Mass Effect, the movie?
It was bound to happen. The hit video game franchise, "Mass Effect," has been optioned for a movie adaptation. Naturally, this is most likely doomed to not be a fan-pleaser (though it could generate what I call the "Michael Bay" effect, where big 'n' loud 'n' 'splody = money). Video games as movie subjects seem to have gone through an odd evolution without reaching some kind of even temporary equilibrium where both industries would enhance the other.
In the olden days, video games were hard to make movies (or even animated TV shows for that matter) out of because there wasn't a lot to work with beyond what the characters looked like and what the player had to do to in order to score points. "But," one might say, "there have been good films about other types of games, like baseball or football." This is true, but the good ones went beyond the game itself to examine the players and their experiences both on and off the field. You could also have whatever cast you liked, since you have more people to work with than just one Italian plumber and his brother. Then, even in the 8-bit era, video games started having a scope that rivaled some feature films, at least in concept (like the old SSI role-playing games, or "Might and Magic," for example). Fast forward to today and we arrive at games like "Mass Effect," an experience with probably at least ten times the content of a movie, at least in terms of plot, character exposition and background information. While Bioware has some of its founding members attached as producers, here's why I think it may run into trouble:
- If it follows the plot of the game, people who haven't played may be confused by information overload, and those who have played it will probably have had a richer experience than the movie can deliver. The game was, at times, like a technical manual with a very pretty user interface. Just the codex part of the game alone could keep you occupied as long as an intense Wikipedia safari. And while the game was on rails (your endgame doesn't change), the choices you make along the way do have some impact on how events appear to play out, so a movie would be kind of like finding out what outcomes are canon for "The Force Unleashed."
- Many sci-fi fans are going to think they've seen this before. Mass Effect is very, very derivative. The games have side quests, races, and other plot bits that have some familiar things visible under a fresh coat of paint: Babylon-5, Aliens, the Borg, Star Wars, the Klingons, and Stargate, just to name a few. I'm not accusing them of outright plagiarism, but I am saying the franchise is very trope-heavy.
- Mass Effect 2 kind of wrecked key plot points in Mass Effect 1. No spoilers, but the big bad they set up for the first game was significantly altered in the second. The villains' goals were changed, and many players didn't care for the fate of Commander Shepard from the first mission onward (especially given the group he works with in ME2, as they were portrayed as amoral villains in ME1). So if we do get a movie, unless it "fixes" some of the plot bits, any sequels will suffer from the same problems.
- If they make a new adventure for Commander Shepard set in the Mass Effect universe, I'd ask "why didn't you just make another game?" For all its flaws (and endless elevator scenes, at least the first time out), Mass Effect 1 & 2 are pretty darn fun. The only advantage to the movie is that, good or bad, I only lose 2 hours of my life. :)
- The love story. In both games, Shepard can romance a character, and you can guide him/her to the one you'd like to, ah, "engage" with (or at least you can try). It's probably also why the games have a touch of infamy. I'm sure that whatever character the scriptwriters pick will only please about 1/3 of the audience, the rest complaining that he should have picked up the blue woman, or the one in the environmental suit, or, in extreme cases, one of the Krogan. While it'd be in keeping with the theme of the game, I kind of doubt they'll film multiple endings the same way they did with "Clue" starring Tim Curry.
This was an unexpected honor, just in time for summer vacation: Ps238 was selected as one of the best schools in comic books! I can only credit the teachers and the community for helping to make it the learning institution and target for alien invasion/villain aggression that it's become today. :)
And Offworld Designs sent me word that they're having a Memorial Day sale:
Check out the cool re-designed web site and save 15% on orders of $20.00 or more using the code MemorialDaySale (case sensitive) at checkout. The code is good from now until Midnight CST on June 6th.
Speaking of T-shirts, I hope to have a few more designs up before San Diego rolls around, and I'll also have one to unveil for Inconjunction, probably by next week. I'm finding out if they do sales on-line, as I think the science geeks in the audience might like it.
I'll close with a novel-to-film question: If you've read a novel like "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," and you know how the epilogue at the end goes, is it really a spoiler to see photos of said epilogue? More stuff that's probably equally as bad for your mental health lies below:
- "Itsjustsomerandomguy" has posted his 100th "I'm a Marvel, I'm a DC" short and it's a musical. I think Whedon should bring him in on the next Doctor Horrible installment.
- This game is for puzzler buffs, those not bothered by an occasional message about intellectual property, and fans of Wallace & Gromit: Sprocket Rocket has you piloting a flying pod and using your cursor to create "tools" for it to use in solving puzzles that reward you with stars cogs.
- As if it had come straight from the pages of "Dilbert," here's BP's 'Public Relations' Twitter feed. Dark comedy lovers rejoice. My favorite thus far is: "The good news: Mermaids are real. The bad news: They are now extinct."
- The good news? That playable Google-logo tribute to Pac-Man has a permanent home. The bad news? Playing it will just contribute to the estimated $120,483,800 in lost productivity.
- Target put up two ads during the "Lost" finale that kind of made you think the show had returned and gotten even weirder: Ribs and Smokey.
- Looking for a home in New York? Are you hankering for one with some historical value? Good news! The house that inspired The Amityville Horror is for sale.
- One man and his semi-faithful dog take on a six-legged annoyance in the CGI short Fly.
- If ever there was a tea infuser that could make tea seem more of a rugged beverage, this is it. We're going to need a bigger kettle...
- Here's a strategy-based distraction that plays a lot like a board game: Star Relic. Pick an alien race and go to war, winning battles by blowing up your enemy's stargate.