Five Video Games That Must Become Movies
By Joseph Oliveto
Movies based on video games tend to, for lack of a better word, suck. Super Mario Bros. Max Payne. Even the, ahem, “charms” of Milla Jovovich, have not been sufficient to mask the fact that the Resident Evil franchise lacks the old-school chills that made the video games such memorable classics.
Blame lazy studios (it’s always fun for us fanboys to rely on that complaint); video gamers tend to be a zealous lot, devoting tremendous amounts of their time and income on their hobby. Executives know this, so they understand that they can produce a cheap movie, that, with enough extra tits and gore thrown in, will make a profit.
And all that’s a shame, because, not to call out Roger Ebert, but video games are most certainly art. Their primary purpose may be to entertain kids and bored college students, but a true fan knows that the creative minds behind some of the best video games ever are telling truly cinematic stories. Here’s a list of a few that, with the proper cast and crew, could look great on the big screen.
And no, Halo is not on the list. Everyone already knows that should be a movie.
5.) Metal Gear Solid
This game represented one of the first instances in which major developers recognized that not all video games had to consist of non-stop action. Although it’s fun to run into a room with far more ammo than necessary and destroy the place in seconds, it’s also very challenging to be stealthy, and that challenge can be addictive. Featuring a nuclear paranoia plotline and one of gamers’ most celebrated protagonists, a film of this could draw a crowd.
Ideal cast and crew: David Hayter, who wrote such films as X-Men and Watchmen, also lent his voice to the character of Snake. He’s been trying to make a directorial debut, and this could be the right project for him. And, although he may not look the part, Jason Isaacs needs to play Snake. The character demands an actor who can maintain a tough demeanor without being excessive. Someone who can be patient, playing it subtle.
4.) Half-Life
One of the most exciting first-person shooters ever is also one of the most unconventional, at least in terms of plot and character. The protagonist is Gordon Freeman, a physics geek who is forced into the action hero role when aliens from another dimension trash his research facility like drunken freshmen. On top of this, secondary antagonists arrive in the form of the United States military, which has been recruited to cover-up the event. It’s survival horror mixed with combat sci-fi, with a hefty dose of conspiracy thriller thrown in, where the bad guys are your own government. We just love those stories nowadays.
Ideal cast and crew: Edward Norton has the everyman qualities necessary for Freeman, and James Cameron would take this subject matter and be too distracted by designing crazy alien battle sequences to smear it with his lame dialogue.
3.) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Any video game enthusiast who has ever geeked out with fellow gamers has had this conversation at least one hundred times in his life: “You know, I’m still hoping they make a Zelda movie one day.”
It’s a completely understandable desire. The world of Hyrule is a brilliantly conceived fantasy land, the story is nearly worthy of Tolkien, and the sense of adventure captures the kid in all of us. Isn’t that what a fantasy epic is supposed to be?
Ideal cast and crew: Elijah Wood as the hero Link, Peter Jackson directing. Ok, maybe not. James McAvoy could probably balance Link’s determination and vulnerability, and Guillermo del Toro could instill the film with his signature sense of magic and danger.
We know, that was, at one point, nearly the cast and crew of The Hobbit. It’s hard to think of this story without thinking of Lord of the Rings.
2.) Grand Theft Auto IV
This particular franchise of games is, in part, an exaggerated tribute to the great crime films of the past, so it would only make sense to turn around and make a movie out of the material. The latest outing seems the most appropriate for celluloid. Niko Bellic is the most likeable protagonist in the franchise, heading to America to leave behind a violent past, only to get dragged down into the hell of the underworld. If done wrong, it’s another The Fast and the Furious, sure, but if done right…well, it would be one of a kind, combining surprisingly layered storytelling with over-the-top action.
Ideal cast and crew: Sam Worthington’s Australian heritage may make him seem like an odd choice for the vaguely Eastern European Niko, but he conveys the stoic tough guy qualities that make the character so admirable. Zack Snyder could take the staples of crime genre and amp it all up to 11. William “I am better than you because I wrote The Departed” Monahan MUST script it.
