How well would Psychonauts work as a movie or TV show?

jamail77

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Ever since Yahtzee did a review of this game, I've wondered this. I bought it immediately on his suggestion...well, not immediately. More like as soon as it was on sale. Definitely among 1 of my favorite games now. I agree with Yahtzee in that it's kind of like a Tim Burton/Willy Wonka thing. It's wacky and I think would be a big hit if adapted right and marketed properly.

I know that video games work best as interactive media and that adapting them takes part of the point away, but if we're going to get adaptions anyway might as well be the cult game that didn't do as financially well as it should have at the time of its release. What do you Escapers think? Could it work? What other games do you think would work well if adapted into a passive media form?

*Insert obligatory "Where is Psychonauts 2?" demand*
 

Itdoesthatsometimes

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I think it could work as an animated movie, the story would have to be condensed. They would have probably do some levels as a escape montage all with in the head of one character, instead of one level per character like the game. Probably do the godzilla fish level as a stinger during the credits.

Real life actors versus animated might be interesting. It would be really tricky to get right though. An animated movie would just be a safer bet.

While you could stretch it out over a tv series, and do one level one character. I think the tone of the humor would suffer from such a stretch. That being said I could watch a lot of the Milkman conspiracy with out tiring of it. Though it is not vary practical for spending so much time with it in a movie. Unless you broke it up into segments where there is something going on with other characters outside of that level/scene. I do not think other levels/scenes would hold up so well if the audience was switching back and forth from real world to head world.

As far as it being a good idea. it would have to coincide with a remake/reboot. So the assets can be reused for the game and movie cutting costs and maximizing profits.
 

Mistressego

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Using just the plot of the game, it would probably make a decent movie. If you used the characters and that world and expanded on it, you could do T.V show... but a movie would be safer.
 

Keoul

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Heh I think I'm the only one here that thinks a TV series would be a good idea.
The main reason I'd want a TV series instead of a movie is because a TV series give you more time, and we all know people love it when it's similar to the source material. If it was a movie I'm afraid it would be condensed too much, cutting things out of the story seems kinda against the whole spirit of Psychonauts considering how in depth that game was what with so many intractables.
 

Itdoesthatsometimes

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Welcome Sarah Marshall-Switcher, I hope that is not your real name.

Keoul-The story would almost certainly be different than an exact account of a game as a movie. But the same will happen as a tv series. I am more afraid of corny pop reference jokes, in a Psychonauts tv series than an adjustment in how the story plays out. I will concede that the movie will have those jokes, as well, but three of them from the comic relief-one from the girl, and one from the cool guy in 30 minutes with commercial breaks. I would rather not see Psychonauts played out that way.
 

jamail77

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Keoul said:
Heh I think I'm the only one that thinks a TV series would be a good idea.
Hmm, your post makes me wonder if I should have added a poll to see the % that thinks a movie would work better and the % that thinks a TV series would be better. I don't think you're alone though. The other 2 responses pointed out how a TV show would be better, but a movie would be safer. It's about profitability from their perspective rather than quality. Not speaking for them, just how I interpreted their posts.
 

jamail77

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Itdoesthatsometimes said:
Welcome Sarah Marshall-Switcher, I hope that is not your real name.
I take it you don't like the movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall? Otherwise, I don't get it.
 

Keoul

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Itdoesthatsometimes said:
Keoul-The story would almost certainly be different than an exact account of a game as a movie. But the same will happen as a tv series. I am more afraid of corny pop reference jokes, in a Psychonauts tv series than an adjustment in how the story plays out. I will concede that the movie will have those jokes, as well, but three of them from the comic relief-one from the girl, and one from the cool guy in 30 minutes with commercial breaks. I would rather not see Psychonauts played out that way.
I guess it being a little different is inevitable but at least there won't be time constraints so they have tome to spread it out instead of cutting out parts of the show. As for corny pop reference jokes I feel that's up to the director/writers so you're right, the movies might have em as well.

As for commercial breaks they could just air it online like Legend of Korra or Bravest Warriors.

jamail77 said:
Hmm, your post makes me wonder if I should have added a poll to see the % that thinks a movie would work better and the % that thinks a TV series would be better. I don't think you're alone though. The other 2 responses pointed out how a TV show would be better, but a movie would be safer. It's about profitability from their perspective rather than quality. Not speaking for them, just how I interpreted their posts.
Yeah I was kinda expecting a poll haha.
I dunno about profitability though considering last I heard movie theaters weren't doing that well. I think there was a article a while back on the escapist about how they're trying to have some "deluxe" screenings with really comfy chairs to lure in customers or something.
 

Itdoesthatsometimes

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jamail77 said:
Itdoesthatsometimes said:
Welcome Sarah Marshall-Switcher, I hope that is not your real name.
I take it you don't like the movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall? Otherwise, I don't get it.
The hyphen switcher part made me think it could possibly be a real name. I did not goggle it, because I did not want to feel like a stalker. Which is why I was hoping it was not a real name. Plus having the name that goes hand in hand with a movie is not very fun.

RANT-No, you or any of the hundreds of other people who have said it, are not my father.

Anyway, I am glad you responded I just wanted to say, I do not think a tv show would be better. I kind of fear it would be way worse, quality wise and profitability wise. Perhaps more accurate to the story, but that does not necessarily equate better.

Off on a wild limb, I think Tim Schafer seems like the type that would like to see what another autor puts in to Schafer's creation, rather than a mark by mark adaptation.
 

Itdoesthatsometimes

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crap, why did it double post. Sorry. I will add a picture of a kitten or something later.

Edit: Thanks for quoting me Keoul, now I can just address it here in this handy little double post spot I blew. No more picture of kitten, and not quite as embarrassing.

keoul said:
I guess it being a little different is inevitable but at least there won't be time constraints so they have tome to spread it out instead of cutting out parts of the show. As for corny pop reference jokes I feel that's up to the director/writers so you're right, the movies might have em as well.

As for commercial breaks they could just air it online like Legend of Korra or Bravest Warriors.
Should in to be hand drawn like a cartoon, real life actors, or computer graphics. I am not sure if I was unclear, but when I suggested an animated movie I meant computer graphics. When I think of animation, now, my mind kind of leaps over hand drawn animation or any other kind, it goes straight to CGI.
 

jamail77

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Itdoesthatsometimes said:
Off on a wild limb, I think Tim Schafer seems like the type that would like to see what another autor puts in to Schafer's creation, rather than a mark by mark adaptation.
Now that you mention that I think there is some potential in an origin story to Lili, or a solo story about Lili saving the existence of psychics from anti-psychics, or something. I just liked Lili: I thought she was a cool character. Though, without preexisting material such a movie or TV show would not make sense to the audience as they wouldn't know anything about the world of Psychonauts. People would rate it poorly for just going straight into Lili doing psychic stuff without explaining how she has psychic powers or what the heck a "Psychonaut" even is. Nonetheless, if a new contributor to that game's universe were to contribute something new that is an idea of where to go.
 

Artina89

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I would personally like to see it as a TV series, but I would only want it to be one series, unless Tim Schafer was on the directing/production staff, or was the primary writer. I prefer TV shows with a definitive beginning and end, I don't like it when things are ran into the ground. I actually could imagine Psychonauts being something similar to Gregory's horror show.
 

Vern5

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After playing it all the way through, I can only see it working as an Episodic TV series. Each of the minds that Raz entered had such different style and tone that having more than one of them in one movie would put the plot all over the place. Cutting up each mind into it's own episode is much neater in terms of plot control and makes every episode a unique experience tied together by Raz's involvement.
 

Mistressego

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LOL. Yeah, it's my real name. I signed up through Facebook and hadn't bothered to change it. I, frankly, like the fact that there's a movie with my name in it.

I would prefer a T.V show myself, just because it would leave room to explore more than just the plot of the game. I feel like a movie would be safer because it would basically just be a direct adaptation.

Animation 100 percent. Live action would just be too weird and distracting, since the characters have such dramatic appearances. CGI would be fine for a movie... for a T.V show they could do regular animation and it might be kind of neat. For some reason CGI TV shows always look weird to me.