I wouldn’t walk into a renowned chef’s kitchen and ask him to change his recipe for Venison Loin with Celery Root Puree to something closer to my tastes just because I am not a celery fan. Granted, a lot of people out there don’t play videogames and, on top of that, would have a lot of trouble just “trying” something as complicated as S hadow of the Colossus, but I don’t think that should matter. My snobby SotC fandom > Justin Marks’ snobby SotC fandomĪs an (obvious) huge fan of Shadow of the Colossus - something Justin Marks, the writer of the movie, claims to be as well - I would rather everything stay as it is and encourage people to experience the original as it was meant to be experienced: as a videogame.
#Film bully ps2 movie
So, again, I ask: what purpose does making this movie serve? This scene could be sad in the movie version, but it will never achieve the same feeling of immersion established in the videogame.
By directing Wander and Agro to jump over the broken bridge, the player feels directly responsible for what happens next. It’s like the player becomes Wander and feels an overpowering sense of guilt once his best friend in the world plummets to his supposed death. This is one of the most haunting, heartbreaking scenes ever experienced in a videogame, and the player is completely invested in it due to the fact that they are controlling Wander and Agro before it happens. ***MAJOR SPOILER AHEAD*** Take the scene when Agro falls from the bridge. Not only is it remarkably cinematic, it is also interactive. In a way, the videogame version of Shadow of the Colossus is even better than a movie could ever be. Like I mentioned before, the best case scenario is an exact clone, while the worst case scenario is … well … I think we all know what the worst case scenario could be. Shadow of the Colossus, the videogame, is already so cinematic that it is hard to imagine what could be done to change anything. The act of book to film adaptation is almost an art unto itself. The transformation from page to screen is an exciting one, if only to see the creativity that is involved with bringing written characters and settings to life. The only visuals that can be formed while experiencing a wonderful novel or work of non-fiction are from the reader’s imagination.
#Film bully ps2 series
A book is, at its most basic form, a series of words typed on a page. Turning an incredible book into a fantastic movie is tough, but I respect the effort. I get that many different forms of art are brought to the big screen with stunning results - one recent example of this is the breathtaking film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s novel No Country for Old Men.īut this is where some important specifics come in. So why even attempt to remake something that definitely wasn’t broken to begin with? The worse, and more likely, thing that can happen is the movie version is nowhere near as good as the original. The original PlayStation 2 videogame is already so amazing, why even attempt to duplicate its perfection? In this scenario, the best the filmmakers can hope to achieve is a movie that is equal parts emotionally affecting as the videogame. It’s about why make it in the first place? It’s not really about whether the movie will be good or not. Say the actors, the production design, the screenplay, the special effects, everything comes together and results in a truly outstanding film. Let me jump back on the positive bandwagon for a second and assume the upcoming Sony movie turns out to be incredible. The stunning visuals, combined with the game’s surprising emotional heft, truly create a unique and powerful experience. It goes without saying that Shadow of the Colossus is an amazing piece of art - there is a reason the PlayStation 2 classic is always brought up when anyone engages in an “are videogames art?” debate. Remind me: What needs to be fixed, again?Īs much as I love being positive, my respect for true art and artists trumps all feelings of unbridled optimism.
Hit the jump for the reasons why I think making a Shadow of the Colossus movie is a really bad idea. So why, then, did I have such a negative reaction to the recent news that Sony was going to make a movie out of classic PlayStation 2 game Shadow of the Colossus? Am I just becoming bitter in my old age, or is there a reason for me running through the street nude and crying? Then I proceeded to check on him a week later to see if his hand was feeling better. When I got punched in the face by a bully in the 5th grade I actually apologized to him for hurting his fist on my large pumpkin head. I am the most positive and forgiving person on the planet.