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Why Are Video Game Movies So Awful?
An article at CNN discusses why big screen interpretations of video games, even successful ones, often fail to succeed at the box office. Quoting:
"The problem with successfully adapting video games into hit Hollywood spin-offs may lie in the way in which stories for both mediums are designed and implemented. Game makers chasing the dream of playing George Lucas or Steven Spielberg will always strive to coax human emotion and convincing drama from increasingly photorealistic virtual elements. The Hollywood machine, in its endless chase for big bucks, can't help but exploit the latest hit interactive outing, often failing to realize it's often a specific gameplay mechanic, psychological meme or technical feature that makes the title so compelling. Both sides may very well continue to look down in disdain on the work that the opposite is doing, which can doom any collaborative efforts. But where the two roads truly diverge is in the way stories are fundamentally told. Films offer a single, linear tale that's open to individual interpretation, whereas games are meant to be experienced differently and in a multitude of ways by every player."
On a related note, reader OrangeMonkey11 points out that an 8-minute short has showed up online that appears part of a pitch for a potential Mortal Kombat reboot movie. Hit the link below to take a look.
Uwe Boll.
"...which can doom any collaborative efforts." I see what you did there.
So no one bothers to actually try making a story of it. Well, more than a Boll-esque story, that is
Licensing fees.
Hey I dunno why everyone's hating, the original Mortal Kombat movie was awesome.
that's teh shizzle bizzle
Did they license the demo?
You guys must really hate Uwe Boll. This is the third identical post.
http://michaelsmith.id.au
OK here's the plot for Doom:
Scene - Mars, night time, gloomy lab.
Sciencey type bods - Hey lets experiment with teleporters, what could possibly go wrong
Other random bod - Oh noes you've open a gatewya to HELL!!
Monsters - GRRR ARRGH GURGLE
Our Hero - OMFG Monsterz, where am my bulletzes
BLAM, BLAM, ZAP, GURGLE, SQUELCH
And they couldn't even get that right!
All I can say is that after the butchering which was called the Prince of Persia, I have yet another reason to hate disney with a passion.
Science advances one funeral at a time- Max Planck
TV seems to get it right, maybe Hollywood should study TV. The annual TV series based off the Madden games seems to be pretty good, even though they don't include effects like "QB Vision". It seems to simulate the gameplay well, it's seems to be network agnostic AND they play more than one episode a week during the season.
--
"Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
And there are 365472 others who feel the same way.
Someone created a Wing Commander movie by splicing together the game cut scenes. That was better than the actual Wing Commander movie.
I think 'The Phantom Menace' was pretty good.
They got the pod race bit really well. I didn't like the way they put a complicated story around it though.
I don't know, guys. I thought Goldeneye was a very competent movie.
>> Games traditionally have only simple characters
Coming to a theater near you this fall...<dramatic music> Minesweeper II, A Square Too Far. </dramatic music>
Doom failed because they chose to use horrible Wrestlers that turned into really bad actors...
I don't usually go for spelling nitpicks, but why capitalise "wrestlers"? Is that some sort of high-fantasy reference? "And lo, it came to pass that Orcs marched against the combined might of Men, Elves, Dwarves, and Wrestlers..."
I hear that the studios are working on a Duke Nukem Forever movie and have already started taking pre-orders on tickets.