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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?

#141

So many video game movie projects are missing the simple question, "why?" So many of these games are inspired by movies in the first place, and their stories are mostly just cliches based on their source material. It's fine in the context of the game, because the player is doing something, but when you put that into a non-interactive medium, the flaws become obvious. If you take Indiana Jones, turn it into a game wit…

Mortal Kombat was not a bad movie if you ask me.

All of Paul W.S. Anderson video-game movies are entertaining AF. Mortal Kombat, Resident Evil, Alien vs Predator. ALL well crafted & inspired movies. They're not going to win Cannes Palm d'Or, but they will hit the spot.

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

#142
post #69

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...

Supergiant Games in general have quite a nice, concise story. Bastion in particular still sticks out.

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

#144
post #25

The 2016 Warcraft movie doesn't count? It got a 77% audience score, and a 27% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, grossed almost half a billion, and is the highest grossing video game movie of all time[1]. I watched it out of a sheer morbid curiosity, and haven't played any Warcraft title newer than II: Tides of Darkness. I thought the movie was crap. But maybe I and critics just aren't the audience for these movies. Se…

It is a cliche to say this, but the movie really was made for fans and not for the general "Normie" audience. They would just name drop locations and people, expecting you to know what they were. It was just mostly a fan service, "here is your movie, loyal fans!" types. It still wasn't "great" even if you were a fan, but I can't imagine how bad a lot of it would have come off as if you didn't follow things pretty clo…

I'm a fan of the game and even with strenuous efforts to score every possible nostalgia point it was terrible.

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

#145
You can probably make a pretty good movie adaptation of Bioshock. It's setting, music, world and character designs, even it's action would translate quite nicely. But can you keep it's "would you kindly" aspect without it sticking out right away? And would it be worth it making a movie without it?

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

#147
post #69

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...

I would say that the looking glass games (thief, systemshock, etc), and the games that they inspired are a good place to start (deus ex and its sequels, the bioshock games, everything by Arkane right now [Prey is great]). The witcher games are incredibly rich, but since they do have books as source material I don't know if I would include them as much. I always thought the Psychonauts story and writing was great and an example of something that didn't have to be gritty, dark and dramatic.

I think games with the best stories often allow a lot of freedom to the player and just like in books, we all put some piece of ourselves into the protagonist. No movie will ever quite do justice to the character take part in creating. Add to that the fact that a lot of great story based games allow for choices that reflect our version of the character and it becomes impossible to have one vision that encompasses all of that.

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

#149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mortal Kombat was not a bad movie if you ask me.

Mortal Kombat wasn't amazing but it's definitely watchable. The sequel, on the other hand...

I preferred the TeeVee show that was on after WCW Monday Nitro >_> No just kidding it sucked worse than anything.

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

#150
If they pick a game worthy of making it into a movie, that would be a good start.

Halo would have made a great movie but MS messed that one up and the guy they hired went on to make District 9.

There are plenty of games worthy of movie treatments. Dark Souls, SkyRim, Zelda, Mass Effect, Ico, Last Guardian, just to name a few.

If you start with Rampage or Mortal Kombat than you end up with equally shallow movies. There just isn't enough 'story' to make it worthwhile.

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