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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?

#321

Post by storafrid »

larrik wrote: post #10

It's funny that Assassin's Creed was mentioned as being too close to the game, but I thought it managed to miss most of the major points of the game series (which wasn't super complicated to begin with). I mean, it doesn't even succeed at convincing the audience they should root for the Assassins instead of the Templars. It's like they assumed everyone who was watching who didn't already know the story would be too s…

I felt there was so much potential for that movie! The plot in e.g. AC2 is intricate. It's easy to stand on the sideline of course — I understand that this stuff is really hard to get right. It obviously is. But in my opinion, an actually great movie, movie series or series based on the plot lines in AC is still a good idea.

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

#322

Post by sametmax »

Lewton wrote: post #320
sametmax wrote: post #314

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honestly I really wanted to love Fallout 3. I was so excited when it was out, and I tried very hard to get into the game. But it was so shallow compared to the originals. And so short. It's also possible that once you consumed a lot of excellent products you become picky. We are living on a creative golden age after all. And it's hard to come out with something new, so much have been done. Plenty of things are probab…

Did you ever play New Vegas? It got a lot closer to the magic of fallout 1+2

Nope, but I've been told the same about to many things I have a hard time believing advices on modern games now.

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

#323

Post by 1011_1101 »

Storywise I think a lot games would make a good source for good movies. My personal problems with the ones we're getting is, that they are so similar to the original that they are basically just remakes.

Take the recent Tomb Raider movie, after I've seen the trailer I had no desire at all to go watch it. Why would I watch something that I've experienced for over 20 hours in depth and on my own pace already. I don't know, maybe a lot of people got excited when they saw her with the plane: "Hey, look, it's exactly like the game!" For me it was just boring.

Instead focus on a character that isn't the main one in video games, use the setting etc. F.e. as a Dark Souls fan I would love for a movie to add some backstory for Solaire. Scrap any stupid references to the game like putting a white sign on the ground to summon somebody, instead just let Solaire meet another traveller (at a bonfire ;D) or anybody dying and then respawning. There you have it: (A already beloved character, ) a man of faith looking for divinity (or whatever) while travelling to faraway lands (supernatural or not) is confronted with the unbearable evils of this world to have a crisis of faith which he either overcomes or goes mad over.

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

#324

Post by ionised »

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.

I wouldn't agree with that. Sure, AAA-level blockbuster video games have simplistic, unoriginal and derivative stories and that's what most gamers play unfortunately, but there well-written games are definitely out there.

Knights of the Old Republic 1 and 2 were both better written than any Star Wars movie by a long stretch.

Planescape: Torment is probably the best written game I've ever played, and playing it almost feels like you're reading a novel at times because the world-building and especially the dialogue is so fleshed-out and thoughtful. This game takes a huge dump over the writing in most movies I've seen.

I mean, that's just two examples. I'm a huge sucker for games with a great story regardless of the genre, but genre is a limiting factor in well-written stories.

You generally don't get much of a story in an RTS for example. You are most certainly never going to get a good story from a beat-em up like Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter.

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

#326

Post by croon »

Bluestrike2 wrote: post #259
sirmarksalot wrote: post #44

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…

What's really interesting is that there are a number of video game franchises with nuanced backstories that have spawned successful and surprisingly well-written novels. So it's definitely possible to take a video game and turn it into a book. And there are plenty of books that get turned into excellent movies or TV shows (of course, there are plenty that get turned into bad ones, FWIW). Books like Eric Nylund's Halo…

Most comments here just seem to generally crap on all video game movies to date (correct) and surmise that it's a losing concept (wrong).

Movies afraid to deviate away from source material I don't think applies to the problem. I've probably seen most video game movies (even the cringe-worthy Uwe Boll ones) and I'd say the overwhelming problem is no one on set even bothering to look at the source material, or understanding what they're trying to do.

Someone mentioned Edge of Tomorrow, which never was a game. It was based on a very light-sci-fi japanese novel, in turn inspired by a player's forum account of restarting a game over and over in order to incrementally learn enough to finish it.

But it doesn't really matter whether Edge of Tomorrow was or was not based on a video game. The fact that it works as a movie and you can think about it in terms of a video game proves that there's no issue with making a video game movie.

The problem with Hollywood sometimes or often putting out crap is a Hollywood problem, not a medium or genre problem.

Think of a movie you thought had all potential to be good, but turned out bad, and then google the backstory on its production. I'll put $10 on saying that it most likely suffered from "too many chefs"/creation by committee, and focus-grouping it to death, instead of trusting the vision of the creator(s), whether that be screenwriter, director or other.

This is obviously subjective, but why is the best Marvel movies Guardians of the Galaxy, Ant-Man, Deadpool and Logan?

For example, James Mangold did both The Wolverine and Logan, what changed between them?

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

#327

Post by ionised »

tootie wrote: post #206
shwetank wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disagree. You have games like The Last of Us, The Uncharted Series, Yakuza 0, and even the latest Wolfenstein game having very well made and engaging stories which I think can translate well on film.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

Absolutely. Better written than any of the movies.

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

#328

Post by skocznymroczny »

bananarepdev wrote: post #251
jitix wrote: post #233

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think Mass Effect trilogy is fairly original and does away with a lot of the space sci-fi cliches like humans being the ruling class of the galaxy, or all species having a united voice, etc. I’d love to see it made into a movie.

When i think about Mass Effect, what comes to mind are these long sequences in the Citadel where you do nothing more than talk, learning about the biology, technology qnd geopolitics of the game's universe. I don't think this kind of content would fit a blockbuster movie, and without it what remains is a bunch of space marines shooting aliens.

I view Mass Effect as KOTOR without a Star Wars license. It has always felt to me like Bioware wanted a parallel universe to a popular universe, one they could have creative control over. Kind of like Warcraft was basically Warhammer without license and Starcraft feels in many ways similar to WH40k.

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

#329

Post by Lewton »

sametmax wrote: post #322
Lewton wrote: post #320

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you ever play New Vegas? It got a lot closer to the magic of fallout 1+2

Nope, but I've been told the same about to many things I have a hard time believing advices on modern games now.

Well, New Vegas had a few people from the original fallout working on it afaik. And it's made by Obsidian, who made the excellent Pillars of Eternity which you already praised :)

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

#330

Post by jsgo »

humanrebar wrote: post #82
mwexler wrote: post #65

Actually, in some ways, Hardcore Henry ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3072482/ ) was a great video game movie. It has lots of problems, but it captures both the feel of a video game with the power of film. While not based on a specific game, it's easy to see many gaming cliches (intentionally) in the film.

I'd say Scott Pilgrim, Jumanji, and Edge of Tomorrow are better video game movies in that sense.

I'm guessing Jumanji is the Welcome to the Jungle one, and if so, I completely agree. I was thinking about it in the theater that it may be the best video game movie and it isn't even about a video game property (except a made up one).
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