(ish) sci-fi films: Gravity, Her, Interstellar (lul), Ex Machina, Arrival, etc.
cj_iwakura
Member
There's three ways to do it and have them turn out well. I'll cite three examples: Silent Hill, Mortal Kombat, and Resident Evil. One is artistically faithful and treats the story with respect, one goes all out and has fun with it, and the last one is original and keeps the spirit of the source material intact.
Oh shit the Martian in both book and movie form is miles beyond anything Video Game writers have shat out. As far as hard sci-fi goes, it doesn't get much better than The Martian in the last 5 years. The writer has a clear understanding of character, plot, and action.
Can't compare that to ANY video game Narrative (much less the shit show that was Deus Ex).
metalmonstar
Member
I like the Pokemon movies.
I thought Prince of Persia was okay. I am curious to see if they do attempt Warcraft 2 as I feel that is much more adaptable
I feel that some games aren't really adaptable but more often than not it is just studios seeing a game license as easy money from the fandoms.
I thought Prince of Persia was okay. I am curious to see if they do attempt Warcraft 2 as I feel that is much more adaptable
I feel that some games aren't really adaptable but more often than not it is just studios seeing a game license as easy money from the fandoms.
GuitarAtomik
Member
Yeah that's my feeling on it. Video games having not very strong stories or being an interactive first medium isn't an excuse. You're not adapting the gameplay of a game, it's about an adapting the IP.
Glass Rebel
Member
I mean, there's nothing particularly "special" about The Martian either. It's pop culture references in space. Extremely well done pop culture references in space but nonetheless. I don't really think there's anything inherently more interesting about the story of The Martian that would make it a better choice than Deus Ex for an adaptation.
I might be slightly misrepresenting the book and movie for comedic purposes.
More_Badass
Member
80 Days? Soma?
That is EXACTLY the problem.
Deus Ex would need a TV series, not a movie.
The martian is simple. Deus Ex is not. If you try to condense Deus Ex into a movie you would either get a botched version of the story or the most arthouse talkative boring movie ever.
Edit : the smallest Deus Ex (mankind divided) takes FOURTEEN HOURS to finish JUST THE MAIN STORY. How the hell do you want that much narrative to fit in 2 hours ?
Well I sort of answered this in my post. Cyberpunk is, with the exception of the Blade Runner reboot, still out, if it was ever in. Space travel film however, is pretty in. It's the theme du jour, which is why, even if Deus Ex was being considered for adaptation, The Martian would get adapted first.
Also, tangentially related, Ghost in the Shell? Same deal as Neuromancer. GITS has been "waiting" for a live action adaptation for a while now. GITS 1995 was also highly influential for that subset of film directors who are also fans of cyberpunk. If given the choice of which cyberpunk property to adapt, GITS or Deus Ex, which do you honestly think looks more attractive?
GalacticAE
Member
Im not one to play games just for their stories but I have to say Kojima games can compete with Hollywood in the hard sci fi narrative category. Ive seen the martian as well. Outside Kojima i'd have to agree.
cj_iwakura
Member
That fits with my second example.
karasu
Member
Superman hit it out of the park pretty much from the jump. People were captivated by his stories on the radio.
More_Badass
Member
You can't be serious. You think MGS is hard sci-fi?
Soma and 80 Days are good contenders. 80 Days more so, I love the world of 80 Days. Soma... less so, probably because of personal preference rather than anything else.
Video game narratives aren't all bad in spite of my hyperbolic answer. I think Firewatch has a strong story despite some missteps. I should say that the movies you'll see that are made from video games are probably going to be more in the style of Assassins Creed (awful story, popular multi-title franchise) rather than any horror movie adaptation of Kitty Horrowshow.
Kojima isn't hard sci-fi. Besides that his narratives are poorly formed and exposition heavy. He relies too much on "twists" and an unreliable narrator. There are always interesting ideas nestled within the piles of extraneous and often convoluted to convolutions sake bullshit, but you still have to sift through piles of extraneous bullshit. He certainly competes with Michael Bay when it comes to Sci-Fi, but that's about it.
And I like Kojima.
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