Hollywood is one of the dumbest industries in the World. I mean, not only do they pump out tons of drivel every year, but the way they have recently been latching onto re-makes, prequels, sequels and now video games, shows a lack of originality. So when I heard that they were looking into making a film of Shadow of the Colossus, I was not taken back, just disappointed.

Now do not get me wrong, each colossi would look amazing with a Hollywood budget. I can imagine that if the film is made, it will be done in 3D with our hero Wander climbing up each giant and fighting to save his love.  We can see how this would be an inciting pitch for a film company. You have a young hero battling against unspeakable foes in order to save his lass. Sounds like typical Hollywood to me.

The problem is that the game just does not work as a film. Shadow of the Colossus has hardly any dialogue whatsoever and none of it is in English.  Films such as Drive have pulled this kind of thing off, but this was due to brilliant cinematic work and a use of music that would make Bach weep tears of joy.

Drive had more than just a few lines though, it also had a more complicated story too. Shadow of the Colossus works as a game because it is simple and relies on aesthetic values to build emotion. The control you have over Wander helps to build emotive links too, watching him get flung around and conquering these behemoths helps us like the character. Each time you see a new monster for the first time they seem almost impossible. Conquering these colossi is an experience of trail and error, patience, skill, endurance and finally satisfaction. The last part is the most important as this feeling cannot be replicated in cinema as it is in games.

So what struck me is why Hollywood is being so stupid. Some video games seem to almost be made for the big screen. Games such as the Gears of War Trilogy, Duke Nukem or even Call of Duty all ooze the machismo that sell cinema tickets and DVDs. They all have pretty big fan bases too and are cash-cows waiting to be milked.  Shadow of the Colossus, despite its critical acclaim, is hardly the best known game.

When Hollywood has gone on to make films that should be suited to the big screen they usually end up killing them anyway. This is usually because executives try to mess with the story too much. Look at Doom, the original story was about hell’s gate opening in Mars, it should have been a balls-to-the-wall action-horror film, yet Fox still managed to ruin its big screen version. Sure they threw in a few game references to the BFG, but where was the chainsaw and what the hell was the deal with Sarge going crazy?

I guess what I am trying to say is that Hollywood needs to think about its choices before they pick games and when they do, they need to think about the game itself. Shadow of the Colossus should never make its way into cinemas and I for one hope that this project is scrapped before the franchise is tarnished by a sub-standard film.

 

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