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Why Can't Hollywood Make a Good Video Game Movie?

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Re: Why Can't Hollywood Make a Good Video Game Movie?

#121

Post by throwaway080383 »

baby wrote: post #88
dfxm12 wrote: post #26

Mostly because videogame plot lines aren't as good as we give them credit for. Videogames are great at being interactive diversions, but their stories leave a lot to be desired and are really just thin background dressing for the real reason we play videogames: for the gameplay. The most successful videogame movies tend towards genre films like Mortal Kombat (the film) and Resident Evil (the series). Of course, let's…

> Mostly because videogame plot lines aren't as good as we give them credit for Same with movies, books, comics, ... but the top is good. The Last Of Us ffs...

TLOU is basically a movie. I played a few hours and got bored because it felt like I was watching mainly cutscenes with gameplay interspersed. Interesting movie, just not a great game.

Re: Why Can't Hollywood Make a Good Video Game Movie?

#122

Post by mitchty »

coldtea wrote: post #69
RulingWalnut wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are ~~absolutely~~ fantastic stories in video games. There are plenty of games that you play for the story and the gameplay is just meh.

Such as? Besides adventures games Infocom or Sierra style and their descendants...

The first Mass Effect honestly felt like playing through an interactive movie for me.

How well it would do as a movie is beyond me but it couldn't be any worse plot wise than that terrible Valerian and the whatever 1000 movie that got released last year.

Re: Why Can't Hollywood Make a Good Video Game Movie?

#124

Post by berbec »

jandrese wrote: post #106
gknoy wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I re-watched it a few months back; it was still enjoyable overall. I agree that it didn't match up to nostalgia, but it wasn't as bad as one might fear. The overt sexism (and threats) towards Sonya are pretty upsetting. I'd forgotten about that, and as a teenager I wrote it off as "well I guess he's just a Bad Guy". As an adult (and parent) now, I really feel like that kind of messaging is pretty toxic and unnecessar…

Isn't Johnny Cage just relabeled Bruce Lee?

That's Lu Kang

Re: Why Can't Hollywood Make a Good Video Game Movie?

#125

Post by berbec »

jandrese wrote: post #106
gknoy wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I re-watched it a few months back; it was still enjoyable overall. I agree that it didn't match up to nostalgia, but it wasn't as bad as one might fear. The overt sexism (and threats) towards Sonya are pretty upsetting. I'd forgotten about that, and as a teenager I wrote it off as "well I guess he's just a Bad Guy". As an adult (and parent) now, I really feel like that kind of messaging is pretty toxic and unnecessar…

Isn't Johnny Cage just relabeled Bruce Lee?

Cage is JCVD

Re: Why Can't Hollywood Make a Good Video Game Movie?

#126

Post by distantsounds »

coldtea wrote: post #69
RulingWalnut wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are ~~absolutely~~ fantastic stories in video games. There are plenty of games that you play for the story and the gameplay is just meh.

Such as? Besides adventures games Infocom or Sierra style and their descendants...

Firewatch has an amazing story.

Re: Why Can't Hollywood Make a Good Video Game Movie?

#128

Post by watwut »

CodeMage wrote: post #90
dfxm12 wrote: post #26

Mostly because videogame plot lines aren't as good as we give them credit for. Videogames are great at being interactive diversions, but their stories leave a lot to be desired and are really just thin background dressing for the real reason we play videogames: for the gameplay. The most successful videogame movies tend towards genre films like Mortal Kombat (the film) and Resident Evil (the series). Of course, let's…

I think that's close to the mark, but not quite there. To quote Sid Meier, "A game is a series of interesting choices." It's hard to make a good game with a great plot: the better the plot, the more you restrict the player's choices. It's not impossible, but it's hard. Plenty of games have great characters and excellent world-building. Quite a few pose interesting questions, make you face hard dilemmas and leave you…

There are plenty of good games that dont give all that much choice to player. Which is why I dont like the "A game is a series of interesting choices." framing. It is true only if you limit definition of games to rpgs or strain definition of "choice" to pretty much anything.

Whether games have great characters is of course subjective, but I have to say that I did not seen them. The best ones tend to be comparable with average book character. (Which is ok, I don't play games for writing, I play them for playing.)

Re: Why Can't Hollywood Make a Good Video Game Movie?

#130

Post by mcphage »

ken wrote: post #45
larrik wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I thought it was better than than the trailers made it look like it would be. It's probably better without the game, though since, it simultaneously makes no sense within the game's universe and yet leads right into the beginning of the game version of Sands of Time.

I've never played the game or seen the movie, but the trailer looks pretty bad to me. If I were making a movie about that subject (and maybe this will make it clear why I'm not a producer), I'd go for more of an "Adaptation" style film. Viewers can't control time? Play it up, by (visually) admitting that the game powers like "rewind" are done on film through multiple takes, and stunt men, and editing. That's how you…

I don't know if that would make a good movie, but it is a really interesting idea...
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