Up2You: VG Movies

[Spidey Revivey]

Up2You: Video Game Movies

I'm going to start a series here on WZ and see how it pans out. It will revolve around what you as a consumer would do with today's product; whether it be in movies, television, etc.

As stated as the topic, this one will be about Video Game Movies.

Now, as a lifelong fan of both movies and video games, I am slightly appalled at what Hollywood has cooked up in the last decade or two. We have seen some seriously terrible adaptations to our favorite game franchises (most notably to Uwe Boll's credit...) and let's face it- It's pretty tough to find a VG Movie that the majority likes. Most will agree that these following movies suck:

Bloodrayne
House Of The Dead
Postal
Super Mario Bros.
Alone In The Dark
Street Fighter
Mortal Kombat (almost every one)
Double Dragon
Wing Commander
Doom
Max Payne

List goes on and on really...


The idea came to me when I was watching a trailer to the new upcoming flick Prince Of Persia. I was extremely skeptical but then I saw that it will be done by Jerry Bruckheimer, who has made some seriously great films. There may be hope that it will be successful.

So here is the Up2You Question: What Video Game franchise would YOU like to see converted to a 2-3 hour motion picture? Why would your pick be a good idea? And what age group would you like to see this advertised too?

What would you do with it?

My choice would be that SNES classic Super Metroid. It is a sci-fi epic with a heroine as the main protaganist. If Hollywood worked on it, they could make this franchise look not at all cheesy, but realistic on a grander scale. The CGI work could come off flawless, and seriously in the world of movies a chick with athletic skills, an upgradable suit, and nightmarish aliens is a hard combo to find. The medium is a short one. And I would sell it to a PG-13 crowd.

It's all up to you.

 

[Davi323]

Tetris. Kidding, lol.

There are a lot of good choices, from HALO, Gears of War, to Metal Gear. If done properly, each could be a semi-decent flick. But, for me, I think the world absolutely needs a God of War movie. It would be a gloriously gory mess ala 300, and how can that be bad?

 

[Buffalo Dave]

I would start a Zelda series. This could easily start a franchise with 3 to 4 movies with all the differnt games that came out the past 25 years. Link is one of the most recognized video game characters of all time. With the way CGI has progressed they would be able to make the movie look insane. The thing with a Zelda movie(s) is that it would appeal to people of all ages men and woman just based on its popularity so it would be an easy sell, it would be similar to the Harry Potter's and Lord of the Rings on how it attracts everyone.

 

[The Doctor]

Actually, I quite enjoyed the super Mario Bros. movie. It's a bit of a guilty pleasure.

I was actually going to make this thread. There are several videogames that could be successfully adapted into movies in my opinion. Videogames get such a bum deal when it comes to adaptation and that just doesn't make sense to me. Surely a good movie based on a videogame would make more money than a bad one?

Anyway, I'll focus on three movies that could work extremely well:

Mega Man
Absolutely this could work. There was a fan-made Mega Man movie released last week that did an excellent job in adapting the first videogame into film. Obviously there were problems with the CGI and script, but imagine if it were worked on by professionals. It could be amazing. However, I have a vision of a darker and more serious Mega Man film, based on the novelization of the first game by Maelgrim, "The Robot War". Look it up; it's fantastic and has influenced my vision of the series as a whole. If that story were turned into a movie it could become not just a classic videogame movie but a true film classic.

The Legend of Zelda
What's taking so long? Zelda would be easy to adapt where it can appeal to gamers and non-gamers alike. It's a story of a fantasy adventure where a young boy becomes a legendary hero and defeats a great evil. Simple stuff. With awesome CGI and an exciting story this could be a big hit. It's so obvious to me, and Zelda is a majorly popular franchise. It would rake in the cash.

No More Heroes
A violent, over-the-top dark comedy that follows the plot of the first game seems really like a no-brainer. If the movie was infused with style and hilarious crazy gore, it could be a great popcorn movie. Everyone loves violence, judging by the success of movies like 300 and Ninja Assassin.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

I think a movie should be made out of one of the Grand Theft Auto games. GTA is a very popular game series, and I'm sure people would go see a movie based on one of these games, but the question is, which game should the movie be based on?......

If I had to pick one, I would choose Grand Theft Auto 4. I just started playing this game a couple of weeks ago, and I think the story for this game can be put on the big screen. The story for GTA 4 is some what different from all of the other games, and I think the characters are a lot more interesting. Grand Theft Auto Vice City is probably my favorite GTA game, but if a movie were to be made out of that one, I think it would be way too similar to Scarface(1983). The only difference is, this movie would have a happy ending. All of the other GTA games I've played don't have to many interesting stories or characters.

 

[Lee]

Right to the two suckahs who said LoZ I simply give a big huge resounding NO.

What makes the Zelda games so lovable to the fans? It's obviously not the graphics, heck the story itself is pretty basic (save the princess, kill the bad guy). It's the quests and side quests. Would you sit and watch a movie where the character has to get a load of ruppees to save up to buy a bomb bag? Would it keep your interest as Link runs round Hyrule field waiting for it to be dark so he can catch a Poe in a bottle to please some weird man in a town? Obviously not, but these things are what makes the Zelda games so enjoyable, the little side things that keep you immersed. A Zelda movie would be terrible.

I think a movie should be made out of one of the Grand Theft Auto games. GTA is a very popular game series, and I'm sure people would go see a movie based on one of these games, but the question is, which game should the movie be based on?......

If I had to pick one, I would choose Grand Theft Auto 4. I just started playing this game a couple of weeks ago, and I think the story for this game can be put on the big screen. The story for GTA 4 is some what different from all of the other games, and I think the characters are a lot more interesting. Grand Theft Auto Vice City is probably my favorite GTA game, but if a movie were to be made out of that one, I think it would be way too similar to Scarface(1983). The only difference is, this movie would have a happy ending. All of the other GTA games I've played don't have to many interesting stories or characters.

You mean like the movie Grand Theft Auto that the games were inspired by?

 

[Mitch Henessey]

You mean like the movie Grand Theft Auto that the games were inspired by?

After doing some research, I found the movie you seem to be talking about. I didn't even know about it until you mentioned it.

What I was trying to say in my earlier post is, GTA has been a pretty popular game series over the years, and this series has a large fan base, so people will want to go see a GTA film. I'm sure there are plenty of other people out there who don't know about the 1977 film. They probably only know about the super popular games they've played on Playstation 2, PS3, XBox, XBox360,and PSP.

I didn't know there was an old Grand Theft Auto film, and I should've researched before I posted earlier.