A Video Game to Movie Adaptation That Doesn't Completely Suck?

[Nunyerbiz]

Games are so cinematic that they can't be made into movies

[warofthebees]

Games are so cinematic that they can't be made into movies

SOME games are.  Metal Gear Solid, Mass Effect, Red Dead Redemption, Heavy Rain...they are games that to make a movie of would just be redundant.

[Nunyerbiz]

Ahhh... now I get what you're laying down... makes sense.

Initially I was just struck by the apparent oxymoron... It would be like saying something is too literary to be a book... or too funny to be a joke.

[doggans]

(done by the guy who did the "Fame" remake, I think)

Oh, right, he directed that, didn't he? I just think of him as "Maurissa Whedon's brother."

[Darth Geek]

Eh, while I like how well they did this promo (it really did look like a well put together A-List movie), I am definitely in the side of "why take all the fantasy out of Mortal Kombat?" Yeah, you can tone down some of the inherent goofiness of the premise, but I will go to see this movie for the same reason I liked the game, the cool powers, the gore, the unique (at the time) creatures and the violence. If you remove the cool powers and the unique creatures then you just have gory violent movie, which alone does not pique my interest. Hell, you'd have that in any fight movie!

I will at least give the director credit for trying to do something like this directly after Fame, so he can branch out and not get typecast.

What I'd really like to see is Stephen Chow (Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle) direct a Mortal Kombat movie with a big Hollywood budget.

[TTYT]

Well, it doesn't look like the Mortal Kombat thing  is a movie test thing: http://forum.rifftrax.com/index.php/topic,7456.msg558477.html#msg558477

And although we've written about a Mortal Kombat movie being in the works, we're 99% sure this is for a new Mortal Kombat video game that is being announced at E3 next week.

[warofthebees]

I'm a huge fan of alternate takes on things, like this:
.

That might be why I like that Mortal Kombat thing so much. It reminds me of that Batman:  Dead End thing that made the rounds a few years ago.  At the time, no one thought we'd see a good Batman movie.  Dead End led to a path to Batman Begins, or at least proved that while the films sucked, people still liked Batman.  Maybe this would do the same thing, for Mortal Kombat.  MK is definitely a stale franchise:  what was edgy in 1992 is run of the mill now.

As far as taking away the fantasy elements, I'm fine with that.  A Mortal Kombat movie gets too bogged down by the game plot line:  hero fights crazy monsters until he wins.  By reimagining characters and places, the film maker has a little more wiggle room.  

[Darth Geek]

Well, it doesn't look like the Mortal Kombat thing  is a movie test thing: http://forum.rifftrax.com/index.php/topic,7456.msg558477.html#msg558477

And although we've written about a Mortal Kombat movie being in the works, we're 99% sure this is for a new Mortal Kombat video game that is being announced at E3 next week.

Seem like it is for a proposed upcoming movie:

http://chud.com/articles/articles/23984/1/IS-THIS-VIDEO-FOR-THE-NEW-MORTAL-KOMBAT-MOVIE/Page1.html

Now if it turns out to be more supernatural elements get involved the farther into the tournament he gets, then that would be an interesting way to do it.

[MrTorso]

A little more info on the MK short:

http://www.collider.com/2010/06/09/kevin-tancharoen-interview-mortal-kombat-rebirth-feature-film/

Some highlights:

    * They shot the short film over two days on two RED cameras
    * Started in early April and it took 2 months to do the post production.  Most people donated their time.  The short was made for $7,500
    * Knew if he was going to get a chance at a genre picture, he'd have to show he could do it on his own.  This is a calling card for a chance at making the next Mortal Kombat feature film and it's his vision for how he'd do it.
    * No one at any studio knew he was doing the short
    * Oren Uziel wrote the short.  He's currently listed on IMDb to write the next Mortal Kombat movie at Warner Bros.
    * Says he wants to make a movie that balances the real world with the mysticism and the special powers.  Compares it to the way Harry Potter exists in two worlds.  As in there are two universes that coexist with each other.
    * Confirms "fatalities" are definitely in his movie.  He wants to put them in the tournament in an "organic way"
    * Definitely would use "get over here" (the classic line from the game)
    * Michael Jai White plays Jax Briggs in the short and he'd definitely be a part of the feature.
    * Says Scorpion is the bad guy and will stay a bad guy
    * They only had 4 hours to shoot the big fight scene

[Darth Geek]

    * Says he wants to make a movie that balances the real world with the mysticism and the special powers.  Compares it to the way Harry Potter exists in two worlds.  As in there are two universes that coexist with each other.
 

Nice! Now I'm cool with it. Also, if that was shot on RED cameras, they're pretty impressive.

[spaceforarent]

Since this has kind of taken a general "video game movies that won't be completely terrible" turn, I'd like to speculate that the Uncharted movie that has been confirmed has potential to be a lot of fun. I'm hoping for something like a mix between the Indiana Jones and Mummy series.

[TTYT]

    * Says he wants to make a movie that balances the real world with the mysticism and the special powers.  Compares it to the way Harry Potter exists in two worlds.  As in there are two universes that coexist with each other.
 

Nice! Now I'm cool with it. Also, if that was shot on RED cameras, they're pretty impressive.

Yeah, it had a very subtle 'unreal' feel to the end of the short, in my opinion, when they showed Scorpion's eyes. They did NOT look natural at all. I'd be fine with a slow reveal of the supernatural angle of the whole thing.

And RED cameras are awesome, but I'm not gonna get the film/tech geek in me hijack the thread gushing over them...

Whatever the case, I hope it has a better score/soundtrack than the last one (theme song aside.)

[warofthebees]

Since this has kind of taken a general "video game movies that won't be completely terrible" turn, I'd like to speculate that the Uncharted movie that has been confirmed has potential to be a lot of fun. I'm hoping for something like a mix between the Indiana Jones and Mummy series.

Uncharted already is a movie in video game form.  I'd like to see a Halo movie done wrong, just to see fanboys rage out of their minds. 

In all honesty, though, my top video game movie adaptations would be:

Metroid
Splinter Cell
Legend of Zelda
Braid
Bioshock (as long as the politics don't get the better of the filmmaker)

[TTYT]

They're already making a Bioshock movie, with Gore Verbinski producing & the guy who directed 28 Weeks Later directing.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1230526/

I'm pretty sure it's not coming out this year, though. I'd guess late 2012/early 2013, judging from what I read on wiki about the 3rd game being timed to come out around the same time as the movie.

[warofthebees]

They're already making a Bioshock movie, with Gore Verbinski producing & the guy who directed 28 Weeks Later directing.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1230526/

I'm pretty sure it's not coming out this year, though. I'd guess late 2012/early 2013, judging from what I read on wiki about the 3rd game being timed to come out around the same time as the movie.

I knew about this, but have it filed under "I'll believe it when I see a preview"