With Max Payne seeming to be another critical flop, it may finally be time to put an end to all game to movie transitions. It is an interesting conundrum with the games industry seeing the reinvigoration on the comic book industry with the never-ending releases of summer blockbusters, while at the same time having all of their efforts critical and financial failures. Why is it that recent comic book movies have done so well? Is it a simple matter of comic books having a broader social appeal or has it come down to the handling of the source material?

Many of the comic to movie transitions come from franchises established far before the conception of video games, thus contributing to a much larger fan base, however it is impossible to ignore the success of contemporary graphic novel to movie transitions like 300, and Sin City (With the upcoming Watchmen film seeming to retain a high level of quality). While a larger fanbase may contribute to the box office success of a film, it speaks nothing to the critical reception and quality of said film. Although the comic industry has had it’s share of flops, it has also had some of the greatest successes in cinema history; which is something that no game to film adaptation can even think of claiming.

One reason could be the complete lack of faith that is put into video games from the conceptual stages indicating the funding and box office expectations put onto them. While most video game adaptation receive a budgeting of fewer than 50 million dollars, comic adaptations have a bit higher of an investment usually 3 times that amount. While many independent films have proven that a cheap movie can be great, with the funding of a video game film, considerations have to be made between spending on visual effects, actors, and a Director, with one often having more emphasis then the other 2.

Another possible reason for the Comic Book movie success and the down fall of the video game film could be contributed to the extent that those involved in the other medium are also involved in the film adaptation. While his acting is questionable, it seems that Stan Lee has done an overall good job at monitoring the use of the Marvel source material. With most video game films it seems as if the source material is given to the writer and director that can be disastrous, with the proof for this being evident in any Uwe Boll film.

However the reason why I believe that video game movies will never succeed has little to do with budget, a choice of director or even the handling of the source material. Video games are by definition a immersive interactive experience, while comic books, like movies are a passive experience. With a video game, the experience starts and ends with the interaction between the player and the game, creating an experience unparalleled in modern day media: an experience that will never transfer as well as other forms of media to the silver screen.

-Eric Wall

Tags: Games as Art, movies

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