Console to Screen: Metal Gear

Metal Gear Solid is Playstation's
homerun if finds it's way to
the big screen.

In 1998, Konami released Metal Gear Solid for the Playstation and it was an instant hit. Eight years after the sequel on the Nintendo Entertainment system, the Playstation got a blockbuster to follow-up the success of Resident Evil. From the moment you hit start, Metal Gear Solid was a different game in presentation alone. It looked more like the Hunt For Red October than a video game as the credits flashed by the screen. However if you didn't hit start, you were treated to briefings with Solid Snake about his mission- they're more like Easter Eggs since you hear the info in the gameplay. Below will show how the game starts. Metal Gear Solid is exclusively a Playstation series- though the series started on the NES and Solid made an appearance on the Gamecube and Nintendo DS. What could go wrong if Konami can send it's second film to the big screen behind Silent Hill?

Plot:

Solid Snake's infiltration of Shadow
Moses was an awesome espionage
style game. 

A rogue group of elite soldiers called Fox-Hound captured an Alaskan Nuclear base (Shadow Moses) in the hopes of acquiring the remains of legendary mercenary Big Boss. If the government does not comply within 24 hours, they plan on launching a nuclear weapon via a nuclear-capable walking tank called Metal Gear Rex. Solid Snake is forced out of retirement by Col. Roy Campbell and deployed to stop the threat by his former associates, whose abilities vary. A weapons specialist (Revolver Ocelot), a master of disguise (Decoy Octopus), a sniper (Sniper Wolf...duh), a hulk of a human that's heavily armed (Vulcan Raven), a psychic mad man (Psycho Mantis) and all lead by Liquid Snake, who is the double of Solid. As Snake infiltrates the base, he meets up with the DARPA Chief -who dies immediately, Armstech President Kenneth Baker, the daughter of Col. Campbell (Meryl Silverburgh) and a ninja out to kill Snake -who's also his old squad member known as Gray Fox.

As the story progresses, every character's story unfolds well. It doesn't matter if it's the main character like Solid Snake, a supporting character like Otacon or a minor character like Naomi Hunter, ALL character's had their own story that could have been made into short films at the very least. However, this is Snake's show. He comes to reveal to the audience that Liquid is really his clone brother and that Liquid intends to fire a nuke from Metal Gear. Solid Snake attempts to thwart him with the help of Gray Fox. As Gray Fox is killed, he pleads to Solid to embrace his soldier mentality to keep fighting. Solid does just that. He grabs a rocket launcher and blows Metal Gear to pieces. As a reward, he rescues Meryl and leaves, thinking out loud, "Maybe it's time I live for someone else...like you."

Casting:

Already proved he's a capable hero,
Guy Pierce could pull off Solid AND
Liquid Snake.

Who could play Solid Snake? Honestly, today's crop is kind of thin. There's plenty of actors out there, but who could personify the character better than X-Men screenwriter (that's right, screenwriter) David Hayter? Well there are possibilities. Jeremy Renner just starred in the Bourne Legacy, while him (or predecessor Matt Damon) would be good choices, there's other options. According to Wikipedia, Solid Snake's look was inspired by Christopher Walken, but whoever would take on Solid, MUST take on Liquid. So who could be BOTH dark and light to show BOTH characters? Here's two choices: Guy Pierce and Viggo Mortensen. Both are quality actors, though Pierce has shown that he could play the hero (LA Confidential, Memento) and the bad guy (upcoming Lawless) as fully evolved people that will draw the audience in. It wouldn't be the first time the born-English/Aussie-raised-actor played a US soldier (Rules of Engagement, The Hurt Locker). The key is that he proved he could play a charismatic action hero in 2012's Lockout, but his role as Edmund Exley in LA Confidential would be the best comparison. Exley had the inner turmoil that Snake needs and the OUTTER turmoil that Liquid shows. Pierce would be this blogger's choice. Mortensen would be a good second selection.

