Video game movies, when will they stop sucking?!

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Permalink Reply by Gift of the Magi on November 4, 2009 at 11:31pm

I've played near-every FF game (except 9...no FRAKKIN way am I playing that kiddy-pop Disney-fied version!) and 7 just left me flat. I did not get why everyone got so emotional over the girl (Sifa, right?) when she died. It was rather expected...and the villain just irratated me (The one-wing thing just fraks with my Feng Shui). Not to mention that OVER THE TOP SWORD! What the hell?? I've swung around an 8-pound sword once for 15 minutes and my arms were lead. That thing had to be about 200+ pounds!

As for Death Wish....that movie is a bit odd to me. Not the best vengence flick, but a different one. The "hero" is portrayed more like a serial killer than an unstoppable soldier.

Now to respond to the meat of your comment, you have a point with the "based" comment and also hit another problem right on the head. "Based on" is Hollywood code for "It's MY movie and I'll do whatever I want to it to make a buck". This mentality quickly irratates the fanboys and purists...who quickly denouce the film and spread bad press. Another thing to concider is that the general movie public right now is a little put off by the idea of a movie based on a game. It took decades for sci-fi to get respect, even longer for comic book movies. Fantasy is still hit and miss (FUCK YOU D&D MOVIE! I SWEAR I WILL GUT EVERY LAST PERSON INVOLVED IT THAT!) and anime is BARELY respected, and not at all by the general public.

I feel you need one of two things to start that respect:
1.) A really decent and acclaimed mini-series based right in the core story of a well-known game. My vote would be for either Bioshock, KOTOR or going WAYYY back Zork. It worked wonders for Battlestar Galactica...
2.)A LOTR-level epic movie. The BEST directors, storylines, actors, you name it. Work the fuck outta it. Make a movie so damned good people cry openly afterward. A decent film WILL NOT cut it. You have to prove this genre is viable...because right now no one thinks so...not the general public and not the execs.

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Permalink Reply by Alter_Ego on November 2, 2009 at 11:42pm

Here's my three word rebuttle: Metal Gear Solid. Those games have captivating stories and well-developed characters. I would go so far as to say that Kojima uses video games to tell a story just as people have done in books, movies, television, and comics. In fact, MGS4 used just as much time on the cutscenes as with the gameplay (I think one cutscene was reported to be 90 minutes long!).

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Permalink Reply by Randy Flagg on November 2, 2009 at 10:53pm

Because people don't try to make a good adaptation. Or the game just isn't properly suited to be transferred to another medium.

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Permalink Reply by Miguel on November 3, 2009 at 6:56am

It's hard to translate a storyline from a videogame to a movie, due the short amount of time you have to basically let everything know wtf is going on (like Metal Gear Solid).

I do think videogames translate better to some sort of episodic TV series, and not in movies (unless you want Metal Gear Solid 8: Snake is old).
Best thing you can do is try your best to make the movie storyline as similar as possible to the source material, like a Prequel to the game, or a side story for a certain character and not deviate like that Super Mario Bros movie.
Although I do admit that Mortal Kombat, in all it's crapness, was rather similar to the video games.

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Permalink Reply by 28daveslater on November 3, 2009 at 7:23am

I eagerly await any new metal gear they're all awsome, except acid but we can all forget that one as it's not cannon anyway, so in answer to your first question... yes... yes I would.
ah ha tbh I actually liked the original mortal kombat movie, even though scorpion is also ghost rider apparently. the original movie reminded me of enter the dragon but on crack and with killer powers!
and I agree with you but what I'm saying is that they can't even get these right. I'm never gonna be a director or screenwriter, I've come to terms with that now lol, but if I was I would never allow the diservice to fans as they do in these movies.

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Permalink Reply by Costa_K on November 3, 2009 at 4:42pm

They'll stop making them when you stop buying video games and making them into marketable IP's that are seen as having the potential to become profitable franchises.

In short;

It's all your fault.

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Permalink Reply by Matthew Hernandez on November 3, 2009 at 4:58pm

I honestly believe they suck because of a lack of talent. I think that as years go by, we'll start to see a new generation of talented film makers who grew up playing video games, and they'll have better success translating the material. I think that as long as you have good talent behind the script, you can have a good movie.

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Permalink Reply by Chig Champa on November 3, 2009 at 5:06pm

I doubt we'll ever get a good movie out of a video title for one very large reason: why would any talented film maker want to waste their time making a video game movie?

Which also makes me wonder, why would anyone want talented film makers to waste their time on properties they already own as video games?
Wouldn't you rather see something original and new? Does going over the same old ground in a different medium really excite anyone?

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Permalink Reply by 28daveslater on November 4, 2009 at 7:38am

I love how you are ragging on game adaptaions, in essence saying that there'll never be a good one made and directors should focus on original ideas when all the movies that people start raving over are all either book or comic book adaptations.
yer cos they're original innit... erm NO!
If a good director is in charge with a good script then by deffinition it's not a waste of time.
storylines in video games can be epic and compelling and as long as someone can do that justice I see no reason not to make a movie based on the said property. and if you disagree you're just being hypocritical.
all I want is a good one.

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Permalink Reply by Sav-vy-bag on November 4, 2009 at 7:45am

Well, the difference is books and comics have less of a visual factor to it than video games.
And we all know majority of video games spend more time and money on gameplay
rather than plot.

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Permalink Reply by 28daveslater on November 4, 2009 at 7:59am

movies do that sort of thing too case in point Transformers 2 or a movie like Sin City where the visual style is used to give it depth.
you're all saying that games have no plot and are just about shooting dudes in the face or jumpin on mushroom things which is ludacris!

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Permalink Reply by Sav-vy-bag on November 4, 2009 at 8:16am

I think you're missing Chig's original point.

Forget about whether they're games that have great storylines and can easily be transported to the medium of film, he's saying that no decent filmmaker would take on the task, which is true.
I can't imagine a filmmaker like Ryan Fleck, Scorsese, Bahrani, etc.
creating a film based on a video game, can you?

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