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Originally Posted by Shadow Spirit
This whole idea is kind of crazy and I really hope they don't make a GW movie, but if they did it would have to be a totally different story and just based on the game's concepts.
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The biggest factors in game properties sucking as movies are easily boiled down to a few things.
First, they try to put in EVERYTHING. I don't know who is typically responsible, but there is a tendency to try cramming in every ridiculous notion or iconic character or story arc they can. The end result is usually a poorly done ad for the game. The reason the Tomb Raider movies are generally regarded as successful game films is because they take the concepts and make original stories from them while incorporating specific game elements where and when they can.
Too many game movies think that without showing the full scope, perhaps it will be stunted or lack one of the things that make the game work. A meandering story becomes the only character to receive any real attention and nothing can save it when it's that bloated. Any attempt to do the entirety of the Prophecies storyline (
even in scope only) would fall directly into this trap.
Ironically, including too much means leaving too much out.
Second, it's likely the studios involved believe that since it's a property with a relatively small fan-base, they don't have to pay as much attention to it, just enough to ensure that it does well with that niche audience and turn a profit.
In order for a GW film to be successful, several things would have to happen, and they'd have to be willing to pull the plug if it didn't pan out the way it needed to.
First, figure out what makes Guild Wars what it is. Is it the setting, the Guild Wars themselves, or maybe a specific arc of storyline? What could they do that would at once be appealing to a wider audience and satisfy their fanbase that the property remains what they know and love?
Identify a coherent storyline from this.
Second, trim the fat. Don't include characters that aren't part of the story just to include them. Make them decorative backdrop if you must, but only include what you intend to use on that front. This means that people may not see Cynn or Koss or Jin. They may never see Kryta or the Shiverpeaks. They may not see a lot of things they may want to see, but you have to make sacrifices for a coherent story.
Third, wardrobe. Be smart enough to put the brakes on anything that doesn't look believable enough. We've all seen bad cosplay, terrible costumes in movies, and we know enough to tell when something is unnecessarily tacky. If a costume looks like a costume and not clothing when on a character, it needs to either go or be re-designed.
One of the best indicators of a neglected production is the costuming. Clothing should look lived in, comfortable. It should never make the actor look like they're off to a costume party. If that means not using some rather signature game designs, so be it.
Fourth, hire real writers for the project. Many of the writers on staff are good, but they don't write for the bones of a film, they write for the bones of a game. The extant writers should be involved at every step to provide advice, insight, and oversight, but the crafting of the story, it's pacing and structure, should be handled by a pro.
There's a lot more, but this is beefy for a post so I'll sum it up like this:
Any video game property, especially our beloved Guild Wars, needs to step away from many of it's conceits in order to successfully shift mediums. They must be willing to make changes and some hard exclusions (
like perhaps dropping the monker Guild Wars for something less niche-sounding yet still recognizably property-specific when seen in context like Ascalon, or The Catacombs), and tell a story that's more about what it's about than it is about the setting...if that convoluted mess of a statement makes sense.
Craft new and compelling characters and maybe even drop them into an unforseen environment or put them in a well-known one from a different angle. Give it life and perhaps a reason for someone not into Guild Wars to be interested in it. Look at what X-Men and Spiderman and Batman Begins did right. Pay attention to why Blood Rayne and Dungeons and Dragons or Eragon (
different original medium, but my point stands) were so incredibly bad. Learn from your peers and predecessors.
If it's just an excuse to make a sequence of Guild Wars themed scenes with little regard for the actual craft of storytelling in the framework of a film, count me out. If it's just going to be a poor excuse for watching Jason Statham with a dumb name kick the crap out of people in rubber masks, count me out. If it's just going to be a dumb LotR knock off, count me out.
If, on the other hand, it's an exciting story with engaging characters in a setting I game in without the idea that 'it's just a video game property'...I'm there.
It was also rubbish XD
