As you probably already know, the internet is a bit upset with David O. Russell and his casting of Mark Wahlberg as the lead in his Uncharted movie adaptation. Adam Sessler is not blind to your rage, so he decided to chime in and explain why he doesn't really care what happens with the Uncharted movie, despite his love of the video game series. So in this week's Soapbox, Adam takes on the subject of video game movies and why they always end up sucking so bad.
Warning: This episode of Soapbox contains some of Adam Sessler's explosive and controversial opinions, like Apocalypse Now is a bad movie, and J. R. R. Tolkien sucks. Proceed with caution.
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DarthPokingStick
I respect your opinion, but Tolkiens books are marvelous works of art, they are a bit tough to swallow, but they are so imaginative and rich it's worth it.
kampfer_sama
Movies are visual, as well as conveying a narrative. By stating that a film is visually appealing is some way(s), one is stating that the film is a valuable work. Movies bring live actors, dramatic/comedic timing, music and other supporting elements. This doesn't mean that they are better or more valuable, simply that the end product is inherently different and has the potential to be valuable in more varied ways.
I agree with Adam's point that making movies based on video games that were based on movies is not an appropriate way to make good movies. IMHO, the Prince of Persia movie was only as good as it was because it took more of its inspiration from other movies than it did from its video game namesake. (As an aside, I thought it was unreasonable for G4 to criticize the "tutorial" part of the movie with as much fervor as they did. I saw it with people who knew nothing about the games and it was perfectly appropriate in their eyes.) However, it should be noted that many films based on existing works are often (subjectively) superior to the original material.
In closing: Adam, chill. I don't care about Mark Wahlberg either.
freechild
Why do anything... Life is subjective. If someone wants to make a movie, let them! If someone wants to make a video game, let them! If someone wants to jump off a bridge, stop them please... Adam just relax buddy and let "ART" breathe...
slipcasedprism
"Let the Right One In" is another good example of the "bad book, good movie" thing. They made an English version called "Let Me In" but I don't know if it's any good.
smoe79
Hmmm. I'm surprised that I disagree with Mr. Sessler . First off I thought Watchmen was a great movie. It was in no way as good as the graphic novel but did a great job of getting the feeling of the novel into movie form. The reason there is this need to make different forms of arts into the cinematic group is to get more people to know about the property since movies are more popular then say video games and comics. Now he is right that they usually don't translate well. But when translated well, say like to an extent Watchmen,Lord of the Rings, Scott Pilgrim, or like AMC's Walking Dead they get the word out about their art. If we take adaptations as more of an invitation to check out the original form of the art then i think things would work out a bit better. From what I have noticed, adaptations with out love of the original usually suck. But if the adaptation is made with love then it becomes something everyone can enjoy.
DigiHawk
I agree, I mean, come on, The only ppl who enjoy movies based on video games, are the same ones who dont play the games, those are the same ppl who only watch other ppl play. It takes away the experiance of playing or being in the game....bottom line... I would rather play the game for myself, than watch someone else's experience or interpitation of the same game.
yourbigpalal83
Hes right. MOST video game movies would end up sucking because, your taking an INTERACTIVE MEDIA and subtracting the INTERACTIVE part of it, deluding half of the product.
Yes, some video game movies would be great as long as they got a very strong narrative, but most would end up sucking based on the fact that by the nature of adapting a game into a movie, your deluding its core value of interactivity.
See, i think the real main issue is this, some stories work a hell of a lot better in the proper format. What makes a great comic doesnt mean it will make a good movie. Lots of producers read comics like there film storyboards. Some sequences might make amazing set pieces, but if the narrative doesnt support it, then you got just expensive eye candy with no depth or emotion.
the key to any sucessful media story is LEARN TO TELL AN ENGAGING STORY THEN LEARN WHAT FORMAT FITS IT BEST.
firestorm713
Agreed about Tolkein. Disagreed about basically everything else. Especially comic book movies. Some suck, some are awesome(Nolan's Batman). Marvel's civil war storyline makes a lot better video game than it did a comic, and all of the crises would work better as video games. While I hate the stream of endless adaptations, reboots, and sequels, I see their merit. Franchises are often what keeps the industry alive.
liarsthieves
It would be like DOOM but Better
liarsthieves
wait wait it is 4 word sorry :(
liarsthieves
dang it 3 words
liarsthieves
I got one word for U DUKE NUKEM THE MOVIE well 4 words.
smbndt
And I thought I was the only one who does NERD-RANTS..... lol
vulgora
whens my monopoly movie coming?!
Halapino9000
The movie industry and game industry both have the same fatal flaw. The lack of originality. And to borrow your metaphor, we vote for that unoriginality. We purchase the same FPS iteration, just like we purchase a ticket to another comic book based movie.
However, I think one could possibly make a great movie adaptation if you set it within the universe of the characters, but create a new, original storyline. That's why the Dark Knight has worked so well.
Originality and risk is what's needed in both industries.
rafaelloaa
LoTR IS WONDERFUL. END OF STORY
TheRighteousFascist
I think Apocalypse Now is one of the greatest films ever made, but I agree with you on most of your rant.
Seildor
i laughed when you mentioned the lord of the rings movies because i completely agree there. i think that in some cases, however rare they might be, some art can translate to another media form in a good way. (ex: the dark knight)
Tovarish-Adun
We are a part of the problem we sit here and demand that our favorite characters get their time on the silver screen and then complain about the fact that they never meet our wildly disproportionate expectations. We then turn around and shun new ideas because they do not offer the same comfort and familiarity as the X-Men, the Avengers, or even Max Payne. As for the Tolkien comments i say i enjoyed the Hobbit very much because this book while it was still based on a Hobbit was a true adventure tale that created a rich fantasy world that continues to inspire to this day as for the the Lord of the Ring series it was long and drawn out to the point that it lacked any focus most of the time. Also on a side note, Adam I'm very impressed, it takes huge balls to post a video like this, good work sir.
j-ray-j-ray
ok, so i just watched this and Apocalypse Now was a very good anti war movie. It acknowledged Hearts of Darkness as much as it could Adam. You cant declare it was a bad movie, you can declare the Last Temptation of Christ was sacreligioust but that was the gold standard of filmaking. I like you, your funny but just keep those comments to yourself. Just Joking! Good movie though! Bought it on Blu Ray, later crazy adam! (:
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