Wow! Sam Raimi. Now I am excited. I like his work.
Why The Last of Us Movie Could Be Great for Gaming
|
 On 07/27/2014 at 03:05 AM by Casey Curran See More From This User » |
One bit of news at Comic-Con is that Sam Raimi is producing The Last of Us movie while Neil Druckman, who wrote the video game, is writing the script. Ever since it was first rumored, however, many people have been against a Last of Us movie. How it would condense too much from a fifteen hour game. How it would probably not tell the story as well as the game did. I agree with both of these notions one hundred percent. And I am also one hundred percent on board with this movie.
Last week, I would have been with the rest of you. But seeing Sam Raimi was producing it (by the way Sony, don't even look for a director, get this guy to do it too) made me think of how far comic book movies had come since the original Spider-Man. How Spider-Man was the exception with good comic book movies, Thor and Captain America would have never had good movies ten years ago, and Spider-Man, The Dark Knight, and Iron Man legitimized these as a staple in comic book movies.
Now imagine if The Last of Us had the same effect on video games. Say this movie is a hit both critically and financially. This could open the doors to make video games a legitimate form to adapt. Video games could have their stories retold in fresh new ways where people treat the source material with the respect it deserves. A convoluted series like Metal Gear can be retold in ways where the elements which do not work are tweaked to construct a stronger plot. A game with a great story, but weak gameplay can be adapted for the story to be enjoyed. We could get a Smash Bros movie that works with the same type of continuity as The Avengers!
A scenario which I am not sure is likely, I will admit, but so far Sony seems to be on the right track for. Zombies are still popular with the public as well, and combine this with the strong characters, mature story, and unorthodox ending, and the seeds are planted for a potentially great movie.
Sure, it will probably not be as well told as the video game. But Harry Potter was a better book and that never takes away that the movies (as a whole) are pretty great. The Last of Us working better as a game does not necessarily mean it cannot be a great movie. And imagine for a second that you are talking to a nongamer who mentions loving The Last of Us movie. And you bring up how you thought the game told the story better. Something common with books adapted into games, but unimaginable to people who still have no clue that a video game can tell a great story. This could create new gamers even.
Is this optimistic? Hell yeah! But the purpose is not to salivate over a potential great future. The purpose is to say that this movie could have a reason to exist. And a damn good one at that.
Comments