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Gamers and Movie Genres
Friday, April 8, 2011 at 2:46PM 'G' is for "Gamers," as in those who play Video Games for this addition to the A to Z Challenge. This letter also represents "Genre" since I realized that a lot of movies based on video games are not created equal, yet they still get slammed by critics. Oddly enough, these movies still do well at the box office, which seems to be a trend across many genres of film. 
"Resident Evil" starring Milla Jovovich (The Three Musketeers) and Michelle Rodriguez (Girlfight, The Fast and the Furious) is based on video games of the same name. It is categorized as a horror movie and packs enough blood and violence to fit right in with this genre. The first one was too creepy but the sequel, "Resident Evil: Apocalypse" wasn't too bad. Movies in the entire Resident Evil franchise have been a commercial success, despite negative reviews from critics on, well, just about (if not) all of them.
"Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" starring Angelina Jolie is far from scary. It sits among movies such as "Harry Potter" and "The Dark Knight" in the action-adventure and fantasy genres. Critics were not pleased with the film and some of the reasons why it received negative reviews had more to do with it's lack of depth with regards to the plot and less to do with the Lara: Croft Tomb Raider video games so there seems to be a mixture of disappointment on both sides....movie lovers and gamers.
Still, the movie was a success at the box office and I'm not surprised. My reason isn't because I was one of the many people who went to the theater to check out this movie, but, because the popularity of the video game combined with the international attraction to Angelina Jolie stirred in with cool special effects make for some pretty satisfying entertainment. Even Roger Ebert called this movie "silly, yet wondrous to look at" so hey, Lara Croft probably killed in DVD rentals and sales too.
"Max Payne" went all Film Noir in its movie adaptation of the video game. Let's see....does Hitchcock and "Mission Impossible" mix? How about Otto Preminger and "Die Another Day" or other James Bond films? Well, I wouldn't know because "Max Payne" is the only movie on this list that I still have not watched. Just like the other video game movies, "Max Payne" got a bad reaction from critics, who believe it has a confusing plot...but wait...there's more. The star of this movie, Mark Wahlberg, received a Razzie nomination for Worst Actor. None of the bad reviews or Razzie listings stopped "Max Payne" from generating more than $80 million worldwide.
So, what is the problem? Do film critics just not like movies based on video games? I'm pretty sure that it's not that simple and there are concrete reasons that these movies are getting a bad rep from press, gamers and maybe even a portion of the general movie going public. Still, there has to be a way to put films in a better position to be championed by the people who rate them.
If these movies based on video games are so successful despite negative reviews from critics, what would give them a better chance at gaining favorable reviews in the future?
Are the producers and/or directors of these video game movies focused on replicating the game so much that they neglect to create a story behind it for movie goers to follow?
or
Would producers be better off focusing more on creating a good plot and less on making sure that video game related elements are in place?
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Reader Comments (11)
my husband used to be a gamer but he doesn't play much anymore. He used to play with our son.
hip-chick,
Video games make for a great family time activity.
I'm not much of a gamer but did play Tekken amd like, Mortal Kombat and stuff many years ago.
Well, I like Resident Evil (the whole bunch of them) and the Croft movie kept me entertained. I didn’t see Max Payne. I know I’ve seen other movies based on games and for the most part I’ve enjoyed them. True, I don’t go in thinking I’m gonna see Shakespeare. I except action so, they’re fun.
Holly, Thanks for adding your comment. Glad to know that I'm not the only one who didn't watch Max Payne. I think you may have hit the magic word with "fun".
Video games are fun so why should their film counterparts be any different, right?
I know I just don't want to be bored so as long as they can entertain me (and I'm applying this to some movies such as the video game based ones mentioned here), I'm probably going to go and watch them.
Now, if it was, say, a non-video game movie like "Waiting for Superman" or "Blue Valentine" or something, then I'm not going to hold it to the same standard as the video game movies, so I'm not looking forward to the movie being entertaining.
I do think the problem is the movies try to stick too closely to the narrative of the game. The only reason the game is entertaining is because of it's interactivity, whereas a movie is not.
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The higher the box office gross, the lower the critical acclaim - in general. Just have to pick one and be grateful for it, I guess.
Julia, this is America....a nation full of greedy people who are never satisfied.....producers don't want just the ticket sales or good reviews, they want it all, lol.
On a more serious note, it's wild that these movies get one thing but not the other because so many moviemakers are taught and told that good press means a good box office revenue, so you'd think they go hand in hand....but not in this case.
One good thing that I think comes out of getting good press though is that even if a film does not do well at the box office, it can possibly make that loss up in DVD sales and Television and such.
so true.
I love your site and as I browsed your blog I decided to award you the Creative Blog Award.
Go to http://astorybookworld.blogspot.com/p/awards.html and pick up your award.
~Deirdra
Deirdra, oh thank you so much for the Creative Blog Award. I am truly honored and will highlight it on the blog this evening! Thanks for visiting!
I'm not very familiar with video games or the movies made from them. I do think that if the game has a fairly adequate storyline that a first film should follow it and only get enhanced if characters or plot need to be strengthened. The gamers should get their due.
Lee
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I was listening to an interview with Morgan Freeman who pointed out that Hollywood's main interest when it comes to movies/casting is "what makes money." For example, Westerns in recent years (including critically acclaimed ones) have been terrible performers when one accounts for the overseas markets...only Americans seem to like movies about cowboys.
As long as there is a market...and "gamer movies" are a niche market...Hollywood will continue to churn them out because there are people who will pay money to see their favorite game on the big screen. And if you can get a decent crossover with a big name draw (for example, Mark Wahlberg, who has a large following for reasons other than his acting ability) you get a "twofer" in the money-making biz.
And Hollywood IS in the money-making business...much moreso than the film making business it sometimes seems.