1.) Metroid
One of the most enduring video game franchises ever also features one of the most badass chicks in all of gaming. Lara Croft may be the more iconic female video game character, but then again, Samus Aran doesn’t need to be scantily clad to draw fans. Although her adventures are a slight rip-off of the Alien movies, the world of this game is immersive enough to stand on its own and become a definitive sci-fi film series.
Ideal cast and crew: Ridley Scott is still the master of designing a world and exploring it with a visual style that is unmatched. Summer Glau for Samus, just because.
Sure, video game films have failed in the past, but it took comic-book movies a long time to hit their stride. Maybe we’re in for a similar revolution someday soon.
Monday, August 9, 2010 2:39PM
Some interesting thoughts, but I really have to disagree with some of their actor choices. Jason Isaacs would not be a good Snake. Snake needs a tougher look to him than Isaacs can give. Similarly, Summer Glau, as much as I love her, is too small to fill the imposing armor of Samus.
Monday, August 9, 2010 3:09PM
MGS story is stupid!!! When gamers will realise that? PPL would ROTFL in cinemas
Monday, August 9, 2010 5:19PM
Gotta say I disagree with most of what was said. Metal Gear Solid needs to be a movie and Half-Life could be a good movie but I’m just not sure. If I were to pick only five then I would have them in this order 1. Metal Gear Solid 2. Mass Effect 3. Eternal Darkness 4. Castlevania (and with all the vampire lovers nowadays this one would be big) and finally 5. Halo.
Monday, August 9, 2010 5:30PM
Good choices (especially GTA IV and Half-Life).
I would like to add S.T.A.L.K.E.R., Shadow of Chernobyl. The concept is brilliant: after 20 years, the irradiated area around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant has become….unstable, harboring terrible monsters, but also the promise of untold riches through the collection and sale of "artifacts", byproducts of the blast. It's a terrific game, placed in a strange/sad/creepy environment with a wonderful story. An absolute original. Anyway, my two cents…
Monday, August 9, 2010 5:55PM
Yea, and let "Uwe Boll" make them all xDDDDD
Monday, August 9, 2010 7:57PM
Dues Ex, the first , the best, would make an awesome futuristic spy thriller
Monday, August 9, 2010 9:04PM
please please please a GTA4 movie (done right, follow the story, ect)
Monday, August 9, 2010 9:08PM
Anyone who saw Doom knows that making Half-Life into a movie would suck. GTA movie? If I wanted to watch other people steal cars and stab hookers I'd move to Detroit. Zelda? Maybe, but I'm sure it would suck. Metroid? I don't see it happening. Metal Gear Solid? YES! That's a movie I would go see. But just remember, if they can make a movie about kicking butt and a really hot chick suck (Street Fighter) then they can make anything suck.
Monday, August 9, 2010 9:11PM
I'd like to see a Katamari movie before a few of these.
Monday, August 9, 2010 9:17PM
Team Fortress 2 is the only game that can successfully become a cartoon in the style of "The Incredibles", but with a more "adult" sort of humor. Don't even need big name actors.
Monday, August 9, 2010 9:25PM
GTA 4 would definitely be the greatest video game movie. The plot and the action would be awesome!
Monday, August 9, 2010 9:34PM
WOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWw this is fucking stupid. Where is Halo?
Monday, August 9, 2010 9:46PM
ASSASSIN'S CREEEEEEEED !!!!!!…….IT SHOULDN'T BECOME A MOVIE IT MUSSSSTTT BECOME A MOVIE
Monday, August 9, 2010 9:48PM
and what about GOD OF WAR ??…..maaan it was EPIC O_O…..really wonderful story line
Monday, August 9, 2010 9:56PM
Get Peter Jackson to make Shadow of the Colossus please.
