The Big Picture: Off the Charts

[Scanniza]

Good as always Bob, I agree with most of what you said.

And for the people saying ME, DA and Bioshock when he talks about western games, chill out. It was a generalization. He's obviously aware that there are gems in the heap of dung that are western game plots, but it'd be stupid to say "Western games have bad stories, except XXX YYY ZZZ NNN QQQ..."

 

[viking97]

fuck, metal gear solid WOULD make an awesome movie...

jim carrey to play psycho mantis anyone?

 

[Zer_]

I haven't played the Uncharted games either, but I know enough about the series (thanks to Wikipedia) to know that there IS an actual narrative in the games and that the director's changes don't exactly fit in with it. Still I suppose you're right about the fact that movie won't be bad just because the characters are changed, but what they're changed into. Which brings me to the REAL reason I have doubts about this film: Nathan Fillion isn't playing Nathan Drake.

So according to Movie Bob: Red Dead Redemption, Mass Effect, Bioshock and Dragon Age don't exist. I'd hate to live in his world

Or one of the prime examples, Max Payne.

 

[Madshadow]

Hmm still don't get why you have something against the Uncharted franchise!? Seeing other 3rd person shooters and even FPS are more bland. To some degree Uncharted don't take themselves that serious (Watches at certain other Franchises That are even more hyped, Who do take themselves to serious.)

And well Drake is a light criminal slash big treasure hunter do being a douche fits partly that character.

This next part is for the ones who are going to refer to Indiana Jones.
And the whole Argument of that it is an Indiana Jones Ripoff is invalid as well seeing Indiana Jones has been based on other other older adventure movie genre before The Indiana Jones Franchise came to be.

LucasFilm might also want Shia Lebeouf to be Indiana Jones Next successor, I'd rather have Drake Any time!!

Uhm the Possible Uncharted movie well if it's the same guy behind Three Kings, then it might actually be quite authentic to the game if you look at dialogue, wittiness and such so that shouldn't be a problem, Then there is Marky mark (Playing it safe with a more Known actor) who i can't take seriously after watching an interview about the Max Payne movie. Him watching someone else playing the game to learn about is feels insulting and gives the impression that games are beneath him and can't take that serious. ( And the Game Industry is growing faster and bigger then the Movie Industry. That! and in all his roles he's not that witty and it doesn't suit him.

Then Nathan Fillion (FireFly or Joe Flanigan (Stargate Atlantis) is more suitable, all though Flanigan's voice is a bit passive he can be very witty.

 

[viking97]

And while I'm thinking about it, all the people saying Bioshock has a good story and might make a good movie? No, it would be terrible, or have to be completely altered. You spend almost the entire game utterly alone, with your only motivation being get from Point A to Point B until the plot twist. It's a really cool SETTING, but as a story you could write the whole thing out in two paragraphs.

UNLESS they tried for something really out-there and different, perhaps emphasizing loneliness. but i doubt it would work.

maybe a thirty minute short film, but frankly it would probably be better just to play the game.
i got my mom to play on easy (and bioshock's interpretation of easy is about the same as "firstly, hold the controller with both hands") and she loved it.
so ya a bioshock movie is a terrible idea.

 

[Primus1985]

Not caring about the Uncharted series and the awkward movie that is coming, the only thing I can say is dont down a movie before the trailer is out. At least wait till the first trailer to get a look before bashing it.


What concerns me is when Bob says theirs other adaptations to worry about and puts up a pic of the GL movie. I would like to know what he is so worried about. I mean It looks great as far as I can tell.

 

[zelda2fanboy]

I've been making very similar arguments across multiple threads and websites as moviebob has. Frankly, if David O Russell said Uncharted was going to be about a gay family meeting their inlaws for the first time or a crime drama about affluent Asians living in Southern California, it would still have a better chance at being a decent film than anything "the fans" could demand or come up with. He knows what he's doing and if he can't manufacture SOMETHING watchable out of this project, he won't do it. Google the movie "Nailed" some time. He's been burned before and I doubt he wants to get burned again. That having been said, the guy's had multiple onset meltdown/freakouts, so if anyone can write douchebags like Nathan Drake, it's this guy.

 

[Callate]

Oh, c'mon. A late period Steven Seagal movie? That's not fair. Game writing may exist largely to get the characters to the next action scene, but later Steven Seagal movie scripts are all about concealing their star can no longer do action scenes.

