Video Games that could (potentially) become great movies

[evildead2099]

Most movies based on videogames turn out to be huge disappointments.

The first Mortal Kombat film is an exception to this trend, and some early reviews of Silent Hill suggest that it also turned out rather well. The first Resident Evil was okay, in my opinion, but could have been a lot better.

So, I was thinking...

Now that Silent Hill is out of the way, what are some videogames which feature stories good enough to become feature-length films that you'd actually want to see?

Forget about the all-important factors of competant directors, competant actors, and giving the subject matter proper treatment. Just treat this topic for what it is - A fantasy!

So, what do you say?

[Rev. Link]

Well, if done properly there are many games that could become great movies. Castlevania, Metroid, Final Fantasy, Metal Gear. The problem is, along with the potential for them being great comes the potential for them being terrible.

[DragonMaster Sam]

I think Snatcher could make a good movie.

[Jumpman Jr.]

I've always dreamed of Nintendo making an officially made Legend of Zelda movie. Just think of the possibilities!
Although, after seeing that 'home-made' trailer for a Legend of Zelda movie with the Requiem for a Dream music, I'm not so sure.
Still though, imagine if Nintendo made an Ocarina of Time movie or something? That would rock my socks (in the best way possible). spoiler alert Just imagine the crowds reaction when Sheik pulls off her mask and is revealed to be *gasps* Zelda! end spoiler alert.

[Fuyukaze]

A game that would make a great movie? That's so simple.
Pong. A movie made after pong the game. See, Pong doesnt realy have a story. As the basics are the same as tennis, they could make a tennis game and claim it was loosly based off of Pong.

[Moo Cow]

Clocktower for the SNES.
It's a good, solid game with many twists and whatnot.

[Snapple]

Metal Gear Solid. The first one, before all that weak-ass crap in the second game about politics and genetic engineering and Otacon sleeping with his step-mom.

[Rev. Link]

I've always dreamed of Nintendo making an officially made Legend of Zelda movie. Just think of the possibilities!
Although, after seeing that 'home-made' trailer for a Legend of Zelda movie with the Requiem for a Dream music, I'm not so sure.
Still though, imagine if Nintendo made an Ocarina of Time movie or something? That would rock my socks (in the best way possible). spoiler alert Just imagine the crowds reaction when Sheik pulls off her mask and is revealed to be *gasps* Zelda! end spoiler alert.

The only possibilities I can imagine pertaining to that are the ones where Hollywood decides to make all kinds of major changes in order to make the movie "more appealing to the mainstream". And then I have to either kill a bunch of people or myself. No one wins.

[evildead2099]

I thought about Red Faction for a second, before realizing how much its story resembles Total Recall.

If done right, a Zelda movie could be awesome. If done wrong (which would probably happen, going by the good-to-bad VG turned movie ration), it could be like the Mario movie :/

[evildead2099]

The only possibilities I can imagine pertaining to that are the ones where Hollywood decides to make all kinds of major changes in order to make the movie "more appealing to the mainstream". And then I have to either kill a bunch of people or myself. No one wins.

I fear that happening too, but it's happening to ALL movies (i.e. Alien Vs. Predator), not just movies based on videogames. That's just the type of lame society we live in.

... However, I think when you compare Mortal Kombat the game to Mortal Kombat the movie, it's evident that the film WAS geared toward a mainstream audience. Despite the absence of fatalities, blood, and generally downplaying the darker aspects of the earlier MK games, the MK movie still turned out to be pretty good (if perhaps a little generic).

[scorch56]

Mechwarrior.. been waiting for 20 years. It's came close a couple times. I remember a report that Spielberg even saw a Mechwarrior game at an expo some 10 years ago and said what an awesome movie it would make.. but that was the last I heard. With CG and combined real actors nowdays one could make an awesome movie. Look at Jurrasic Park or Sky Captain.

Anybody ever remember a movie called Robot Jox?

[JT80]

I would love to see a River City Ransom movie.

BARF!! LOL

[ShinobiMan]

Lunar: The Silver Star Story

Playing this game was like living a movie for me, and if I was ever given the chance as a filmmaker, I'd make it in a heartbeat.

Others I'd like to see as movies would be:

Eternal Darkness
Panzer Dragoon
Maniac Mansion
Castlevania

[evildead2099]

I would love to see a River City Ransom movie.

BARF!! LOL

As yes... Go to Mega64's website and download their parody of River City Ransom ;)

[evildead2099]

Xenogears sounds like it might make for a cool movie. I'd probably never invest a lot of time into Xenogears, seeing as how I hate console-style RPGs (Give me Fallout or Planescape: Torment any day!), but its plot sounds neat, and something I might want to check out in a feature-length form.

What about...

