Sessler's Soapbox: Why Video Game Movies Suck
Posted: January 18, 2011
Adam chimes in on the Uncharted movie controversy and explains why he thinks there will never be a good video game movie.
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Comments
Displaying 61–80 of 205
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kings_legacy
Ok so not going to go on a fan boy rant of why you dont like the things I like i.e Watchman movie,Apocalypse Now or Tolkien. You can like whatever you want and if you like Mr Jack Daniels in the middle of day thats just fine too.
WillBeasley
This soapbox was the epitome of hitting the nail on the head.
whosdavingo
While I agree with most of your points Sess, I think games wouldn't be where they are today (on a narrative level) without "inspiration" from a written medium. I think you hit the nail on the head with your comment about uncharted being inspired from Indiana Jones ect. Many a great game were inspired from some other art form, but designed for the purposes of being a game. I think Mass Effect is a great example of how Science Fiction inspired the story/concept of a great game. As well as The Dark Knight being a great example of what a comic book inspired movie is capable of being. Considering how "new" video games are, I think a good movie inspired from a video game isn't too far away.
Mattsvaliant
One important exception to what you discussed in this episode is the current incarnation of 'Batman'. In almost every medium that the current series has been expressed in was both successful and rewarding. (Comic book, Two movies, soon three, and video games).
What in your opinion sets this exception apart from the other failures?
Can other learn from this series, if so what lessons should publishers get out of this series?
Or perhaps,playing the devils advocate, maybe state why this series isn't as successful if it had stuck to one medium, or what was lost in translation between each iteration.
TheSlowFlash
When I first played Uncharted back when the PS3 first came out, I assumed that Drake was played by Nathon Fillion. Then I figured well it would be totally impossible if Drake wasn't based on Fillion. So naturally when they decide to make another stupid video game movie based on Uncharted they would cast Mark Wallberg??? WTF?!? This movie brings the games down for me personally to the point were I am embarrassed to play them. Don't get me wrong here, I do not want to see a Nathan Fillion Uncharted movie either.
saulpimpson
The problem I have with it is that the commercial success of the movie will influence future installments of the game. I believe there is a direct correlation between the decline in quality of the Tomb Raider games and the movies. Mortal Kombat peaked at MK2 right before the movie was released. One exception is Resident Evil but that does get an asterisk. Resident Evil 4 started development before the movie came out AND it was developed in Japan which is further removed from Hollywood than Santa Monica based Naughty Dog.
I think the worst case scenario is that this makes money (and how could it not) and the 2 worlds will spin closer and closer. Next we get Mark wahlbergs voice as Nathan Drake in Uncharted 4 and so forth. THIS IS OUR CONCERN.
mitchthestitch
I have to say that I respect anyone who has the balls"from watching appocolyps now?" to say tolkien sucks. I think that for everything some one likes there are an equal amount that hate it also(except ICP which is just silly". I think the first good game movie was Mortal Kombat. Ow my brain hurts from all you said I'm going to forget you hate everything I like and still like your show.
cardinalsfan1122
I have to disagree the fact that as you said Uncharted is kind of based on movies is why it could actually work. As someone already said something like Mario would never work because no offense to mario the games are great but most of them are just go save princess peach and they wouldn't really translate to a movie. But Uncharted actually has potential to make a good movie and I think thats why people are some upset about Wahlberg being casted because they actually took a game that could translate to a movie and then they but a director who has obviously never played the gamees or has no talent at picking actors cast for it.
And as a personal note I kinda like the Resident Evil movies to all you out there. Kinda just interesting to me and because they're so seperate from the games I think it doesn't effect my opinion of the games in any way.
BoydofZINJ
Adam... Adam. Calm down. Please. You scared me. Seriously. I have to agree with the J.R.R. Tolkien verbage. His style fo writing is not for everyone. He can have pages on why a hobbit has bare feet or why the elves have their own language but one a line or two about action. IT IS NOT FOR EVERYBODY. Of course, he is not a modern day writer, he was not writing for todays' audience and the big explosion mind set we need to have on every page.
With that being said, ultimately speaking, the Movie industry needs better movies. The movies nowadays are the worse. Very few movies go on my radar, because they are simply just (what I call) popcorn movies. I will see a few of them. Thor and Captain America and Transformers 3 are on my list. Only because I am a nerd.
soulst0p
What say you, Sess, of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World? - the ultimate comic book-movie-video-game hybrid? A film that was pretty great, despite being crazy esoteric. Also, no one saw it.
DavidRyuu
I agree i tried reading LOtR i was hard to picture what was going on most of the time. movies of it are better..game was ok.
Admiral_Ackbar
You know why LotR (the books) sucks. It's all the GD singing hobbits. Peter Jackson did Tolkien a real solid by taking those out and making Aragorn a badass motha!!!
Jobagel85
@1:50 I thought he was going to have a brain anerysm lmao...but I agree, many many movies based on video games destroy the depth and stories of games. You can't put 20+ hours of character development and storyline into a 2 hour movie.
dukeletoatreides
What have you to say about that statement, Sess?
dukeletoatreides
I think that the reason why gamers get so angry and sensitive about how Hollywood attempts to translate a good game into a movie is that there is the potential of doing it right. Also, I think the successful translation of a game to film format would help validate and bridge the gap between the two mediums in regards to the 'games are art' argument.
neoshadowedge
bravo adam i felt this way forever and i cant read the lord of the rings either liked those movies.
drangel_jam
He's talking like Sam Jackson. STOP YELL!
But I do agree. The Watchmen wasn't crappy though. But I do wish, they make it in episodes. The truth is that, the best in Watchmen is the narration, and I'm not sure if the director is good enough to make a great drama/suspense/thriller without bombastic action.
topgamer101
In some cases it's mostly about making the latest cash cow, to which we throw our money at. For every "The Dark Knight" there will be 10 slightly crappier versions. Though what is good/bad is in the eye of the beholder.
I certainly understand where Adam is coming from, the need to throw things that are successful in one medium into several others does have an Oroboros feel to it.
User123123
Adam,here is couple of things, modern generation don't like to read books at all, they like to watch, boys like to watch when something blowing up , girls like to watch beautifull people,romantic ,love all that bad played emotions which isn't love, if we stop going on mainstream movies in 2011 based on some comic book then there is nothing to watch in cinema ,it's never gonna heppen
nikolijobes
Saying Apocalypse Now sucks might literally be the dumbest thing Adam Sessler has ever said.
Trashing an interpretation of Literature in another medium (especially a good one) is small and speaks to a clingy enthusiasm for "The Stuff I like must stay exactly as the Stuff I like, forever and ever."
Apocalypse Now is a great movie. Heart of Darkness is a great book. They are not mutually exclusive.
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