Videogame Movies

I might have mentioned this before, but I miss video games.

Selling my Playstation was one of the best things I ever did.  Especially when school started for me, not have a console system freed up a lot of time that I used to just fritter away.  And even after school is over and I’m on my career path, I doubt I’ll be in a hurry to purchase a new one.  I like having all this extra time I have for reading, learning new things, activities, and a much more open social life.  Killing my gaming habit was one of the best moves I’ve made and I have no regrets setting it aside.

I still miss it.

This has little to do with what I’m talking about.  I’m just melancholy.

No, what I’m actually talking about are movie adaptations of video games, and I’ll be honest, they tend to suck.  Anybody remember what a travesty Mario Bros. was?

There are only three film adaptations that I’ve ever liked: Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.

Prince of Persia was the only game of this bunch I’d ever played, but frankly, that hardly seemed to matter.  I would have enjoyed the film even if I’d never heard of the game before.  Tomb Raider had the same Indiana Jones feel behind it, and it starred Angelina Jolie, which is never a bad idea.  FF VII is one that I should not have enjoyed as much as I did; it was clearly catered to the fans only; the story makes no sense to an outsider, which I clearly am, having never played.  This is one of the only movies I love solely for the animation; the setting, the character designs, and the battle scenes are gorgeous.

Still, out of the dozens of film adaptations for games, I only like three, and none of them are close to being the best movies of all time.  In fact, they barely pass average.

Last night, my roommate found Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn on Netflix, and I decided to watch it with him, not having high hopes that I’d enjoy it.

First off, I’m not really a Halo fan.  I’ve only played Halo 2 a handful of times and never for very long.  Most of my exposure to the series comes from Red vs. Blue, and that is only loosely tied to the Halo storyline.

And honestly, I was not blown away by the movie.  I thought it was cool that they got Anna Popplewell (Susan from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe) in the cast, but aside from some pretty cool fight sequences, it wasn’t interesting enough.

A lot of it is plot-related.  I don’t understand how the insubordinate soldier is trusted with a leadership position for their most important war game.  And when this character is proven physically unfit (a life-threatening allergy to the army’s common drug for cryo sleep) is not discharged immediately for his own safety.  Or how a soldier backs down from his post because one puny cadet threw a tantrum.

Overall, nobody struck me as a competent soldier until Master Chief showed up to save the day.

I know I’m making it sound like I hated the movie.  I really didn’t.  It was a fun movie.  I’m just waiting for the video game movie that doesn’t just wow you with how they adapted the special effects but reaches for the heartstrings and makes you fall in love with the story, leaves you feeling ennobled long after it’s over.

I know it’s possible because I’ve seen this sort of storytelling in video games themselves.  I’m just waiting for somebody to translate that feeling over into the movies.