So, a couple years ago there was a very brief rumor that Tarantino wanted to direct the Half Life movie. While this rumor was quickly proven to be largely baseless and not true, there was minimal excitement over the possibilty. This just baffles me. The Half Life movie would require a subtle touch, someone who could put together a good flick while letting the setpieces do all of the real talking and having the characters take something of a backseat (This is less true with Half Life 2).
What is Tarantino known for? Being a largely average director and one of the all time great writers. Even his more action heavy films have depended on his quick and witty writing to keep them from sinking into the pool of average films (really think about the Direction of his movies, with the exception of Kill Bill Volume 1 they're all done in a highly simplistic and serviceable way). His dialogue relies heavily on pop culture refernces, which doesn't lend itself to Half Life at all. And what happens when his movies lack the crisp clean dialogue (which Half Life would need to)? Jackie Brown, that's what (admit it, half of you don't even fucking remember that movie, let alone that is was Tarantino).
One can't simply slam two good things together and expect a great thing (Refried beans and ice cream? Tastes like shit). This why Robin Hood (2010), Indiana Jones and the crystal Skull, and the Star Wars prequels ended up as shit(despite common belief, every one of those could have turned out just fine). Half Life is a great property, and Tarantino is a great filmmaker (again, talking largely about his writing) but his antics make him a terrible choice for the project.
So who would be a good choice? How about...
David Cronenberg, who has proven several times over that he can handle Sci-Fi (ExistenZe, The Fly, Scanners) aswell as action (History of Violence, ExistenZe,parts of Eastern Promises) and drama (Dead Ringers, M.Butterfly, and Eastern Promises). His direction is smooth, stylish and yet subtle. His movies often concise, despite holding several complexities. Cronenberg's Half Life movie would cover all of the desired bases.
Vincenzo Natali, one of the best handlers of Sci-Fi out there. Director of Cube, Sypher, and Splice. The sci-fi aspects of Half-Life would shine in his film, and his action along with the rest of the movie would be shot in a highly slick fashion.
Wildcard: The Wachowskis. These guys are the minds behind the fantastic Bound, and Sci-Fi/action landmark The Matrix (as well a Carnivore, one of the best unproduced scripts around). Unfortunately they also made the Matrix Sequels and Speed Racer (aswell as Plastic Man, one of the weirdest and worst unproduced scipts around). We'll have to wait and see how Cloud Atlus turns out, but based on their resume they'd make one hell of a film or one hell of a shit-fest.
And don't even get me started on Half Life 2...
What is Tarantino known for? Being a largely average director and one of the all time great writers. Even his more action heavy films have depended on his quick and witty writing to keep them from sinking into the pool of average films (really think about the Direction of his movies, with the exception of Kill Bill Volume 1 they're all done in a highly simplistic and serviceable way). His dialogue relies heavily on pop culture refernces, which doesn't lend itself to Half Life at all. And what happens when his movies lack the crisp clean dialogue (which Half Life would need to)? Jackie Brown, that's what (admit it, half of you don't even fucking remember that movie, let alone that is was Tarantino).
One can't simply slam two good things together and expect a great thing (Refried beans and ice cream? Tastes like shit). This why Robin Hood (2010), Indiana Jones and the crystal Skull, and the Star Wars prequels ended up as shit(despite common belief, every one of those could have turned out just fine). Half Life is a great property, and Tarantino is a great filmmaker (again, talking largely about his writing) but his antics make him a terrible choice for the project.
So who would be a good choice? How about...
David Cronenberg, who has proven several times over that he can handle Sci-Fi (ExistenZe, The Fly, Scanners) aswell as action (History of Violence, ExistenZe,parts of Eastern Promises) and drama (Dead Ringers, M.Butterfly, and Eastern Promises). His direction is smooth, stylish and yet subtle. His movies often concise, despite holding several complexities. Cronenberg's Half Life movie would cover all of the desired bases.
Vincenzo Natali, one of the best handlers of Sci-Fi out there. Director of Cube, Sypher, and Splice. The sci-fi aspects of Half-Life would shine in his film, and his action along with the rest of the movie would be shot in a highly slick fashion.
Wildcard: The Wachowskis. These guys are the minds behind the fantastic Bound, and Sci-Fi/action landmark The Matrix (as well a Carnivore, one of the best unproduced scripts around). Unfortunately they also made the Matrix Sequels and Speed Racer (aswell as Plastic Man, one of the weirdest and worst unproduced scipts around). We'll have to wait and see how Cloud Atlus turns out, but based on their resume they'd make one hell of a film or one hell of a shit-fest.
And don't even get me started on Half Life 2...
