Console to Screen: Gears of Wars

Gears of War has been in "development hell", but if
it wants to get to the big screen, it should do it right.

After writing “Why Video Game Movies Haven't Worked”, this series will explain what your favorite game franchises must do to avoid the Resident Evil quality... besides not hiring Paul W.S. Anderson. As explained previously, most movies adapted from the video games end up betraying the gamer's beloved story and action, only to fit a style that could have been any generic tale. This week, will focus on the popular XBox series Gears of War from Microsoft and Epic games. What pitfalls could this franchise encounter since the game is already a trilogy with three stories mapped out? Who could play the role of Marcus Fenix? What director can pull it off? How would it be presented?

Story: 

For starters, Gears of War is a trilogy that takes place on planet Sera, 14 years after “E-Day” (stands for Emergence Day, when the locusts surfaced). The Coalition of Ordered Governments send out soldiers to fight the locust horde called “Gears”. Marcus Fenix is a high member of the “Gears” soldiers that was imprisoned for insubordination trying to rescue his father. He was pardoned because the situation of the Sera is getting grim and given his gear by his friend Dom Santiago. As the story progresses, Fenix re-enters the fold of the Army and gets promoted for his good work, even after he has to return to his father's mansion to get vital information about the locust stronghold. On the way, he meets up with his old friend Damon Baird and the famous football player Augustus Cole “Train”.

After the three games, gamers got to care for the Delta Squad.
Hollywood needs to do them justice.

The first installment of the series was a more story driven piece that didn't flush out their characters enough. The second installment of the series did much better. Baird and Cole got more screen time, but the gem was the search for Dom's lost wife Maria. (Don't look below if you're trying to avoid spoilers). The story and gameplay kept gamers intrigued, but movie audiences will need to see the “Gears” soldiers become full characters right away. They can't wait until the sequel to do that. Fenix's quest to clear is family name is key in the series as well, but it wasn't a 100% clear what he happened until the opening of the third game. There were rumors of Kate Beckensale being attached as Maria, but that would be a waste of her time as character that had two scenes in the original story. Now, that's where Hollywood can make a Resident Evil mistake; make a character that isn't in the original story (see Alice of the RE series). There could be a call for a stronger female character in the story, but that develops as Anya (love interest to Fenix) gets more involved with the fighting and not just the look out. If this is to move to screen, it must develop the characters earlier. This series could be a quality trilogy if handled properly.

Who could pull of Marcus Fenix?
Tom Hardy would be a good choice.

Cast: 

Who would be ideal actors for these characters? They're not exactly hard characters to play, but not easy ones either. Baird isn't lovable until late in the series. Fenix has an attitude and Dom could come off as whiney if too consumed with his search for his wife. The look of these game characters are incredibly musclebound and scarred, but don't call in The Rock just yet. Sure the internet has an opinion from every one, how about these:

Marcus Fenix- Tom Hardy doesn't get the nod after playing Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, but after his performance in Warrior as a troubled marine who deserted his unit already makes him ideal. Hardy didn't say much in the film and yet, you felt the darkness inside of him. That's what Marcus Fenix is. John DiMaggio (Bender in Futurama) nailed it in his voice acting and the animators made his mannerisms so perfectly, you wish they could just put it on big screen. With his star shining brighter after every role, by the time Gears gets rolling, Hardy will be a household name.

Dominic Santiago- I'm not sure what actor can take on this role. Dom needs to come off as scared, but strong. A longing determined husband, but not a wimp. Eventually, he has to make a great sacrifice and it drives him into a deep despair. What actor can do that in an action film and look the part? If you can get over the age difference, Benicio Del Toro could be a possiblity.

Damon Baird- Karl Urban already is an underrated action star, but in Star Trek and Lord of the Rings, he proved to be a good supporting actor as well. Urban can lead, but he is also capable of not hogging the screen from the main star. He shared it well with Chris Pine. He could easily share it with Tom Hardy. His wit and charisma would serve best as Baird. 

Augustus Cole “Train”- If it was still the nineties, Michael Clark Duncan would be the perfect choice. Alas, everyone ages. If you scour around, Christopher Judge from Stargate SG-1 could be a viable candidate. Cole “Train” doesn't have to carry a film with his story or his acting. Unlike Dom, he's a secondary piece and can be pushed aside briefly in the first two films (again if this is to be a series), but who wants another face that can't act. Gary Oldman doesn't!

Story structure:

Gears of War is told in 5 Acts per game in the series. If you adhere to the traditional 3 Act structure, two acts would be cut immediately. Let's face it, half the time a video game wants to keep you playing with pointless missions and side tasks. Gears of War limited them, but they're still there. As in any video-game-to-screen transfer, there'll have to be plenty of cuts. However, cutting out sequences certain side sequences can lead to lost side character development like the Strandeds, who are settlements of humans that learned to fend for themselves in the harsh world of Sera. Often, Gears found themselves training with the Strandeds just to get ordinary items like cars. The Strandeds have more weight than a bum on the street and all Gears soldiers knew it.

You have to get introduced to the hierarchy of the COG and even the Locusts. Gamers learned of the Locusts' queen Myrrah well into the second game and only heard her voice at the very end of the first Gears of War. As for her top two Locust henchmen, General RAAM and Skorge, are just two bad ass characters without much substance in the first two games. They will need to be developed for a film to be successful as the “mute aliens” are rarely compelling.

There's an aspect of the Gears story which needs more explaining: the human experiments. It wasn't exactly quite clear in the Gears of War 2, whereas the Lambent Humans in Gears of War 3 were more acceptable. The human experiments drove Tai to kill himself and eventually led to Dom's difficult choice, but- I repeat this a lot- IT MUST BE EXPLAINED EARLIER IN A MOVIE SERIES.

What's already in place:

Gears of War has an outstanding soundtrack originally started by Kevin Riepl, but it has continued well on by Steve Jablonsky. A compelling score can keep people in their seats, get their blood going and hum the tune all the way home.

The game always had an excellent feel like you were living and action movie, but you're not going to watch a 10 hour action film. Most action films really on four action scenes (a first-ten-minute-eye-opener, a first act fight, a second act obstacle and a third act resolution), even the “action packed ones” have five scenes at most. If Gears sticks to their storyline from the first game, that gives you these sequences: escape from prison, evacuating Baird and Cole, the fight at the mansion and the “train ride to hell”. Perhaps, the movie can push for one more, but less is more unless you can find an Inception-style of blending several action sequences together. Now the direction of the action sequences and tone of the story will be important too. Will it he handled like a Sci-Fy movie or an authentic war-like story. That remains to be seen too. Perhaps, Neil Blomkampt can duplicate his successful tone he used in District 9.

Ok, so that's a brief outline of the first Console to Screen. Just remember, just because a game is played well, doesn't mean it'll be viewed well. Keep reading for the next one of this series in August.