[April] Shadow of the Colossus

[Eight Rooks]

The odd thing is I would have thought it could work. Get Terrence Malick behind it or something and instant ahmahgawd, basically. Or at the very least have long, long periods of silence. But it won't. They'll try and turn it into a LOTR knockoff on the cheap, popcorn it to hell and back, it'll die a quick death at the cinema and make a tidy profit from Friday night audiences on DVD.

EDIT: Just to clarify, I still think SotC - like ICO before it - has one of the best stories a videogame's ever had. You could flesh it out somewhat, even keep much of it ride-horse-kill-giant and still make it a great film. Just not a matinee audiences, multi-million dollar marketing campaign, Happy Meal tie-in sort of great film.

[charlesr]

I can't see the stories translating, even to an arthouse film. The reason they work so well in the game is that you are in the story.

[Flabio]

I vaguely remember that there was a Japanese novelisation of ICO actually...

[Concept]

I am not entirely certain, but I don't think that novelisation was considered 'cannon'. With the film, it looks as though they're trying to tie in a companion piece to the game.

Apparently, the producer and author are intending to flesh out "some of the characters who appear only momentarily in the game", in order to give it some dramatic interest.

As for EightRook's point. I don't think Shadow of the Colossus' structure lends itself at all well to film, and yes, they are planning to turn it into Lord of the Rings wannabe 2.0 apparently.

According to Fritz, this hasn't stopped Sony Pictures from having sky-high ambitions for the project. "Despite the game's somewhat 'artsy' cred, they're hoping Shadow will be a Lord of the Rings-style fantasy tentpole," he said.

I'm actually less disappointed at the hacks intending to make the film than I am at Sony for having such lack of respect and care for their IP that they're willing to sell it out to whoever comes along. Surprising and disappointing.

[fishbowlhead]

The only reason such a concept worked in the game in the first place was that

a: team ico have obviously got some very, very talented guys in there team who can come up with original concepts in the first place and then proceed to make them into wonderful games.

b: Team ico are given the time and respect needed to transfer there ideas into wonderful and polished games.



I don't normally give two ****s about games to films at all, but this is blasphemy as far as im concerned. Theres no one in Hollywood, or the rest of the film industry for that matter, with the talent to make this turn out anything but complete garbage

[Concept]

The only reason such a concept worked in the game in the first place was that

a: team ico have obviously got some very, very talented guys in there team who can come up with original concepts in the first place and then proceed to make them into wonderful games.

b: Team ico are given the time and respect needed to transfer there ideas into wonderful and polished games.



I don't normally give two ****s about games to films at all, but this is blasphemy as far as im concerned. Theres no one in Hollywood, or the rest of the film industry for that matter, with the talent to make this turn out anything but complete garbage

Guillermo Del Toro is said to be a fan of Team ICO's work, but yes, I think we'd all prefer it if people who had understanding and appreciation of the games were working on it. That may very well be the case, but having the writer of the new streetfighter movie and talk of changing this 'artsy' (i.e. awkward to translate) game into something more Lord of the Rings-like is baffling.

If selling the rights to the film is a necessary evil to fund whatever new game Team ICO is on then fair enough. But if it's an opportunistic grab for Sony's movie division to make some money from a franchise which has the genre 'fantasy' attached to it, then I have to say I'm really surprised.

Sony have been incredibly protective of media exposure to Team ICO over the years when they've been in development, so why they'd suddenly get loose and let someone (potentially) ride roughshod over Sotc/ICO's world is beyond me.

I guess it really does show that there aren't any sacred cows at all in gaming. More than anything it's just a real, bitter disappointment if the news is true (Variety and Hollywood reporter have apparently put up articles) that Sony would show such lack of regard for what's probably their most critically acclaimed videogame property. It seems like God of War would be a better LotR fit.

[Flabio]

The basic plot would make a decent film though, when you get down to it.

->Open Spoiler<-

Warrior dude's bit on the side is killed, he learns that the god of the land of the dead can bring her back at a price.

The price is killing some giant monster things. Monsters turn out to not be evil. Dude becomes new incarnation of evil god, and is killed by crusader types who tried to warn him earlier on. Bit on the side comes to life afterwards and becomes evil bitch queen.

The end.

[Eight Rooks]

Well, yes. Add the various threads of loss, redemption, forgiveness, learning to accept that sometimes bad **** happens to good people... Of course you couldn't make it two hours plus of ride-ride-ride-kill-ride-ride-ride-kill etc. But you could flesh it out, expand very gently on the backstory, avoid shoehorning in Hollywood's pet themes, keep the hero largely (possibly entirely) silent...

You could not make anything Jerry Bruckheimer would attach his name to and still keep the spirit of the game. But you could do a very nice "based on..." which would stand as a fitting tribute and pull in the more arthouse nerd crowd very easily. Sadly I doubt it'd make as much money as what we're getting is likely to.

[Flabio]

I dunno, a mindless hack and slash adaptation isn't guarenteed to do well at the box office. Look at Dungeon Siege (actually, don't.)

[Eight Rooks]

True, but there's anciliary profits and suchlike - DVD sales, overseas markets, publicity for Team ICO (people certainly aren't going to boycott their next game because of this). And Dungeon Siege isn't really such a great example - Boll was only ever really making movies on the back of tax breaks for rich German businessmen (as in I doubt anyone cared that much what sort of money they pulled in) and DS came just as that gimmick was getting old. I'm not seeing camp midnight madness here, more 13th Warrior, Pathfinder or Outlander - well-meaning but ultimately completely forgettable swords and sorcery that's a curiosity inside a couple of years after release. I suppose that depends on just how badly the guy ****s up the script.

I think it will be bad - pretty bad, even - just that it won't be terrible enough for how little it resembles the game to be an issue.

[Daniel Faraday]

One of the best games ever made in my opinion

[iloveannie]

I also agree that it is one of the best games (if it is?) ever made.

As a movie I think it would make a perfect 20 minute short that one happened upon late at night whilst flipping channels. Just cuts into the story with no introduction and then closes likewise. A glimpse into the world that has so enraptured and hypnotised those of us to have experienced it.

Back to the game then...

The sheer size of the creatures is awesome as are their behaviours. I actually felt afraid hiding between the pillars when one bent down to look for me! Such a grin on my face. Killed him obviously. And the final colossi: you can look back at the land and see it's tranquility yet before you lies... well you all know.

I must have spent so much time just riding to the outer points of the land, looking out at the ocean, the strong breeze blowing over me and the distant sea below breaking against the rocks. And how they managed to 'almost hide' some of those huge crumbling structures where the beasts live in such a desolate land beats me.

If I could have ever only have played ten games in my whole life? Well this would be one of them. But then again I don't even know if I should regard it as a game as it was so much more. We talk about games becoming more than just that? This is one of them.

[bash]

Imagine if ray Harryhausen was involved in making a movie of this 40 years ago? of course they'll make it with mid budget cgi with some pumped up hero or skinny emo teen.