Monday, August 9, 2010 10:03PM
I’ve been hoping for a Zelda movie forever but that went on the backburner once LOTR came around and don’t think it’s doable for a few more years because of that very reason. I could see McAvoy as Link or maybe even Jake Gyllenhaal (though Prince of Persia wasn’t as good as I expected it to be)
For Half Life- I’m surprised Hugh Laurie wasn’t mentioned as Dr. House is a dead ringer for Gordon Freeman.
Probably not movie worthy, but I could see Starcraft and Warcraft going into the tv show business with either animated cartoons or cg/live action series
Monday, August 9, 2010 10:45PM
What about Assassin's Creed II? Unless they're already planning on making it into a movie…I'd go and see it for sure.
Monday, August 9, 2010 10:51PM
Hugh Laurie would be my ideal Gordon Freeman.
Monday, August 9, 2010 10:53PM
agreed. STALKER would make a great post-apocalyptic, thriller movie; especially with the quality of some of the directors available nowadays
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 1:45AM
I really liked the Street Fighter movie back in the day with Kylie in it
but I agree with this top 5 for new movies.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 4:37AM
Metroid was already made into a movie. 4 movies, actually, but we will only consider the first two as worthy of mention: Alien and Aliens.
Seriously, Metroid 2: The Return of Samus has the Metroid Queen as a final boss. The game reminded me of the last 30 to 45 minutes segment in Aliens where Ripley goes into the alien lair and torches the Queen.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 8:52AM
Where's Thief, or System Shock? No love for good ol' Looking Glass?
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 9:44AM
Making movies out of any video game seems like a waste of time, as the past has proven. The only reason you want to see it is because you played the game and thought the storyline was awesome. Then some filmmaker gets hold of it, changes the story to fit the big screen because writing for a game and writing for a film are two totally different things, and releases it to an indifferent public.
Indifferent because as much as there are more gamers now than ever before, there is still a large percentage of the market who don't play and have never heard of your game. Plus, the ones that do know it will do nothing but whine about how the director/producer/whatever didn't capture the essence of what the story was supposed to be about and the game was better. The great thing about interactive games is that everyone has a different experience, unlike films where the experience is pretty much the same for all viewers with only their opinion differing. The problem with games as film is that everyone who played the game is expecting THEIR experience, which can never be delivered to anyone because of the vast dissimilarity between both media formats.
Accept the game version as the one true version if you like it, enjoy it in it's original format for what it is and don't set yourself up for disappointment again. Game movies suck.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 5:56PM
I second the Thief/System Shock comment.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010 7:23AM
Gotta agree on GTA even though I don't really like the game. That is a no-brainer.
Very much want to see a Mass Effect movie. Would not mind seeing a Starcraft movie, either.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010 9:32PM
um GTA is basically just the story from the movie Scarface – which is already one of the best movies of all time – why cheapen it.
gotta agree, half-life would make a great movie if done from the different perspectives of Gordon Freeman, Barney (the security guard) and of course Sargeant Shepherd.
Thursday, August 12, 2010 6:28AM
Bioshock would be amazing if done correctly.
Thursday, August 12, 2010 2:07PM
Movies are too expensive, non-interactive & non-moddable. I can get tens, if not hundreds, of hours of enjoyment out of a US$29.95 or cheaper video game; How many hours of enjoyment can you get out of watching the same 90 minute film over and over and over again? Besides, movie theaters are just social providers – The real action happens AFTER you and your friends leave the movie theater. So why not just cut out the middle man & save that money so that you can perform better activities elsewhere?
Movies are dead and they know it; That's why the successful movies are becoming more like a video game all of the time. Mark my words – In 50 years, the modern movie theater will be like today's drive-in theaters – Almost non-existent.
Friday, November 12, 2010 2:29PM
what about devil may cry it would make the best action movie with a good cast and zack snyder directing it and a good writer it would be simply the best action movie ever