 

[Ibn-Hakam al-Bokhari]

"Filmakers buying the property just for the name, and rebuilding it in to something else entirely"

Therein lies my objection to the film. They haven't decided that Uncharted's story will make a good film. They've decided that gamers are stupid enough to watch any shit providing it has the same title as a game. It's insulting.

 

[MovieBob]

So critics now dog on stuff they havent even seen (of in this case played) themselves now? I think we've just reached a new low.

 

[SmileyBat]

Just wondering, Bob, why are you down on the GL movie?

 

[SmileyBat]

Not caring about the Uncharted series and the awkward movie that is coming, the only thing I can say is dont down a movie before the trailer is out. At least wait till the first trailer to get a look before bashing it.


What concerns me is when Bob says theirs other adaptations to worry about and puts up a pic of the GL movie. I would like to know what he is so worried about. I mean It looks great as far as I can tell.

I'm with you on this.

 

[xchurchx]

You know ive always thought if films dont work what about TV
Think about it a movie is trying to squeeze a 12-25 hour game into 2:30-3:00 hour film
however with a tv series you can expand those into 2o or so hour long episodes giving directors more time to expand character development and storyline
it wont work for all games of course... mostly non linear games wont work.

 

[Shjade]

Amusingly enough, when I look at how much people are complaining about this one remark - one that isn't even wrong, they just don't like how it's structured

Way to just make a controversial statement without any kind of reasoning or explanation behind it to back it up...If you make a remark like that, and I think based on his previous works it pretty clear Bob's attempting to troll people, expect to get called out on it.

Do explain, just why is that comment "not wrong".

Bob's statement, paraphrased: most western games have lackluster story.

The argument people have presented: most games in general have lackluster story, western games are no worse than non-western.

That argument does not conflict with Bob's statement. Most western games have lackluster story even if most non-western games also have lackluster story.

The statement isn't wrong, you just don't like how it's phrased because it implies some other origin of games is better. Whether or not that's true is irrelevant to the majority of western games having weak (I wanted to keep repeating lackluster through the whole post to see if I could do it; I couldn't) stories.

To put it another way, if I say that gun control in Madeuplandia is terrible, you pointing out that gun control in Also Fictitioussia is just as bad does not make my statement wrong. If they're both equally terrible, then they are individually terrible as well.

Did that clear it up for you? I could try being more detailed if you need it, but it's not a complicated position.

 

[shiajun]

Alright, I'll bite the obvious trolling east vs west line. Aaaaaand to side-step the whole myopia this community overall seems to suffer when it comes to western game genres and the disturbing lack of knowledge of games older than 5 years, I'll avoid the already mentioned AAA games (and that seem to be mostly console ones).

1) Amnesia, the Dark Descent
2) The Last Express
3) Grim Fandango
4) Gabriel Knight (any, choose, though GK2, being FMV live action and all is already a movie)
5) Sands of Time....oh wait, the movie has been done and it's pretty decent.
6) Dreamfall (since The Longest Journey is waaaaay too long to make into a movie)
7) Homeworld (and to a lesser extent, Homeworld 2)
8) Beyond Good and Evil
9) Starcraft: Brood War (there's quite a bit of betrayal and reversal of fortunes going on to make a good movie, and Jim Raynor is awesome there, with other magnificent roles all over the place)
10) Psychonauts (actually, any Tim Schaffer game sets down an incredible and unique universe to expand upon)
11) X-Com
12) Deus-Ex

err...should I go on? What universe is Bob living in?

I guess it's the same universe where either Mario or Zelda games have any plot or story worth expanding for 90 minutes, where Hideo Kojima's rambling and convoluted plots make any sense or don't come off as ludicrous, or..who's the other guy, Conan? Seriously? All of those may be noticeable gaming mascots but NONE work as detailed characters for a movie.

 

[Decabo]

Nice of you to talk of the Uncharted games as if you've actually played them, Bob. You're adorable.

 

[StriderShinryu]

I've been making very similar arguments across multiple threads and websites as moviebob has. Frankly, if David O Russell said Uncharted was going to be about a gay family meeting their inlaws for the first time or a crime drama about affluent Asians living in Southern California, it would still have a better chance at being a decent film than anything "the fans" could demand or come up with.

The problem is that, regardless of how good/bad Russell's version of Uncharted is, nothing to do with Uncharted based on the available information. Fans of the series are not complaining because they think this Uncharted is going to be a bad movie, they're complaining because it has no connection to the IP it's supposedly based on. It's not an issue of quality, it's an issue of using a somewhat known name simply to get your movie green lit and secure extra unwarranted ticket sales.