D.I.C.E. 2013: J.J. Abrams and Gabe Newell Tease Portal Movie

[Sigmund Av Volsung]

It isn't that his movies aren't great/good.

It's that they lack soul/substance/passion/creative vision etc. that kind of mediocrity is why everyone is riled up.

NOT:
"J.J. ABRAMS IS SUCH A BAD DIRECTOR, HIS MOVIES SUCK! ZOMG!"

BUT:
"WHY IS HE DIRECTING IT AND NOT SOME ASPIRING FILM STUDENT/SOMEONE TO WHOM THE SUBJECT MATTER IS PART OF WHO THEY ARE?"

Oh, that is an EASY question to answer: money. Producers will hire people that are a safe bet rather than someone that is unpredictable.

Also, I'm completely against people directing things because of their nostalgia. If they are doing it out of pure nostalgia all they can produce is something that is, at best, a copy of the original. When you have someone that doesn't have nostalgic feelings towards the original material, it gives way to A: innovation and modernization of the original material and B: a brand new story instead of a re-hash of an old one.

Of course, as is possible in any situation, all hell can break loose and the project could just go to shit regardless of who is directing it.

A:JJ is incapable of transferring any feelings into any of his movies, even Super 8, where the opportunity to prove himself as a director was glaring right before him, and Half-life isn't so old that it needs modernization; the story has a unique vibe to it that when removed, would make the story rather bland and uninteresting, leaving only the unique gameplay, and as we all know, gameplay is the hardest thing to transfer onto cinema.

B:THAT could work, but again, you'd need to keep consistent with the theme, otherwise it's a spinoff, and the only "good" vg-movies that worked with that kind of approach were the Resident Evil movies, but they work because of their slightly schlocky/bad movie feel.

To quote Yahtzee:

"A game(in this case movie, but I believe that it still applies) that fails due to over-ambition is still better than a game that fails because its beep-boop committee designed sludge coughed out by a corporation staffed by robots(in this case J.J. Abrams)"

 

[Sigmund Av Volsung]

"ARGGGGGHHHHH JJ SUCKS AND LENZ FLARE!!!!!!!"[/quote]

That's cause its the most immediate reaction to this article.

 

[uchytjes]

A:JJ is incapable of transferring any feelings into any of his movies, even Super 8, where the opportunity to prove himself as a director was glaring right before him, and Half-life isn't so old that it needs modernization; the story has a unique vibe to it that when removed, would make the story rather bland and uninteresting, leaving only the unique gameplay, and as we all know, gameplay is the hardest thing to transfer onto cinema.

B:THAT could work, but again, you'd need to keep consistent with the theme, otherwise it's a spinoff, and the only "good" vg-movies that worked with that kind of approach were the Resident Evil movies, but they work because of their slightly schlocky/bad movie feel.

To quote Yahtzee:

"A game(in this case movie, but I believe that it still applies) that fails due to over-ambition is still better than a game that fails because its beep-boop committee designed sludge coughed out by a corporation staffed by robots(in this case J.J. Abrams)"

To counter your points:

A: Wasn't Super 8 a nostalgic tribute to old Speilberg movies like E.T.? (I never watched it, so I'm going off of what I remember from Movie Bob's review) So wouldn't it be pretty likely that because of his feelings from the past he fumbled while trying to emulate it? I don't know, I could be wrong about that.

B: Well, if either of these movies (portal or half-life) were to be made, they would most CERTAINLY need to focus on something that barely touches the original story of the games. For portal I would like to see an Sci-fi action movie about Aperture's collapse at the hands of GlaDOS. For half-life, however, I don't know of any approach they could make.

Either way, the movies should NOT be about anything having to do with the main stories of either game. The best videogame movies always seem to be far removed from any plot in the games.

Also, on a tangentially related topic: What if the portal movie was an interactive puzzle where the entire audience had to cooperate to finish each puzzle? That would be an interesting experiment.

 

[awesomepanda]

the title of this article is rather misleading.

 

[ash12181987]

Grrrrrrr...

JJ Abrams is really starting to get on my nerves. He's making Star Wars Origins: YODA, Star Trek 2: No, I Swear we Aren't Ripping off tWoK, and now a Valve game movie? Can someone get his superior Compatriot Joss Whedon onto even One of these products before Abrams' ego attains sentience?

 

[Metalrocks]

well, it could be worse. it could be uwe boll.
but him doing either a portal movie or half life movie, that cant be good. but at least i have some small hope he will get few things right were boll screws up enormously.

