Assassin's Creed | 12/21/2016 | Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard | Final Trailer on Page 71

[UTJeff]

16 minutes ago, RedX said:

Funny you say this, because this is exactly what the writers were trying to resolve

 

"Sometimes adaptations have been too loyal to the mechanism at the heart of video games, where the protagonist has to be a cipher for the player" - Michael Lesslie 

 

Except they weren't able to do this.  Callum Lynch was pretty much a cipher with no character development.  Even Aguilar is pretty much a blank character.  

 

It's one thing for Hollywood big shots to say they are aware of this and they are working a way around it and it's entirely another thing to successfully execute it. 

 

I think the problem is that for making a movie based on a game, you can't remove these mechanisms and still make an enjoyable movie that will satisfy everyone.  Gamers want those mechanisms for a game because it empowers them.  It lets them put a piece of themselves into how they play.  If they are in Assassin's Creed, maybe they want to get out with as little killing and bloodshed as possible.  Or maybe they don't mind going in guns blazing, shoot first ask questions later.  

 

If you made a Legend of Zelda movie, how do you even start with making Link a satisfying character?  You see Link is a proxy for the player in Zelda.  He doesn't really have much of a personality other than that he's the Hero of Time.  How do you rectify Link as a character in a movie when Link is so many things to many people?  A lot of people now have their own idea of what Link should look or act like.  Some people think Link should be represented as a female as well, and Nintendo has even created a female avatar for Link in Linkle, who was in Hyrule Warriors. 

 

I think the reason Mortal Kombat sort of works the way it does is they basically made Enter the Dragon with some fantasy and supernatural elements.  The film is in many ways like a martial arts, stunt show type of experience with a simple plot but it works on that level.  Mortal Kombat is like a martial arts exhibition tournament.  Movie is a similar deal.

[UTJeff]

12 minutes ago, John Marston said:

Halo movie could work if it had a name star attached since it is just a sci fi action movei

 

 

 

 

That's obviously not enough.  Assassin's Creed had a big name attached.  Assassin's Creed is a sci-fi action adventure series where instead of interstellar aliens, it's time travel and Assassins vs. Knights Templar.

[aabattery]

Opened up the Rotten Tomatoes page.

[Dementeleus]

Just now, AABATTERY said:

Opened up the Rotten Tomatoes page.

 

I applaud your choice of GIF, sir.

[aabattery]

1 minute ago, Grand Moff Tele said:

 

I applaud your choice of GIF, sir.

[RedX]

8 minutes ago, UTJeff said:

 

Except they weren't able to do this.  Callum Lynch was pretty much a cipher with no character development.  Even Aguilar is pretty much a blank character.  

 

It's one thing for Hollywood big shots to say they are aware of this and they are working a way around it and it's entirely another thing to successfully execute it. 

 

I think the problem is that for making a movie based on a game, you can't remove these mechanisms and still make an enjoyable movie that will satisfy everyone.  Gamers want those mechanisms for a game because it empowers them.  It lets them put a piece of themselves into how they play.  If they are in Assassin's Creed, maybe they want to get out with as little killing and bloodshed as possible.  Or maybe they don't mind going in guns blazing, shoot first ask questions later.  

 

If you made a Legend of Zelda movie, how do you even start with making Link a satisfying character?  You see Link is a proxy for the player in Zelda.  He doesn't really have much of a personality other than that he's the Hero of Time.  How do you rectify Link as a character in a movie when Link is so many things to many people?  A lot of people now have their own idea of what Link should look or act like.  Some people think Link should be represented as a female as well, and Nintendo has even created a female avatar for Link in Linkle, who was in Hyrule Warriors. 

 

I think the reason Mortal Kombat sort of works the way it does is they basically made Enter the Dragon with some fantasy and supernatural elements.  The film is in many ways like a martial arts, stunt show type of experience with a simple plot but it works on that level.  Mortal Kombat is like a martial arts exhibition tournament.  Movie is a similar deal.

Yeah, they are aware of it. The problem is in the execution. I'll have my thoughts on the film after seeing it tomorrow. Also, characters don't always need to have development in order to create an engaging piece. I've seen plenty of material from film to animation do exactly that. 

[Dementeleus]

Just now, AABATTERY said:

 

[BadAtGender]

So, does it really do the yeoman's work to make it feel like you're watching someone else play a video game without having any control yourself? Because I find that's the hallmark of a "great" video game adaptation. 

[eXtacy]

1 hour ago, John Marston said:

Halo movie could work if it had a name star attached since it is just a sci fi action movei

 

 

 

 

Halo would be on a low list of possible adaptions. Much better choices out there

[That One Girl]

Here's a tip for all video game movie adaptations: Don't hire a director who has only made smaller films or terrible films altogether.  Get a seasoned professional in there.  Let's take a look at the 3 most recent failures:

 

Warcraft - Duncan Jones had done two solidly received flicks, but what made them work was their smaller budgets.  Now he gets a giant ass 160-170M budget thrown at him and spends 18 months on VFX.  That's a huge leap.

 

Assassin's Creed - Only noteworthy directorical project was Macbeth, cost only 15M to make.  Now this has like what, a 150M+ budget?  Possibly larger?

 

Need for Speed - Were they even trying?  They hired the director of Act of Valor for Christ's sake.

 

Get someone like Liman, or the Russo's, or anyone who can make a decent film. 

[marveldcfox]

6 minutes ago, That One Guy said:

Here's a tip for all video game movie adaptations: Don't hire a director who has only made smaller films or terrible films altogether.  Get a seasoned professional in there.  Let's take a look at the 3 most recent failures:

 

Warcraft - Duncan Jones had done two solidly received flicks, but what made them work was their smaller budgets.  Now he gets a giant ass 160-170M budget thrown at him and spends 18 months on VFX.  That's a huge leap.

