Movies of Games: Why are they always so bad?

[Sixchan]

This has always been a thing for me. I've never seen a GOOD adaptation of a game into a film. Now, I enjoyed Final Fantasy, but only because I was able to get it out of my head that this had the name "Final Fantasy" attached. It was an OK Sci-Fi film, and an AMAZING CG film, but it was in no way "Final Fantasy". Tomb Raider was pretty boring, and Mario Bros was terrible!

And what I ask is: WHY?

Well, my theory is this:
Lots of people liked the Book of Lord of the Rings, right? And when the Story was pretty closely taken to screen (Don't come in here ranting about Faramir. I DON'T CARE.), most of those people loved that too.
Lots of People like Final Fantasy. How many people would have been unhappy if FFVII had been taken to the Big Screen like PJ did for LotR? But NO...they thought up a new plot, and it sucked. Making FFVII could have taken 2 films. It could have taken 3, like LotR. I'd still rather it if they'd made them instead.

So my second question is: In a Movie based on a game, would you rather they based it on the game itself?

 

[Sagan Darkside]

You are obviously forgetting Super Mario Brothers and Dungeons and Dragons. See.. not all game movies are horr.. err.. never mind.

The main problem is preconception- the fans of the game have their own ideas of what it should be, and are bound to be disappointed.

The second problem is such movies are coming from a license- which I suspect brings a lot of baggage in the form of too many cooks in the kitchen.

SD

 

[KChagga]

Well just imagine if the live action Pac Man movie coming up was based solely on the game(oh yes I'm not kidding they're making a pac man movie!).

I can see the action now.

Eat those dots Pac Man eat those dots! Oh no a ghost turn the corner!!! Yes, eat that power pellet and get revenge!!!

I can only assume that this is the fault of some exec who heard about all the videogame movies and then thought he wanted one for his movie company. He promptly never having played a game in his life went and checked a top played games list. This list no doubt from 1984 listed one game far above all the others PAC MAN. The exec smiled, "I can't believe no one is making a movie of the top grossing game. It will all be mine!"

I think the reason why video game movie suck is easy to explain. It is non-game playing executives trying to cash in on a market in most cases. In defense of a few recent movies I'll say the Final Fantasy movie I thought was good. Yes, it didn't have anything to do with any of the other games, but none of the games have anything to do with each other either. The Tomb Raider movie which was watch and forget was no more stupid of a plot then the actual Tomb Raider games. Think about it. That movie achieved the game quite well, too bad the games aren't exactly that exciting to sit there and watch someone else play.
That is a good argument about videogame movies. What is the best part of video games? Playing them. It's quite difficult to reach the excitement of playing a game by just sitting there and watching.

 

[Sixchan]

You are obviously forgetting Super Mario Brothers and Dungeons and Dragons. See.. not all game movies are horr.. err.. never mind.

The main problem is preconception- the fans of the game have their own ideas of what it should be, and are bound to be disappointed.

That was kinda my point. Most Fans think that a Final Fantasy film should actually resemble Final Fantasy. The only similarities I really noticed apart from the name Cid were ones I was looking for. Gaia. Planet Spirit (Lifestream). For instance, how many swords were in the Final Fantasy film? Not one, IIRC. All Final Fantasies, even futuristic ones, have swords. Where was the deep, involving plot? It wasn't there. How many Final Fantasies don't have a deep involving plot (for their time, at least)? Maybe instead of making a movie that tried to cater to action movie fans, they should have made one to appeal to the Final Fantasy fans.

The second problem is such movies are coming from a license- which I suspect brings a lot of baggage in the form of too many cooks in the kitchen.

SD

Well, I guess. But I still think that they should hold true to the game in development.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Games don't have a story (plot). You can't make a movie -- a decent movie, anyway -- out of something without a plot.

Now, you could make a movie about a story with its roots in a D&D game -- imagine a movie made from one of the story hours on this site. It may not be good, but it would probably be better.

If you come at it from that angle (a fantasy story that springs from D&D) you'll probably be more successful than the folks that say "Lets make a movie about Dungeons and Dragons!" without any story to refer to.

Heck, if someone today were to ask me if there were a good movie about Dungeons & Dragons -- I'd send them to go see LotR!

 

[Sixchan]

Games don't have a story (plot). You can't make a movie -- a decent movie, anyway -- out of something without a plot.

Umm...what? Did you REALLY just say that games like Final Fantasy don't have a plot?

Now, you could make a movie about a story with its roots in a D&D game -- imagine a movie made from one of the story hours on this site. It may not be good, but it would probably be better.

I don't see how the hell that if Final Fantasy has no plot then D&D games could.

If you come at it from that angle (a fantasy story that springs from D&D) you'll probably be more successful than the folks that say "Lets make a movie about Dungeons and Dragons!" without any story to refer to.

Heck, if someone today were to ask me if there were a good movie about Dungeons & Dragons -- I'd send them to go see LotR!

...

No, I'm still too shocked at the first comment to say much more.

 

[Sagan Darkside]

Well, I guess. But I still think that they should hold true to the game in development.

First- they are two different mediums for telling a story. The same way a book to movie is trecherous, then the same should be expected of the game to movie.

That being said- staying true to the game can be rather difficult- take your FF example: Those games tend to have stories that stetch through more hours then a movie could hande well.. and, yes- my opinion, the stories are not very good.

The end of almost of all FF games is so over-intellectualized that it betrays the rest of the game's story.

It would be nice to see a hero that is just a person and not a clone/dream/golem of some sort. sheesh.

Ok, back to too long of a story. Due to the large number of characters, too many (stupid) summons, and then actual story moments- no one would be happy with all of that squished into one 2-3 hour movie. Not only would their fans be irritated by what was cut, the non-fan would be lost/irritated by the convulted ending and the fanboy additions (moogles, chokobo's, etc.)

SD

 

[Sixchan]

First- they are two different mediums for telling a story. The same way a book to movie is trecherous, then the same should be expected of the game to movie.

That being said- staying true to the game can be rather difficult- take your FF example: Those games tend to have stories that stetch through more hours then a movie could hande well.. and, yes- my opinion, the stories are not very good.

The end of almost of all FF games is so over-intellectualized that it betrays the rest of the game's story.

It would be nice to see a hero that is just a person and not a clone/dream/golem of some sort. sheesh.

Ok, back to too long of a story. Due to the large number of characters, too many (stupid) summons, and then actual story moments- no one would be happy with all of that squished into one 2-3 hour movie. Not only would their fans be irritated by what was cut, the non-fan would be lost/irritated by the convulted ending and the fanboy additions (moogles, chokobo's, etc.)

SD

I'm not proposing they put the entire thing in one film. LotR is taking three. I did point out that it might take 3 films to make FFVII. Sure, it can take 60 hours to complete, but that's because of all the battling. The Final Fantasy games have a very large audience, and while some people such as yourself don't like the stories (I think that the character being special is a part of it), most people that have played the game do. And, IMO, if the non-readers of Tolkien can cope with Worg Riders, I think Chocobo Riders are fine. Also, who says all those summons need to be there? Drop in Bahamut and Knights of the Round for some climactic battles and that's all you need.

 

[Welverin]

Sure, it can take 60 hours to complete, but that's because of all the battling.

Do you actually mean to tell me that there is more to the games than just random battles!

 

[Sixchan]

Do you actually mean to tell me that there is more to the games than just random battles!

Of course. There's Boss battles too.