Open Forum Friday: Is It Possible To Make A Decent Video Game Movie?
Here’s something we’ve debated ad nauseam on the Film Junk site and podcast, but with Silent Hill opening this weekend, I thought it was worth revisiting. We’ve all probably heard the stats quoted before about how the game industry is bigger than the movie industry now in terms of money, and yet games are still struggling for validation as an art form. Over the past few years we’ve seen video games and movies cannibalizing each other: games try to rip off the style and feel of movies, while movies attempt to cash in on the name recognition of game franchises. I am not so much interested in the question of whether or not games should be considered “art” (the answer seems obvious to me… after all, there is such a thing as good and bad art, though Roger Ebert tends to disagree). What I am wondering is whether or not it’s actually possible to make a good movie based on a video game. Thus far, the results have been pretty horrible, but I still maintain that it’s quite possible — like anything else it takes talent and the right choices. We haven’t seen a winning combination so far, but Silent Hill might do it, and so could Halo. The game is just a starting point for the characters and concept in a movie, but you need a strong story to back it up. (And you certainly can’t expect the game itself to have a strong or translatable story to begin with.) So… is it possible? Are there specific games out there that could make a great movie? Give us your thoughts here on Open Forum Friday.
Comments (4)
Depends who the audience is and what they expect.
I think video game movies don’t do well because the scripts aren’t written well, nor are movie’s creators enthused enough about the game itself. The end product will show that (Double Dragon, anybody?) Then again, fanboys will expect something totally different from the general audience.
The movie makers possibly look at it as a basic idea and run with their own creativity instead of the fine details associated to that game.
Granted “Tomb Raider” was alright, but I think the overall personality of the flick was non existent. Angelina Jolie was very one dimensional and spoke lines that were fed to her. Did she even play the video games? That would be a start, because video game Lara Croft was loads more seductive that live flesh and blood Jolie was. Ironic, isn’t it?
Whether it is actors or directors, if they are not into what they’re doing, then its a lost cause. Then again there is always doing a re-make.
Posted by Bassmasta-Baychuk on April 21st, 2006Super Mario Brothers the Movie was awesome!
Posted by Matt on April 22nd, 2006well i saw Silent Hill and was absolutely disappointed in it, i was hoping for something crazy, and it was nothing but shite! i am sure that one day they will make a good scary flick from a video game. PacMan anyone!
Posted by Chopper on April 24th, 2006I think the current system is backwards, why aren’t movies propelling the videogame? How much substance can a videogame provide a movie?? I think Producers see the look of a video game and they get inspired to turn that into a movie…it’s not enough for audiences anymore. I’m not taking anything away from videogames but essentially they are there to entertain and challenge yourself, not captivate you in the story which is what a good movie needs to do.
One thing that videogames STILL lack is the storyline. I’m pretty sure a movie would be the perfect intro to any video game, an intro that you wouldn’t skip in order to get to the part where you get to start playing.
This is not a unique concept all kinds of movies have the videogame released afterwards but the movie doesn’t focus on the message that will be present in the game. In many cases they release a video game as a cheap ploy to try and bring in some revenue. If a movie’s sole purpose was to propel a game I wonder what that would like ?
Posted by Carla R on October 28th, 2008Leave a Reply