HITMAN

The last 15-20 minutes becomes a muddled mess complete with quick cut shaky cam. Almost as if the final climatic scene was shot by an entirely different director. The movie had promise. There were quite a number of times when an interesting idea was brought up only to be ignored for the more mundane video game action.

Yet ANOTHER crappy movie based on a video game. PLEASE why do they keep thinking video games will transfer well into a movie. The problem in my opinion is that a video game is fun because you are the star. Your actions have an impact on the narrative. The movie adaptions are simply narratives of the game, which in most (or all) cases makes the story boring, due to the fact that the only device that draws you in (the game play) is removed.
VIDEO-Game Movies always have/ always will suck because of this.
I loved the RE video games, I wipe my ass with the RE movies.
These are simply a way of Hollywood suckering young and dumb audiencese into the theatre with a familiar face then ALWAYS leaving them like they died on level 2.
If you disagree with me, fine. Name at least 3 succesful (money wise, as well as critical acclaim) video game adaption movies.
I'll even give you one. Mortal Kombat (although it is based on enter the dragon, it's still the ONLY good Video game movie)

Here's a list...

http://www.gamerflicks.com/index.php?/Gamerflicks/articles/the_highest_grossing_video_game_movies_of_all_time/

First three are:
Tomb Raider $131 million
Pokemon (which started life as a video game) $85 million
Alien vs. Predator $80 million

Those three movies were hardly critical successes. Tomb Raider was the best of that bunch...but then when they made the movie, they just had to rip off Indiana Jones, which of course the games were inspired from.

AVP started out as a graphic novel, not a video game...but it might as well have been based on a game, what with the completely craptastic plotline that only mouth breathing wastrels could enjoy!

AvP was actually a videogame before the movie was ever made, AND was a videogame franchise with sequels before the movie came out. So, unfortunately, it does count.

As for critical success, you'd be hard pressed to find three comic book movies with critical praise and high box office receipts, let alone a video game movie that critics like. It's a moot argument.

I don't have a problem with game adaptations. I've liked what it's been done with some. True I think sometimes the creative team seem to take a lazy approach and rely too much on the game and perhaps don't develop the story or characters enough. But that's not the game's fault is probably more to do with the director. Which I think was the problem with this movie. I think they should've spent more time getting into the Hitman's character. I think they blew the opportunity of what was a promising character and dare I say a possible franchise.

Can't anyone just enjoy a violent movie anymore? It was a video game movie, so was supposed to suck. Don't go into it expecting it to be good. I saw it. I liked it. Who cares if a three year old wrote it? Turn your brain off and enjoy the blood bath and boobs.

NO
AVP WAS a Graphic Novel FIRST, IT DOESNTR count. The Movie (and the game ) were based on a comic.
I also will agree the Tomb Raider HARDLY a critical success.
NOW don't get me wrong I'm not bashing, I'm simply trying to start an intellectual discussion about this topic.
And I still stand by my earlier post. Nice try Daforce, but throwing AVP was a downfall in your argument. The only one I'll give you is Pokemon.
NOW for 3 critically acclaimed and commercial successes based on comics. EASY...
1. Spiderman (1 or 2) your pick. You may not like them but they recieved great reviews from critics worldwide, as well as box office blowouts as far as $$$ is concerned.
2. Batman Begins Again Critics loved it, and it did well enough finacially (better than Tomb Raider by any rate) I saw it at least twice in the theater, and I'm sure many saw it more than that.
For my third, I could go an easier route, bu tlet me think, Hmmmmm....hell I'll give you a list to choose from
-X-men, recieved great reviews, made lots o money (as did it's sequel)
-300 high box office reciepts and the critics liked it, not loved, but liked
-1990's Batman

there are more, trust me.
At any rate the point is a comic makes a better movie than a Video Game, because it tells a story without your involvement being intrgal to your enjoyment of the story. A good game relies as much on gameplay as it does graphics and story. Taking away the gameplay ussually equals BORING...

GauleyBoy, that's not the issue. It's not that comic books make better movies, it's that they've been more faithfully translated. The temptation with videogames is to take a character, or a situation (rarely both... my experience tells me that Hitman is more like the Metal Gear games than a shooter) and transplant them into an action/horror framework. It doesn't work because they're not appealing to anyone. Gamers want to see faithful interpretations and the standard movie going audience wants to see a good film. Rarely are both sides pleased, and lately, it seems nobody is.

The other temptation is to change the storyline because, according to writers and producers, people want to see something new. The trends on these issues point back to the first adaptations, those being books turned into movies. They tried adapting The Maltese Falcon three times, and the third time succeeded because Huston essentially transplanted the book into his screenplay. Before that they tried changing the storyline and the characters so audiences would like it more. I won't literally compare games to books, but could anyone imagine how much better movies like Resident Evil would be if they used the actual characters and situations? Silent Hill was the worst offender for me. I got rigor mortis in my middle finger from everything that happened in the church in that movie.

Mortal Kombat and Tomb Raider may not have been amazing movies, but at least they stuck to the characters and situations, and that is unfortunately the only basis for comparison we have. Comic books like Batman, Spider Man, and X-Men got first-class treatments, and audiences responded favorably. What is needed here is writers and directors who will actually be faithful to videogames, namely the people that grew up with them. Until someone can convince studios and producers to take a video game seriously, we'll be mired here for awhile.

BryanWay,
I agree with you on all of your points, and my middle finger fell off due to the horrible piece of celluloid that was Silent Hill. Definitely the worse offender.
I also didn't want to (nor did I) make this into a games vs. comics adaption war. I simply responded to DaForces opinion on the matter. It was actually he who brought comics into this conversation.
I just want someone, ANYONE to tell me 3 great Game adapted movies, (I already said Mortal Kombat, so 3 different ones please, and yeah I'll give you Tomb Raider, I've never seen it, but heard it's ok.) So far no one has been able to. I agree with your points as to why it hasn't happened yet.