Flaw in Mass Effect Movie

[thejboy88]

Hi everyone.

As you may be aware at this point there is a Mass Effect movie in the works. Now video game adaptations are nothing new, nor is the feeling that most of them are not faithful or even very good. However, if this movie is trying hard to emulate the main story of the MassEffect franchise then I have a very specific worry regarding the film.

The biggest and most important aspect of the Mass Effect games is tha ability to shape the story and characters through a combination of dialogue choices and moral decisions. This leads to many branching story paths and outcomes for the characters. This, I think is whre the idea of a Mass Effect movie falls apart. There is just no way that an adaptation of the game can implement this aspect onto the big screen.

As such we will have a film where only one set of choices is made, one type of character path. The biggest problem of this is that now, evrry choice players have made regarding the story and characters will be rendered invalid.

There will be a canon gender for Shephard, a canon relationship (if any), a canon morality and a canon ending. Whenever gamers choose otherwise, it will now be out of continuity with the path the filmakers have for the adapation.

This could be one of the biggest differences between games and films, the ability to make choices. It will also be, I think, the biggest contributing factor to this film's likely failure.

 

[repeating integers]

Well, I see where you're coming from, and that certainly would be a big problem... but not the biggest by a long shot.

The biggest problem is going to be condensing 20-odd hours of gameplay into 2-odd hours of screentime.

Why they went for a movie, and not an ongoing TV series, I don't know. I don't expect much.

 

[Irridium]

They don't have to make a movie based on the games. The Mass Effect universe is large and has deep lore. They're probably going to do a film about First Contact. That has space battles, land battles, and other battles. I'd say they would be able to make a movie out of that.

Hopefully they will anyways. Otherwise I'll just ignore it.

 

[scnj]

They don't have to make a movie based on the games. The Mass Effect universe is large and has deep lore. They're probably going to do a film about First Contact. That has space battles, land battles, and other battles. I'd say they would be able to make a movie out of that.

Hopefully they will anyways. Otherwise I'll just ignore it.

Here's hoping for a side story, eh? I highly doubt they'll go that route though.

 

[Slangeveld]

I agree with Irridium :O


I'll make and continue my own story with Sheppard if you don't mind, but I wouldn't hate a prequel of some sort! First contact, or maybe even the uhm... The thing where humans learned how to use Bio powers A movie about those would be cool.

 

[Lordmarkus]

They don't have to make a movie based on the games. The Mass Effect universe is large and has deep lore. They're probably going to do a film about First Contact. That has space battles, land battles, and other battles. I'd say they would be able to make a movie out of that.

Hopefully they will anyways. Otherwise I'll just ignore it.

Yeah, First contact war would be awesome but why not keep spinning on something about the second American civil war that was briefly mentioned in Kasumi's memory.

...or maybe that would turn out to be a wee too much Deus Ex.

 

[Scars Unseen]

So you think that the movie would do better if it was an incoherent, Choose-Your-Own-Adventure mess? I can think of all sorts of ways that this movie could fail (watch nearly any video game based movie to get half a dozen or so), but internal consistency isn't one of them.

 

[theriddlen]

No way this movie is gonna be about Shepard. He probably won't even appear there.

 

[Crashage]

As long as Matthew Fox doesn't play Shepard I wont be raging over it any time soon

 

[thejboy88]

The biggest and most important aspect of the Mass Effect games is tha ability to shape the story and characters through a combination of dialogue choices and moral decisions. This leads to many branching story paths and outcomes for the characters. This, I think is whre the idea of a Mass Effect movie falls apart. There is just no way that an adaptation of the game can implement this aspect onto the big screen.

I completely disagree with you. A good director could show dilemmas and difficult decisions, he could even include a very fast jump forward to whatever could happen before coming back to the main track in less than 30 seconds (as long as it's not a 24 split-screen effect *shudders*).

I'm sure it will not be the case, and considering how much I think of movies in general...

ME fans like you should keep hoping, though, because it's completely doable.

For the sake of the franchise and future ME installments, I hope you're right.

 

[Skorpyo]

The main flaw I see with a ME movie is the fact that it is a MOVIE.

Based on a GAME.

*shudders*

 

[Caedus]

If ever Mass Effect should have a movie, it would surely be a disaster. Nice-looking and badass but still a disaster. Why ? Because Shepard is iconic, "He's a bloody hero" Mass Effect without Shepard isn't Mass Effect.

But still, I'd like to see what it would look like. Saren's early life is a possibility too ?

 

[LawlessSquirrel]

No way this movie is gonna be about Shepard. He probably won't even appear there.

Pretty much this, but instead of 'No way' I'd say 'It's unlikely that', and instead 'He' I'd say 'She'.

It would be unwise to take a purely player-driven character and try to make a canonical version for a film in an already criticized area of films. It just doesn't make sense.

Then again, not like that's stopped stuff like this before.

 

[Altorin]

They won't show the actual events from mass effect. More likely, the movie will take place in established cannon, either something referenced in the game (such as the First Contact War), or something in the novels (such as the storyline of Either novel)

If ever Mass Effect should have a movie, it would surely be a disaster. Nice-looking and badass but still a disaster. Why ? Because Shepard is iconic, "He's a bloody hero" Mass Effect without Shepard isn't Mass Effect.

But still, I'd like to see what it would look like. Saren's early life is a possibility too ?

The books are pretty good and actually feel more believable as sci fi then the games do, and only one of them even mentions shepard and it's only very briefly in passing.

 

[The Hive Mind]

Mass Effect, like TES, is so far up its own ass in boring lore that I can't stand the backdrop to the series at all, and so although the gameplay is pretty fun, and some of the characters are quite well done (but fuck off with cheesy lesbians please), I really don't want to see a film of this.

 

[Panicky]

I honestly doubt the film will involve Commander Shepard, and while I agree with you that the major component of Mass Effect is choice, we mustn't forget the fascinating universe in which the games are set. There's a lot of potential for storytelling beyond the scope of the video games.

 

[C117]

It could all be solved by making the film a prequel or something, explaining exactly how the humans found the Mass Effect for example.

 

[Mr. Socky]

This would be assuming that they would do the same story as the games. If they focused on some prequel bit (like the First Contact War) then it would solve all problems, as it would already be set-in stone canon.