NIGHT TRAP!

If Night Trap was faithfully made into a movie, it would have a hard time getting anything higher than a PG-13. If a Night Trap movie reflected all the lies and hyperbole spewed by the media (i.e. Time Magazine) and politicians (i.e. Joe Lieberman), it would probably receive an X rating. Note the distinction!

[Moo Cow]

I thought Castlevania would make a nice movie too.
Uwe Boll has bought the rights to Fallout :bad-words: :grumble: :frustrated: :bawling:
That's right folks, all hell has officially broken lose.
Personally, it'd be kinda interesting if they made a megaman movie.
Not a big fan of the game, but if it were a movie, it MIGHT be interesting.

[EnzoSangiorgio]

I thought Castlevania would make a nice movie too.
Uwe Boll has bought the rights to Fallout :bad-words: :grumble: :frustrated: :bawling:
That's right folks, all hell has officially broken lose.
Personally, it'd be kinda interesting if they made a megaman movie.
Not a big fan of the game, but if it were a movie, it MIGHT be interesting.
hell had already broken loose when he got house of the dead you imbecile

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

Remember the old Sega/Gremlin arcade game Eliminator? A huge, impenetrable circular space fortress with only a single vulnerability - a narrow tunnel that you have to shoot one perfectly timed missile down while other ships are shooting at you. And you have to do this before it blows you out of the sky with its own killer weapon. Man, with some decent special effects, that basic theme would make for a sweet movie. Heck, you could probably fund a bunch of sequels on toy sales alone!

Naaah. Never mind. Crazy idea. It'd never get off the ground.

[Moo Cow]

Zombies Ate My Neighbors!
A video game that just went around and made fun of cheesy horror.
Think of the movie...They had zombies, mummies, alien plants (think Invasion of the Body Snatchers), huge babies (all of the movies where the monsters were huge), etc.
Plus, it had a water gun filled with holy water.
What more could you ask for?

[Nebagram]

Where to start. :)

Revenge of Shinobi, Perfect Dark, Metal Gear (but an original story rather than a game conversion), Beyond Good & Evil, Starfox, Road Rash, Jet Set Radio, Shenmue, Prince of Persia, Ace Combat, Oddworld, and if we're feeling really abstract, Archer MacLean's Mercury. ;)

Hasn't a Metroid movie already been announced anyway?

[biscuitdough]

i always thought a castlevania movie would be awesome and is one of the few vg movies i would accept a live action film being made from it. chrono trigger could also be interesting in film form. a metal gear movie would have to be VERY simplifyed for any audience to make any sence.

my finaly idea most people disagree with me about is that a knuckles (from sonic) movie could be good, i figure there are enough charactors from the knuckles universe and a lot of lore and epic story to keep audiences entertained, i never liked the sonic comic but i found the knuckles story very compelling. also knuckles is a complex character who isn't always doing the right thing for the right reasons. if anyone hasn't read the knuckles comics i strongly urge you to read at least one of them to get the idea. just make sure you stay away from the crappy sonic ones, they're just a crappy tie-in to make cash.

[Haoie]

I refuse to believe any VG film can ever be worth watching, let along making.

[ShinobiMan]

I refuse to believe any VG film can ever be worth watching, let along making.

You haven't seen Silent Hill yet. :D

[Moo Cow]

I refuse to believe any VG film can ever be worth watching, let along making.

You haven't seen Silent Hill yet. :D
Or Mortal Kombat...

[SirDrexl]

I think an Elder Scrolls movie series has a lot of potential, but I wouldn't even know where to begin to suggest what bits to use. There is so much to the games that it practically has an extensive universe like Star Wars. The tough task would be deciding what to dramatize in the films. Also, the open-ended nature of the games would be sure to cause debate over what characters to use and focus on in a narrative story.

Wolfenstein is another one that could be very good if done right: imagine Saving Private Ryan meets The Evil Dead.

[NEOFREAK9189]

I love to see a
super metroid movie
contra movie
f-zero gx movie
quake movie

[The Shawn]

It's so easy to think of one:

The Suffering. They could tie the two together (although the first one was a lot better than Ties that Bind)It could show, where you don't really know if Tourque slaughtered his family until the end. A creeped out possesed prison? Awesome, bunch of blood and groovy tricked out mutated shiteaters with guns coming out of their bodies? Awesome.And what about the needle guy and the possesed Gas Chamber and that Creepy Doctor?Awesome.


Ahh well....................

[cyberfluxor]

I'm sure a Conker movie would be crazy insane fun. All of you out there that have played this game know what I'm talking about.

Another oddball movie would be Bubsy. That would be a film you'd have to be drunk or high to watch.

