Videogame movie adaptations

[Zhukov]

Has anyone considered that it might just have to do with the source material being plain ol' shit?

A lot of games are derivative, unoriginal, poorly executed, shallow, pap.

Make a movie that is "true to the source material" and you get... yeah, the stuff we've been getting.

"But Zhukov! I loved that game! It's my favourite ever!"

Did you perchance love it for the gameplay? Which is fine. But making it into a movie takes that out and you're just left with the shit.

I shall start having expectations when they start making movies based on games with stories that are actually good. Or even average. Then no doubt I shall be disappointed when they fail for some other reason.

[sub][sub](PS. Having the capcha tell me about IGA Supermarkets gIGAgantic sale is getting real tiresome real fast.)[/sub][/sub]

 

[BeoW0lfe]

I personally agree with most of these points, but the way to get a good movie is to get a good film-able story. My example being Far Cry 3. That was a glorious character based story that we didnt influence by playing, (sans the ending) and could easily translate to the big screen. Sure the story has a few issues, but unlike say Mass Effect, it is inherently filmable.

 

[BeoW0lfe]

I personally agree with most of these points, but the way to get a good movie is to get a good film-able story. My example being Far Cry 3. That was a glorious character based story that we didnt influence by playing, (sans the ending) and could easily translate to the big screen. Sure the story has a few issues, but unlike say Mass Effect, it is inherently filmable.

 

[FPLOON]

I'm doing all this brainstorming because I watched the Need For Speed movie this weekend and I left the theater thinking the exact same thing I had walked in with: isn't it just a racing movie with a recognizable brand name stamped on it for added appeal? I know some NFS games have actual plot, conflict and characters, but if you're going to make an NFS movie that is "based on the franchise", all you have are cars to go on. And then what? You could replace The Fast and the Furious 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 with "Need For Speed" and the claim of being based on the videogame would be just as valid.

I haven't seen NFS yet, but that was something I was thinking about the more I saw the commercials finally popping up on networks like Cartoon Network... Was this movie trying to be like an alternative F&F movie or something?

Anyway, as far as your OT question(s), I feel like adaptations (in general) need to not only respect the source material in question, but also the spirit of the source material... Sure, when anything is adapted to a movie, it has to fit within the realm of how movies are generally structured (unless the movie's independently-funded/produced), but if it lacks most of the kep points in both the lore and the spirit of the source material, it falls flat in the adaption department...

When it comes to video game adaptations (especially in movie form), there has to be some tangible connection to the game itself so that not only can the fans of the video game can connect with the movie more while those unfamiliar with the source material can be more likely to give the video game a try after watching what is basically an introduction to the game itself... I feel like the Ratchet & Clank movie and (maybe) the Sly Cooper movie might do the trick more than the video game movies that came before it...

Which reminds me, outside of Scott Pilgrim (and, I guess, War Games?), most video game-based movies are more animated than live-action, which seems to make the most sense since both mediums are technically "animated" in their own right... That's not to say all video game movies should be animated (or be more like Scott Pilgrim), but that attention to detail can make all the difference in movies like these...

Now, I feel like re-watching Summer Wars all of a sudden....

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I'm doing all this brainstorming because I watched the Need For Speed movie this weekend and I left the theater thinking the exact same thing I had walked in with: isn't it just a racing movie with a recognizable brand name stamped on it for added appeal? I know some NFS games have actual plot, conflict and characters, but if you're going to make an NFS movie that is "based on the franchise", all you have are cars to go on. And then what? You could replace The Fast and the Furious 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 with "Need For Speed" and the claim of being based on the videogame would be just as valid.

I haven't seen NFS yet, but that was something I was thinking about the more I saw the commercials finally popping up on networks like Cartoon Network... Was this movie trying to be like an alternative F&F movie or something?

It's nothing like F&F. That movie took itself more or less seriously. NFS is too whimsical for that. It's overcrowded with a cast of "funny" homies, with Jesse Pinkman in the Toretto role and no Brian to speak of. The movie is about a 2-day cross-country road trip TO THE ACTUAL RACE. And the plot forces a female sidekick into the trip, because she's supposed to take care of the car (it's a lease) and she starts off as an uptight Brit but ends up being a loony Brit and they bicker and kiss and ugh.