Story Structure:

Gray Fox was an interesting character
for many reasons.

Unlike other video games before it, Metal Gear Solid would have little trouble moving to the big screen compared to other films. This game was made like a film and isn't meant to just make you play on and on without reason. Could they drop a boss or two? Sure, but all of them were made to feel important. How do you remove one of them? Decoy Octopus is killed as part of the "twist" and Psycho Mantis is a great boss fight, but how does that translate to a movie scene? Easily, Vulcan Raven could be removed (the same way you dropped claymore mines to kill him without a shot), but Sniper Wolf has a more compelling scene AFTER her death than the actually boss fight. Clearly, Revolver Ocelot plays a key role even after his early defeat to the hands of Solid Snake, but Liquid needs a menacing presence provided by the actor that plays Solid. There's other under-lying characters that will have their moments like Campbell and Naomi, but this film belongs to Solid Snake. (See the end below)

What it has in place:

Now, Metal Gear does have great music (though not listed in the Best Music in Gaming History), but the gem was in it's storytelling. Metal Gear was told like a Tom Clancy novel brought to life as if Hideo Kojima wanted a Jack Ryan feel for it. If success was what he aimed for, he failed only because he overshot it by 1,000%. Metal Gear Solid ranked up with the Resident Evil and Final Fantasy games as the best action/adventure games in Playstation history. It remains a Playstation exclusive despite appearing on the Gamecube in 2004. It is a game-for-this-era (even pre-9/11) and a game that tells a story about a hero whose willing to kill himself as he comes to realize his existence is detrimental to the world.

Who could pull this off:

There's a very short list of directors that make Metal Gear Solid a reality, but The Bourne Ultimatum/United 93 director Paul Greengrass is the most logical choice. Greengrass' United 93 depicted the victim's and assassin's mentalities, but it's action never faltered. That's the feel Metal Gear Solid needs and a feel that not many others could duplicate. At this moment, it's hard to fathom another director that could make this intelligent action film possible.

Could it happen? Sooner-or-later Konami will make a money-grab. They already did in Silent Hill, but taking a shot at a horror-film while in the boom of the Resident Evil popularity is one thing. Metal Gear Solid doesn't have an expiration date since some quality spy movies are post-dated, but other than The Hunt for Red October, most are recent stories. Sounds like a contradiction, but it's a truth. Wait, but not too long. Can Konami do so within five years? Eh...maybe, but is it possible? Sure. If any video game can make a four star franchise, this is one of the TWO... the other one will be covered eventually.

Expendable? They're Definitely Not!

The Expendables 2 opens Friday August 17th.

In 2010, Sylvester Stallone brought The Expendables to the big screen. It seemed like a simple premise. Get all of the action stars from the 80's, 90's & 2000's and put them in a film that accentuates action over everything and just enough story to satisfy the audience. Now, if you're thinking I'm being hypocritical, I'm not. The Expendables used cameos by some of actions biggest stars from days gone by like Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzennager (with a great joke made by Stallone to the former Governor) and some of today's stars like Jason Statham and Jet Li. Add in expanded roles for Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews and Randy Couture with a good monologue delivered by Mickey Rouke and you got a new franchise from old parts. Hell, Stallone even recycled 80's actors for the villain by chosing Eric Roberts fresh off his supporting role in The Dark Knight. The Expendables was fun and satisfying. On Friday, The Expendables 2 comes to the big screen with larger roles for Bruce Willis and Arnold, but it's gotta be bigger, right?

Jean-Claude Van Damme hasn't been
a villain in almost 25 years. 

Simple rule of a sequel: Gimme more. If you're telling a character strong story, gimme more stuff to think about. If you have an action film, gimme more action. If you have a star-studded action film, gimme more stars. That equation allows Liam Hemsworth, Chuck Norris and the new bad guy, Jean-Claude Van Damme. The latter (Van Damme) hasn't played a bad guy since his early days Black Eagle, but after his critically acclaimed performance in JCVD, where Van Damme plays himself and robs a bank to stay afloat financially, Van Damme could be this summer's most pleasant surprise. How many fans are dying to see JCVD fight Jet Li or Jason Statham... or both. He's the bad guy, act two will belong to him. Let's see him mess up some guys. Lundgren already fought him from the 1993 film Universal Soldier. This time, he gets to take on Rambo. Bigger isn't always better, but just expect a good time.

Console to Screen: Metroid

Metroid was released in
1986. Could it make it
to the big screen?

In 1986, Nintendo released Metroid for the NES. The game was an instant hit as Nintendo continued an impressive run of games that couldn't stay on the shelves. It was about a bounty hunter named Samus Aran that fought against the Space Pirates and a cybernetic life form called Mother Brain on the planet Zebes. In the early part of the decade, Nintendo was the first video game company to use story to drive the game. Metroid was another example of it, but there was a twist that shocked gamers in the mid-80's: the hero was a woman. Suddenly most gamers felt like they had to shower and impress their female heroine, but alas that would be the closest some of the gamers got to a woman. Metroid stopped dead in the 90's, but returned in 2002 with a new look and a more in-depth story. Years ago, Metroid was rumored to be attached to John Woo to direct a feature, but since then Metroid has developed three more games with good stories and great action. It was one of the first games that showed the Wii's potential, but what pitfalls would Metroid cross before hitting the big screen?

Story:

Metroid Prime revamped the
dormant series in 2002.

If you use the Metroid Prime story, Samus Aran is called to Tallon IV to stop the Space Pirates from growing an powerful and volatile chemical called Phazon. Through the process, Samus stops a Space Pirate mining operation only to discover that there was a plan to create an ultimate weapon called Metroid Prime. Unlike it's brethren that would attach to a life form and drain it's energy, Metroid Prime was a larger creature that could adapt to different environments and different attack weapons. Samus destroyed the creature, but in a secret ending it's revealed Samus gave life to something much worse. The Metroid Prime trilogy is one of the most successful franchises released by Nintendo and could spawn a series of films.

Metroid: The Other M was the first
Nintendo game that let the lead talk.

However, if Hollywood follows the latest edition -Metroid: The Other M- the series could go in a different direction. In The Other M, Samus details that she used to be a member of the Galactic Federation Army, but left after a dispute with her commanding officer to become a bounty hunter. After defeating Mother Brain and watching the baby metroid that saved her killed, Samus is "cleaned up" by the Federation doctors. After answering a distress call, Samus travels to "the bottle ship" where she finds that the planet Zebes was recreated in this structure. Through her adventure, she re-encounters the rest of her old platoon -including her superior officer Adam Malkovich. Little-by-little, Samus finds out that the Federation "cleaned up" Samus by taking all of the DNA off her suit to make these creatures- including Ridley and Mother Brain. As a result, Samus must defeat her enemies- including the enormous Queen Metroid- while she tries to find out who killed the members of her old platoon. The story was crafted well and Samus was flushed out as a character better in this edition.

Samus is as attractive as she's deadly. Who could play her and do her justice?

Jennifer Lawrence has two
franchises going right now.
She'd be perfect for this one.

Casting:

There's really only one character to cast in this series- Samus Aran. In all editions, Samus looks the same; blonde hair, blue eyes, athletically slender build and perfect looks. She has the look of Kate Upton, but the attitude of Alien's Ellen Ripley. Now, Hollywood would love to get another heroine to the screen as they're hard to come by. In recent years, they got The Hunger Games, Twilight and Prometheus but one more couldn't hurt. As a matter of fact, one of those films has the ideal actress to play Samus Aran: Jennifer Lawrence of X-Men: First Class and The Hunger Games. Lawrence has two aspects that would make her perfect: she looks the part and can act. A former Oscar nominated actress for Winter's Bone, Lawrence has proved herself over-and-over again in various films over the last couple years and proved she could be an action star in the last two years. Give her a good script and Lawrence will deliver.

Mother Brain was a powerful enemy,
but Hollywood would need to expand
her character.

Hurdles:

Metroid never really clarified their story until Metroid Prime, but that's not the major hurdle. In most Nintendo games, their heroes (or heroines) were mute. In Metroid: The Other M, Samus finally spoke. To hard core fans, Samus was too sensitive and too overcome by feelings, but some found the story compelling and moving. The scenes between Adam, Anthony and Samus were good, but the feel for the other members will have to improve. Another problem that arises is Samus' enemies are mute. There's no feel for what the Space Pirates, Dark Samus or Mother Brain's motives are, unlike the atmosphere you get with the Legend of Zelda or Super Mario series. Perhaps that's why The Other M would make a better film, but executives wouldn't like starting a series at what's essentially part 3 of the story. Without a good supporting cast, even with great action, Metroid would be doomed.

What's Already In Place:
A great sci-fi angle and a good main character, but Metroid's action sequences could be impressive. With several different creatures and bad ass bosses like Ridley, film adaptation should be great. The scenery is impressive and gives you a different feel for the areas. The presentation of Metroid through the years makes it interesting how to deliver it. It began as a side scrolling game, then first-person shooter and then a 3D interactive side-scroller. All those presentations will not matter if adapted to the big screen, but it's still important to understand the feel of the series.  However, the music is what separates Metroid. It's style was more like a techo-score and mix that in with flashy action and it'll get your blood pumping. The Metroid Prime series was listed on my Best Music in Video Games.

Who could pull this off:
Renowned action director John Woo would have been a decent choice, but it's not the only option depending on what you want out of this franchise. If you want better story, Ridley (no pun intended)  Scott or James Cameron would be a homerun, but the chances of them taking on a Video Game movie is unlikely. The horror would be that Wanted director Timur Bekmambetov gets the gig, which would make fans clammer for Woo again. Perhaps a studio could discuss Jon Favreau as a possibility after his success with Iron Man and mixed reviews of Cowboys and Aliens.

Will we ever see a Metroid film? Hard to say. Nintendo was burned by their Super Mario Brothers movie and they tend to shy away from the big screen. That said, sooner-or-later, Nintendo is going to give it a shot and it's more likely that Metroid would get it's number called before any of their other franchises. That way, fans of Zelda don't get mad if their movie sucked or another black eye if Super Mario movie failed again. Metroid is just popular enough to take the chance without alienating it's fans if the results are... well... Resident Evil-esc.

A Bourne Star

The Bourne Legacy
opens August 10th.

Recent years have been good to Jeremy Renner. The twice Oscar nominated actor has put out several quality films as a supporting actor (The Town and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol) or as a lead actor (The Hurt Locker), but Renner has been front-and-center until this week. The summer has already been kind to Renner as his role of Hawkeye in The Avengers, which shattered box office records until The Dark Knight Rises came out. Now he finds himself as the new lead in The Bourne Legacy.

Though audiences met him in the 1995 film National Lampoon's Senior Trip, Renner has plugged away for years until his Oscar nominated role of William James in The Hurt Locker. After that, it was a matter of finding out where he belongs. Renner starred in The Oaks and The Unusuals on TV, but neither stuck around long term. After a second Oscar nomination came for his role of James Coughlin in Ben Affleck's The Town, Renner star began to shine without a constellation to associate it with. After a cameo in Thor as Clint Barton/Hawkeye, it was obvious that he found a home in the Marvel franchise since the only problems are the revolving door as the Hulk. Now, Renner has two franchises he's part of as the new star of the Bourne series. According to IMDb, Renner has four more projects in the works (not including the Avengers sequel which hasn't been announced). 

Renner has already been in a blockbuster this summer when
it played Hawkeye in The Avengers.

Now the new Bourne movie is only a risk for their franchise, not to Renner. Sequels that change the lead role haven't exactly faired well at the box office. The list is actually a long one: Predator 2, Teen Wolf Too, The Next Karate Kid, Hannibal, Terminator Salvation, Speed 2: Cruise Control, Batman and Robin, Robocop 3, The Sum of All Fears... etc. In recent memory, only Harrison Ford replacing Alec Baldwin as Jack Ryan worked. The supporting cast is intact for the Bourne series and add on Edward Norton (who also replaced/was replaced as the Hulk)  which doesn't put the burden on Renner. The plot is simple: there was never just one Jason Bourne. If the film succeeds, there's potential for more movies and even a reunion with Matt Damon's Jason Bourne. The series of books continued after The Bourne Ultimatum, but this is loosely based on the book of the same name by Erik Van Lustbader. Therefore, the Jurassic Park III scenario is out. It's not just taking main characters and putting them into situations completely out of place.

Can he transition the series and move it along? That's uncertain, but what is certain is that the days of Renner being in the background are over... well that is unless he wants to.

Remakes vs. Reboots

Total Recall opens
Friday August 3rd.

Reboots have been so popular in recent years that people almost don't talk about remakes anymore. Sure, Spider-Man, Batman and Superman have been rebooted (Superman TWICE!), but what about remakes? In recent years, Clash of the Titans was remade and even put out a sequel this year that had a modest box office dollars. There's been several remakes in the last decade from King Kong to Conan the Barbarian with varying results. Even if the movie is good, Hollywood feels the need to remake it. 

This week's release of Total Recall is no different. Formerly a highly successful early summer release in 1990, Arnold Schwarzenagger's sci-fi action film was Paul Verhoeven's follow-up to his 1987 hit Robocop. The film boasted an incredible cast with established stars and budding star by the name of Sharon Stone. Directed well by Verhoeven, the movie is about Douglas Quaid's empty life as he dreams about a woman on Mars that's not his wife on Earth. He goes to Rekall- a place that creates fake memories- despite the warnings from his friend. At Rekall, he becomes inspired to try out a new feature called "the ego trip", where he decides to try out being a secret agent. Eventually Quaid comes to realize that his entire life was memories that were implanted and leaves for Mars. Determined to find the truth, Quaid talks to the woman (Melina) that he's only seen in his dreams to help the Martian resistance. During that time he's approached by the head of Rekall, who suggests that every moment he's been experiencing is all a dream, but Quaid kills him. This leads to another great action scene and a classic Schwarzenagger one-liner that you'll see below. Total Recall is rated 7.5 on IMDb and a Rotten Tomatoes score of 83. It's also considered one of Verhoeven and Schwarzenagger's best films among avid fans and the films ambiguity was a big reason for it.

Friday, the remake will open featuring Colin Farrell, Kate Beckensale, Jessica Biel and Bryan Cranston. To say that it has a lot to live up to is an understatement, hence the dangers of a remake. Fans will come with a vengeance if their memories aren't met. The story has changed somewhat. Director Len Wiseman expanded the role for his wife (Kate Beckensale) as the part of Lori Quaid by combining the chasing husband (Michael Ironside) and Quaid's wife (Stone) in the original. There's no need to ask if Beckensale can deliver on the action since her Underworld movies keep drawing audiences, but how will this affect the plot. According to Entertainment Weekly, the plot is different too. For instance, there's no need to wait for a "get your ass to Mars" scene since they don't go to Mars. Apparently, the mutant aspect is changed and political overtones of today's culture are in. Will that enhance or hurt the story? This is also Wiseman's first film since 2007's Live Free or Die Hard -a film fans have mixed feelings about, but delivered some good action.

It's hard to say that the 2012 version can live up to the original. In a way, the filmmakers are starting behind the 8-ball. Judging by previews, they're attempting to tell their own story will paying homage to the original (a rule of every sequel, prequel, reboot and remake), but can that be enough? We will see starting this weekend.