 

[Farther than stars]

What are you talking about? "Portal" can't be a movie. It's not about the portals. It's about viewing the world from your own perspective and having that perspective skewered through portals. That kind of first-person connection would be completely lost on a movie, at least any non-indie movie.
Now Half-Life on the other hand... That might just become my favourite film. A Half-Life story in which I don't have to be mauled by striders and hunters together? That would be phenomenal!

 

[Wesley Brannock]

My reaction to J.J. Abrams being allowed to direct ANYTHING.


What "Hollywood " is forcing down my throat every time I want a decent video game movie

What I wish movie studios would say to J.J. Abrams if he asks to direct anything ( including traffic ).



( I don't reply to " Quotes ")

 

[Vigormortis]

That was quite an interesting key-note speech. Both Abrams and Newell gave detailed, if opposing, points of view on the matter.

As for the possibility of the two collaborating on a project, in the very least you can consider me intrigued. The prospect of a Half-Life or Portal film has me pensively excited.

However, I'm inclined to believe that it's more likely Abrams is going to collaborate on a game project instead. Given Valves inclusion of that Super 8 promo-level in Portal 2, it's apparent they've collabed previously, so Abrams wanting to come back and work on a full-fledged project isn't too much of a stretch.

Either way, I look forward to what comes of this.

Let's all enjoy the freak out, shall we.

Maestro, some music please...


In the meantime let's take a shot evertime somone makes a lens flare joke.

Dear God...are you trying to kill everyone?

Not even taking into account the inevitable hate-gasms people are going to have; either towards Abrams and his related materials or Newell and his related materials; if we take a shot at every lens flare joke, people will be dead of alcohol poisoning by page 2 or 3.

 

[Azex]

i think im going to have to revert to my 12 year old hate filled internet self on this one, and try to destroy abrahms life. Since he seems so intent on fucking with the things i love it only seems fail.

 

[Darks63]

Atm i have a migrane and the idea of Portal a game that takes place mostly in white brightly lit rooms plus JJ Abrams lens flare makes me wanna bury my head in a ice bucket.

 

[Riobux]

Ah cool, I can have an apathetically done film that has the writing quality of a generic run-of-the-mill action film like The Expendables. I've always wanted an apathetic video game film, as opposed to terrible ones.

 

[BloodRed Pixel]

first star trek, then star wars now portal or half life.

his movies or writing aren't that great

1990 Taking Care of Business
1991 Regarding Henry
1992 Forever Young
1996 The Pallbearer
1997 Gone Fishin'
1998 Armageddon
The Suburbans
2001 Joy Ride
2006 Mission: Impossible III
2008 Cloverfield
2009 Star Trek
2010 Morning Glory
2011 Super 8
Mission: Impossible ? Ghost Protocol

all mediocre movies.

WAITWAITWAIT - This guy really made a movie called MORNING GLORY ?????? REALL?????

 

[BloodRed Pixel]

DP

 

[jFr[e]ak93]

ak93]I'm sorry... what's everyone's problem? JJ isn't exactly Christopher Nolan, but really... he's not THAT bad. Star Trek wasn't nearly as bad as people seem to keep saying it is. It's probably not going to change anyone's life... but a lot of classics are like that.
As for the lens flare... meh. I don't mind it. It CAN get kinda over the top sometimes, but never rage educing.

OT - I honestly think this is a really cool idea. For Portal. Not Half-Life. Keep him away from that. But Portal? His aesthetics in Star Trek would line up with Portal perfectly.

Really Portal would make an awesome movie.

Star Wars, Star Trek, and Portal/Half-Life? One man is going to be in full control of those franchises, and that man just so happens to have not released anything incredibly noteworthy in his entire career. Doesn't that strike you as just a little bit weird?

That I do. I'm just really getting tired of the J.J hate going around. I know I likely sound like a fanboy, I'm not. I guess I'm just being uber optimistic about this.

 

[Vanbael]

Valve, WHY!? WHY!? I like your games and all but this is the worse fucking idea you have to date. It can only be beaten by Uwe Boll but that's besides the point, this is just a bad idea. The plot is nothing if not even close to cinematic, it requires interaction and that is seriously what movies are not. Just stop, let it fall by the wayside of the terrible Starwars movies to come and hopefully it will be forgotten.

 

[Revolutionary]

Good god, control over Star Trek, Star Wars, and a Valve property? No one man should have all that power.

One director to rule them all.
One director to bring them all together,
and in the lens flares bind them.​

Did you mean "and in the lens flare Blind them"?
I wish People like Abrams and Micheal Bay (I'm not saying they're equally awful) would just leave my favourite things alone.

 

[books of war 13]

Star Trek then Star wars now portal no one man should have so much POWER D: