I say the following as an avid enthusiast and watcher of science fiction?
The Mass Effect universe has the potential to make for an extremely good and profitable franchise. I think that this is the summary of my following exposition as it is the point I constantly return to.
I would like to start with a few of the comments I?ve read on the post here. Firstly, for all those who complain about the movie due to the fact that it destroys the personal choice of how the story unfolds, the RPG experience etc. and how this would ruin the movie?nobody cares. For it would do so only for you. The people making this movie are not going to, and should not, worry about what the (I think optimistically) 5 million people who bought the game thinks. They are not, and they should not be, planning on making their profit of off you (the gamers) whilst there is a much larger, already established science fiction fan-base or simply an already much larger and established movie-going population. In connection with this: it?s the same old book VS movie-based-on-book argument. They are two completely different mediums through which to tell a story and subsequently there will be differences because everything simply does not translate both ways ? so stop complaining that it wasn?t like the book.
Secondly, you can not and should not try to make a single, 2 hour movie from the first game. Sheppard can not save the entire galaxy the first time round. The fictional world is too big, there is too much information for audiences to pick up in a single dose. I was playing Mass Effect 1 recently and realized that, if done and written correctly, then up until the point where Sheppard gets the Normandy will be a good first film. This will give more than a good enough introduction to the world and set the scene for the following movies. This of course brings me essentially to my main point:
The Mass Effect universe is extremely large, complex, deep, and well fleshed out. As such it would make for a good science fiction franchise - franchise being the operative word here. Lets face it, the only 2 major franchises we have is that of Star Wars or Star Trek. I am a fan of both but something new in the science fiction department would really be welcomed. Furthermore, Mass Effect fills a niche which I think neither Star Wars or Star Trek does. You have your space opera Star Wars on the one hand (the more action and special effects driven sometimes) that mostly draws a younger crowd and on the other your more intellectual, sophisticated, plot-driven Star Trek that mostly draws an older crowd. I know that I am extremely simplifying things but I would not be the first to do so between these two. Furthermore, both Star Wars and Star Trek however lean more towards the ?fantasy sci-fi? ? if I can phrase it like that. Technology is so far ahead of us that it is to some extent magical and mystical in that it can do everything ? in Star Wars it is never explained and in Star Trek it is essentially ?techno babble?. In essence, the science fiction aspect there of is to some extent far removed from us.
Mass Effect however presents both an action orientated universe as well as the possibility of an intellectual and smartly written one. Furthermore, I think it gives us a science fiction universe that is more immanent, more tangible, more real, and more easily understandable (and therefore able to connect to) then either Star Wars or Star Trek does.
With the current upswing in science fiction interest within the movie industry (Google a bit) I think that Mass Effect, if done properly, could become an incredibly good science fiction franchise. A franchise that can bring at just the right time something fresh into the mix and probably rake in the growing interest. A franchise that could give the rebooted Star Trek franchise a serious run for its money.
I really do hope that the people who are working with this realize this and are not so short-sighted that they treat Mass Effect as a quick buck to be made but that they see the potential franchise that lies behind it.
The Mass Effect universe has the potential to make for an extremely good and profitable franchise. I think that this is the summary of my following exposition as it is the point I constantly return to.
I would like to start with a few of the comments I?ve read on the post here. Firstly, for all those who complain about the movie due to the fact that it destroys the personal choice of how the story unfolds, the RPG experience etc. and how this would ruin the movie?nobody cares. For it would do so only for you. The people making this movie are not going to, and should not, worry about what the (I think optimistically) 5 million people who bought the game thinks. They are not, and they should not be, planning on making their profit of off you (the gamers) whilst there is a much larger, already established science fiction fan-base or simply an already much larger and established movie-going population. In connection with this: it?s the same old book VS movie-based-on-book argument. They are two completely different mediums through which to tell a story and subsequently there will be differences because everything simply does not translate both ways ? so stop complaining that it wasn?t like the book.
Secondly, you can not and should not try to make a single, 2 hour movie from the first game. Sheppard can not save the entire galaxy the first time round. The fictional world is too big, there is too much information for audiences to pick up in a single dose. I was playing Mass Effect 1 recently and realized that, if done and written correctly, then up until the point where Sheppard gets the Normandy will be a good first film. This will give more than a good enough introduction to the world and set the scene for the following movies. This of course brings me essentially to my main point:
The Mass Effect universe is extremely large, complex, deep, and well fleshed out. As such it would make for a good science fiction franchise - franchise being the operative word here. Lets face it, the only 2 major franchises we have is that of Star Wars or Star Trek. I am a fan of both but something new in the science fiction department would really be welcomed. Furthermore, Mass Effect fills a niche which I think neither Star Wars or Star Trek does. You have your space opera Star Wars on the one hand (the more action and special effects driven sometimes) that mostly draws a younger crowd and on the other your more intellectual, sophisticated, plot-driven Star Trek that mostly draws an older crowd. I know that I am extremely simplifying things but I would not be the first to do so between these two. Furthermore, both Star Wars and Star Trek however lean more towards the ?fantasy sci-fi? ? if I can phrase it like that. Technology is so far ahead of us that it is to some extent magical and mystical in that it can do everything ? in Star Wars it is never explained and in Star Trek it is essentially ?techno babble?. In essence, the science fiction aspect there of is to some extent far removed from us.
Mass Effect however presents both an action orientated universe as well as the possibility of an intellectual and smartly written one. Furthermore, I think it gives us a science fiction universe that is more immanent, more tangible, more real, and more easily understandable (and therefore able to connect to) then either Star Wars or Star Trek does.
With the current upswing in science fiction interest within the movie industry (Google a bit) I think that Mass Effect, if done properly, could become an incredibly good science fiction franchise. A franchise that can bring at just the right time something fresh into the mix and probably rake in the growing interest. A franchise that could give the rebooted Star Trek franchise a serious run for its money.
I really do hope that the people who are working with this realize this and are not so short-sighted that they treat Mass Effect as a quick buck to be made but that they see the potential franchise that lies behind it.