 

Assassin's Creed - Only noteworthy directorical project was Macbeth, cost only 15M to make.  Now this has like what, a 150M+ budget?  Possibly larger?

 

Need for Speed - Were they even trying?  They hired the director of Act of Valor for Christ's sake.

 

Get someone like Liman, or the Russo's, or anyone who can make a decent film. 

Add Trank to the list. 

[UTJeff]

10 minutes ago, That One Guy said:

Here's a tip for all video game movie adaptations: Don't hire a director who has only made smaller films or terrible films altogether.  Get a seasoned professional in there.  Let's take a look at the 3 most recent failures:

 

Warcraft - Duncan Jones had done two solidly received flicks, but what made them work was their smaller budgets.  Now he gets a giant ass 160-170M budget thrown at him and spends 18 months on VFX.  That's a huge leap.

 

Assassin's Creed - Only noteworthy directorical project was Macbeth, cost only 15M to make.  Now this has like what, a 150M+ budget?  Possibly larger?

 

Need for Speed - Were they even trying?  They hired the director of Act of Valor for Christ's sake.

 

Get someone like Liman, or the Russo's, or anyone who can make a decent film. 

 

What makes you so sure someone like Doug Limas or the Russo Brothers even want to do those type of movies?  Also, Need for Speed only cost $65 million.

[marveldcfox]

Fox and video game adaptations don't go together. They try hard but always fail both commerically and critically. Although I kinda dug the Timothy Olphant Hitman.

I had been saying for the past 3 months that this movie is extremely boring and everything feels so meh. The reviews say exactly that.

Edited December 20, 2016 by marveldcfox

[That One Girl]

6 minutes ago, UTJeff said:

 

What makes you so sure someone like Doug Limas or the Russo Brothers even want to do those type of movies?  Also, Need for Speed only cost $65 million.

 

Would you have expected Duncan Jones to do a big budget Warcraft movie?  Neither would have I.

[UTJeff]

20 minutes ago, That One Guy said:

 

Would you have expected Duncan Jones to do a big budget Warcraft movie?  Neither would have I.

 

It's not unprecedented.  He did two well received and acclaimed genre pictures.  Stranger things have happened.  

 

A complete unknown Carl Rinsch who had never done a feature at all was given a $175 million budget for 47 Ronin.

Gareth Edwards had only done one low budget movie before Godzilla.  Monsters was like a $150,000 movie.  Godzilla was a $150 million movie.  

 

Colin Trevorrow's sole directorial feature was a low budget movie Safety Not Guaranteed before he was hired for Godzilla.

 

Josh Trank got Fant4stic after just one movie Chronicle.

 

Joss Whedon's only directorial feature before Avengers was Serenity.  

 

So it happens, and sometimes the results are mixed.  

Edited December 20, 2016 by UTJeff

[aabattery]

3 minutes ago, UTJeff said:

 

It's not unprecedented.  He did two well received and acclaimed genre pictures.  Stranger things have happened.  

 

A complete unknown Carl Rinsch who had never done a feature at all was given a $175 million budget for 47 Ronin.

Gareth Edwards had only done one low budget movie before Godzilla.  Monsters was like a $150,000 movie.  Godzilla was a $150,000 movie.  

 

Colin Trevorrow's sole directorial feature was a low budget movie Safety Not Guaranteed before he was hired for Godzilla.

 

Josh Trank got Fant4stic after just one movie Chronicle.

 

Joss Whedon's only directorial feature before Avengers was Serenity.  

 

So it happens, and sometimes the results are mixed.  

 

Missing a few zeroes my friend.

 

 

[DAJK]

There IS a fantastic video game movie already released. And Doug Liman directed it

 

okay, I guess Edge of Tomorrow is really only in the SPIRIT of a video game movie, but it proves that video game movies can work

[UTJeff]

Yeah $150 million, sorry.  But my point is this.  

 

Lately we are seeing less experienced directors getting gigs on these bigger higher level films and it's been happening more frequently in the last several years.  The Hollywood Reporter wrote this in an article about all the drama surrounding Suicide Squad:

 

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/suicide-squads-secret-drama-rushed-916693

 

 

Quote

 

In Ayer, Warner Bros. enlisted a director who had never made a giant, effects-packed action movie. Hiring filmmakers who lack such experience is the trend, and it's often out of necessity. "There are a lot of people who don't want to direct those movies and that's a huge problem," says one producer with franchise experience. "A lot of the proven guys are back-to-back with their stuff, or they want to develop it for five years, and there's a machine that has to be fed. And there's the economics." Seasoned directors are expensive, meaning studios turn to those with less experience, relying on instinct that they will be up to the job. Sometimes it works (Colin Trevorrow on Jurassic World), and sometimes it doesn't (James Bobin on Alice Through the Looking Glass).

 

 

 

[UTJeff]

1 minute ago, DAJK said:

There IS a fantastic video game movie already released. And Doug Liman directed it

 

 

  Hide contents

okay, I guess Edge of Tomorrow is really only in the SPIRIT of a video game movie, but it proves that video game movies can work

 

 

Except that's not a video game, it's based on a Japanese light novel called All You Need Is Kill.  Later became a manga of the same name.

 

It doesn't really prove a video game movie can work really.  Also let's not forget, Edge of Tomorrow made only $100 million domestic.  

Edited December 20, 2016 by UTJeff

[Mojoguy]

Edge of Tomorrow was based on a Japanese Light Novel, not a video game. It just used video game concepts like respawning.