[The Shawn]

What about an Oddworld movie?That would be something you don't see everyday.They could Tie it in with Stranger's Wrath.(Somehow)Yet again you'd have to be blasted to understand it but it would be funky nonetheless.

[Mr.Faxanadu]

Dead or Alive: Extreme Volleyball w nudity patch

:love:

[Speedy_NES]

An adventure movie based on the Avatar from the Ultima series would be cool.

[jboypacman]

there could be a few movies based off of video games that could good like castlevania,metal gear,devil may cry,splinter cell.i myself would love to see them remake super mario bros,street fighter,or double dragon but this time make them good movies.but they should take some old games like bezerk,venture,or robotron who knows they could turn out to be a huge hit.

[evildead2099]

About all these Castlevania requests: have you seen the anime film Vampire Hunter D? I realize that it's not a live action film, but it seems to resemble Castlevania apart from the fact that it is about vampires.

[evildead2099]

About all these Castlevania requests: have you seen the anime film Vampire Hunter D? I realize that it's not a live action film, but it seems to resemble Castlevania apart from the fact that it is about vampires.

[odyeiop]

I'd say Quake.. but after the Doom movie... blech

PN03 could make for an interesting film.. just no Charlize Theron please...
A movie based around the premise of Shadow of the Colossus would be interesting. I'd just like to see the screenplay for it alone. It'd take an interesting step to change it into a movie-esque format.
Painkiller would make for a good movie to. It's pretty much got the cheeseball Action storyline. Just needs to be tweaked a bit. On that note, a Duke Nukem movie would be interesting. Hard to cast someone to play the Duke though. Which brings to mind Shadow Warrior =D... maybe not.

There's a ton of games I'd like to see adapted to film (so long as they are done well.. I don't want to have to be killing any directors..). But really... we ALL want to see a Cheetahmen II movie. =D

[Nz17]

It seems Hollywood likes to make stupid "popcorn movies" that just cash-in on the popularity of well-known names (actors, directors, books, etc.), so video game movies are usually just trying to cash-in on popular video game series. Now I know the topic is about making /great movies/, but how about just an acceptably good movie?

I'm thinking a movie where... Kirby destroys and devours San Francisco in a Godzilla-like style. It should make around as much money as the Rampage movie, am I right?

It could even be called, "The Blob that Ate the Bay!"

[gbpxl]

It seems Hollywood likes to make stupid "popcorn movies" that just cash-in on the popularity of well-known names (actors, directors, books, etc.), so video game movies are usually just trying to cash-in on popular video game series. Now I know the topic is about making /great movies/, but how about just an acceptably good movie?

I'm thinking a movie where... Kirby destroys and devours San Francisco in a Godzilla-like style. It should make around as much money as the Rampage movie, am I right?

It could even be called, "The Blob that Ate the Bay!"
The reason I think that video games don't translate well to movies compared to books and comics is because video games usually don't have a ton of story. How does one turn Pong into a 90 minute film? Meanwhile the games that DO have story are already basically interactive movies. Especially true during the FMV days of the mid 90s. So why turn an interactive movie into a non-interactive movie?

I haven't watched any of the recent gaming-themed movies- Pixels, Wreck-It Ralph, Ready Player One, Rampage. Hollywood is cashing in on the video game/retro craze right now, I get it, but none of those movies interest me at all.

[WulfeLuer]

There's simply a lot of challenges in trying to make something that lasts 5 hours even with minimal plot condense into two or three hours of movie and still be coherent, much less good. This only gets worse as you work with longer, more complex games.

A lot of games that I would like to see would at the very least need the LoTR treatment, three long movies with relatively pragmatic adaptations to make the story and characters more workable, even to a niche audience. A better approach might well the Marvel movies, self-contained little stories that interconnect and raise the stakes at time goes on, but tossing in lots of little moments and references to show cast and crew know what the hell they're basing things off of.

Another problem is that lot of games, circumstances just get worse, and worse, and worse, ad naseum, and then maybe have an uplifting ending, though they tend to be just "bad guys are dead, what the hell do we do now" with relatively little closure and lots of guesswork for the audience to work through (imagine if all we got at the end of Return of The King was the scene where Frodo flew off in the eagle's claws and maybe the 'wake up to Gandalf laughing' scene in the special edition then straight to credits).

But this is a wishful thinking thread. So:

Castlevania, especially Dracula's Curse/III since we have something like an ensemble cast to work with.
Final Fantasy VI, give it the Le Mis treatment and also make into a trilogy and you're good.
Breath of Fire IV
Dragon's Dogma, sift out the gameplay and tedious questing and you get about 1 1/2 or 2 hours of kickass story, like a gritty version of Dragonheart.

[BubsyFan1]

I'd like to see a Trampoline Terror! movie, but only if Full Moon produces it.