Can Video Game Movies Get An Extra Life?

It sounds so easy on paper. Take a successful creative work that already has a large following and put it on the big screen, what could possibly go wrong? A lot it seems, as it can be rather difficult to find any game film released that has been received positively, and with the recent travesty released being in the form of Pixels there seems to be no hope in sight. But don’t lose hope just yet. There may be light at the end of the tunnel with some recent team ups announced between stellar source material and respected members of Hollywood. But will it be enough?

What’s the Story?

The frustrating thing is that video games are rife with potential film material. Imagine watching Tom Cruise pilot the Normandy from Mass Effect or Scarlett Johansson shooting it up in a Perfect Dark Zero adaptation. I’d even take Nicholas Cage roaming the water logged halls of Rapture from Bioshock, he’s certainly crazy enough. What gets in the way of translating a fun, awe-inspiring journey on a game system into a fun, awe inspiring journey on the big screen? The problem is multi-layered, but primarily, movies cannot simulate interactivity at even a remote level. Obviously, video games simulate interactivity very well and the ability to connect with the character on screen is much easier because you are controlling said character. Some games have more interactivity than others, but at the very least the player controls how the character on screen moves and interacts.

The latest legitimate try of note was talented director Mike Newell’s Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, attached to big time producer Jerry Bruckheimer. The money was there, Oscar winning Sir Ben Kingsley and BAFTA Award winner Jake Gyllenhaal were there, the only thing missing was a great movie. What happened? Unfortunately, the film followed its source material a little too closely and played out a great deal similar to a video game. We have an opening level introducing the protagonist and his abilities. We are shown a mission to rescue an attractive princess (played by Gemma Arterton), and the mission is finally concluded by a flashy boss battle against a powerful villain. Computer created environments that would look stunning in a game are made campy when being shown next to real locations. The game world and the real world simply have not been able to mix well when the movie takes the first step into CGI. That being said, Prince of Persia was one of the most successful video game films of all time, which shows a hope for a brighter future for the genre.

How To Make It Better

On the other hand, games have been able to pull from some fantastic cinematic experiences, like GTA 5 pulling a house down with a truck just like in Lethal Weapon 2. Most notable of well-executed cinematic gaming is game developer Naughty Dog’s Uncharted series. Actors are suited with Avatar style motion capture technology to give realistic physical performances and the events that transpire are enjoyably tense. When playing the game, you play a hero with a gun who has the added talent of being able to climb up any wall with ease, which would look fantastic on a live set with a non-animated actors, and has even been done successfully in the past.

Just look at any of the Indiana Jones or Bourne Identity films. Both series have moments that could easily be found in a game like dungeon crawling, cover based shooting, and doing parkour on exotic locations. The only differences were that the plot material did not come from a video game, and more importantly the films were taken seriously. Just because the story comes from a source that is outlandish does not mean the film needs to follow suit. Look at Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy. He made a man that wears a rubber thong to fight crime look serious and frightening in a dark, brooding city. The use of more practical effects and a more realistic adaptation on story would do wonders for the genre.

The largest problem is that gamers hope to be immersed in the movie as much as they are in the game, and any film will have a very difficult time achieving that. Until recently, the visual effects needed to create some of these spectacular fantastical worlds was out of reach. Gamers would be displeased in the game being graphically underrepresented and non-gamers would simply see a poorly animated film. On that note, film has the added challenge of pleasing non-gamers while still being faithful enough to the source material of the game to please hardcore gaming fans. It’s a daunting task and one that has failed so often that most moviemakers are too scared to try.

Time For A Respawn

Back to that light at the end of the tunnel. Recently there have been announcements regarding adaptations for Assassin’s Creed starring Michael Fassbender, Splinter Cell starring Tom Hardy, and Warcraft which is still casting but has Moon director Duncan Jones committed. Agent 47, based on the popular Hitman franchise, is set to release August 21^st this year, starring Rupert Friend and Heroes alum Zachary Quinto. These enormously engaging stories paired with proven film talent have all of the potential in the world to make the first awesome video game adaptation movie since 1995’s Mortal Kombat. All we need is the creative talent to pull off a character that many are already familiar with, the money to create a convincing game world, and a creative director who is open to using already existing material but has the ability to put their own personal spin on it as well.

The genre has had a rough start but it only takes one to clear the path for more success. The future is looking brighter than gaming movie’s past and hopefully the industry has learned from the debacles of Pixels and Super Mario Brothers. Time will tell but the industry is well past due for an extra life.

Do you think the video game movie industry has a shot at being successful? Let me know in the comments!

(top image: Splinter Cell – source: Ubisoft)