Movies of Games: Why are they always so bad?

[Sixchan]

Most of the FF franchise and other games like them make horrible movies for one big reason: they can't fit into a two-hour time slot and still be good movies. Were I to take a FF game to another medium, it would become a series- preferably an OVA series so I could get the (usually) higher production budget and not need to make room for commercials. For most FF games, they'd fit into a 25 episode series (1 hour/episode); for a few, 50 episodes will do the trick.

For most of the publishers, it just means turning their cinematics into full-fledged serial production departments because they are that close to doing this in-house as it is.

In the case of Final Fantasy, I'm not sure it's such a good idea. It would be more likely to fit the mini-series style than a regular series. Final Fantasy isn't Episodic enough to make a series that is 1 per hour, but a mini-series with a few multi-hour episodes (sort of like how they did Dune or Nuremburg) might fit better. It could be a Multi-disc OVA.


Something else that interests me is why developers seem to pick difficult games to make into films. Final Fantasy wasn't going to be easy because of the deep plots that are needed. They gave Mario Bros. too much plot, and I liked the cartoon better. It really was based on the Mario games' storylines (since when was Bowser Koopa an evolved Dinosaur?) and had a better sound track. Come to think of it, it had better acting too. Same with Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat, where they took a no plot game and gave it one (although in fairness Mortal Kombat wasn't so bad).
Now, if they had picked Perfect Dark as a game to make into a movie, that wouldn't have been difficult at all. It's just a Bond movie set in the near-future with a female protagonist. And I think that would have been a good film. Even without swords.

 

[Tewligan]

I enjoyed the Resident Evil movie. Then again, I have a soft spot for zombies.

 

[DM with a vengence]

Wait, your forgetting what may be one of the most sucktackular movies of all time, based on a game.

Wing Commander.

I saw it, but I don't remember anything except that there were bad English accents and something about 'Pilgrims'. I am still thankful to this day that that's all I remember.

So why are game movies bad, because they don't hold with the themes and styles of the game.

 

[fba827]

one more ...

Hmm, one other not yet mentioned...

"Clue"

Whether or not it is good is a matter of opinion.. but I enjoy it

(One of those late night movies when you aren't entirely in your own right mind

 

[reapersaurus]

I have a counter-question for some of you:

"Why are gaming people SO fast to conclude that something 'sucks'?"

I'll tell you what movies suck:
boring movies that have already been done many times over - all those dramas, or cop "thrillers" that don't have an ounce of originality or creativity in the entire endeavor.

Anyone that would say that ALL game-inspired movies suck is being quite overly-critical, considering just the afore-mentioned Mortal Kombat, Clue, Resident Evil, and YES, Dungeons & Dragons.

There's a big difference between a movie being GOOD, and it SUCKING.

 

[Brown Jenkin]

Anyone that would say that ALL game-inspired movies suck is being quite overly-critical, considering just the afore-mentioned Mortal Kombat, Clue, Resident Evil, and YES, Dungeons & Dragons.

There's a big difference between a movie being GOOD, and it SUCKING.

Mortal Kombat was ok, Clue was very good, I haven't seen Resident Evil so I can't say anything about it, but Dungeons & Dragrons??? I personally saw it when someone else paid for the rental and still thought I had been ripped off. Judging from 90% of the reactions I have heard and seen by both gamers and non-gamers I don't think I am alone in my thoughts or being over critical on that particular movie.

 

[Ranger REG]

I'll tell you what movies suck:
boring movies that have already been done many times over - all those dramas, or cop "thrillers" that don't have an ounce of originality or creativity in the entire endeavor.

Unfortunately, the large mainstream audience eat them up like candies. Think about it. If LOTR:TTT is not showing in movie theaters, the #2 Catch Me If You Can starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hank would have taken the #1 spot in Box Office Sale.

 

[Black Omega]

Would it be better to call the DnD movie BAD rather than SUCKS? I saw the DnD movie when it hit TV and was surprised how truly bad it was. Out of all the movies based on games I've seen, the DnD movie was easily the worst.

On the other hand I found Mortal Kombat fun and mindless, but not quite having the cheesy fun of StreetFighter. Resident Evil was decent enough.

 

[Welverin]

Something else that interests me is why developers seem to pick difficult games to make into films. Final Fantasy wasn't going to be easy because of the deep plots that are needed.

I can tell you why this one was made, Square made it themselves!

 

[Sixchan]

I can tell you why this one was made, Square made it themselves!

I knew that. But why did they make it in the first place? Didn't they think "The graphics will take three years. Let's spnd three years getting a good plot". Or they could have made another game or something. Square should have known this would be hard. And I think they could have done better.