Director Paul Anderson: Not playing games before adapting them is disrespectful

GamesRadar: At one time we’ve all done it, or seen it done. We’ve stood in front of the class and delivered a report on a book we’ve never read. Rarely was it ever successful, and even when it was, we all knew the report would have been better had we actually read the damn book. Yet Hollywood has been doing the same thing for years according to Paul Anderson, director of Resident Evil: Afterlife.

[sinncross]

Its the same like not reading the novel which you are adapting as well:

Without some knowledge of the source material how do you expect to adapt it at all.

[-Mezzo-]

Agreed.

[Army_of_Darkness]

was a big disappointment. Way to much RE5 in there at should have never been.

[Omega Archetype]

He says that, yet I'd say making crappy movies based on a source material is even more disrespectful.

Let's just put it this way:

Didn't play the games Prince of Persia > Did play the games Resident Evil: Afterlife

Don't get me wrong though, if you're basing a creation on certain things, you have to do your research. Of course most of the time it's simply about the name and not keeping the series' integrity.

[Hairy Chewie]

I thought the Prince of Persia movie was a pretty good interpretation of the games. Obviously there's going to be some major differences, no one wants to watch a movie of a guy running around a castle solving puzzles with hardly any dialouge. I think they did a good job of taking some of the main story points for the game and adapting to make it work for a movie.

[lzim]

it is different media for different audiences. Frankly most games can't be adapte to other media and interest the core gaming audience.

I can't take my controller to the theater but I DO want to see Rayne on the big screen, in something that was done by a serious studio that knows how to make movies, not pointless set pieces.. to tell the story not told in the game because that would be boring.

[Quagmire]

In all fairness, the Prince Of Persia film never was actually based on the game. My guess was that Newell took elements he liked, and crafted a film out of that, rather than making you watch the entire game in 3 hours, and I think thats why its more successful than say Resident Evil who try too hard to give a fan service, rather than actually making a decent film outta elements from the game.

Movies were never meant to be played, Games were never meant to be watched (Heavy Rain is an exception).

[sinncross]

That is because POP is more a target-adaptation rather than a source-adaptation.

This is to say that POP was adapted to appeal to a movie-goer target audience rather than be adapted so as to remain faithful to the source material.

A prime example is Silent Hill. One of the changes made was putting a female protagonist over the male from the game. This is target-adaptation as a female is more identifiable in a horror film as being vulnerable as opposed to a male (stereotype yes). It didn't devalue the film in any way as the core themes were still represented adequately.

Personally I prefer target-adaptation as it allows the adaptation to be different and thus allows interext to occur between the original and adaptation. Source is always nice though, when you've got someone good enough to do it properly.

[oilahize]

but Prince of Persia, while still far from what I want in an adaptation of a video game, was the best adaptation I've seen of a video game and it was made by someone who didn't play the games. I'd saying making a shitty adaptation of a well known franchise such as Resident Evil is a little more disrespectful.

[Omega Archetype]

Exactly what I said a few comments higher! It's far more disrespect to make a crappy movie based on a property then to not play/read the source material.

[oilahize]

missed your comment. Spot on though. Lol.

[newhumanbreed]

His assistant played the games and showed him the main key points of them. lol

[OhReginald]

i am guessing this article is pointing fingers at scumbags like uwe boll

[jony_dols]

Because Paul Anderson has done video game adaptions justice?

[Krimmson]

Eh... Mortal Kombat wasn't bad in the sense that he atleast made it fairly accurate and stayed somewhat true to the source material.

And no, I'm not talking about Annihilation.

[OhReginald]

Paul Anderson produced, wrote, and directed them. So the films did not exactly copy the games. Which is a good thing since, I already played the games, why make a movie on something I already played. Instead this is aimed at an audience that never played the games, and to those people that have played the games. This is were originality comes in. Its what sets it apart from the films and games. Resident evil movies are by no means bad. They aren't citizen kane or godfather, but they are entertaining none the less, just like the resident evil video games. And im not saying Paul Anderson has done video games adaptions justice either. There still has a lot of work that need to be done to create a perfect video game adaption.

However, Uwe Boll, the person that said even himself that he never plays the games he makes into "movies". He is a scumbag. He takes tax payers money to make shitty ass movies. So that makes him a scumbag thief. I have seen most of his "movies" and found them to be extremely awful and offensive.

[user858621]

She is frikin hot!

[Baka-akaB]

I wouldnt speak so much in Anderson's shoes ... but he got box office success alright , but is hardly that respectful of the videogames he adapts .

His best effort still is Mortal Kombat , a fighting game obviously without much plotting involved .

[vault13er]

I agree with his comment, but I'm not a fan of his films. I know a lot of people liked Mortal Kombat but even that to me was kinda meh overall. Oh well

[menel4]

So is giving money to people like him to direct them

[Bass_fisherman]

I like the RE films cause they tell their own story without by copypaste de original script for the games and also they pretty enjoyable to watch.

And it does have fan service.

I think some videogame storylines (like RE) are way to complex to even being explained in a 2 hour film or something, that doesnt seem fair.

[Baka-akaB]

not convinced at all . RE's plot is relatively straightforward and only further complicated by further sequels , wich he wouldnt have to worry about till turning them into movies .

Instead he made it even more silly , overcomplicated and farfetched .

It could simply have been its own franchise and wouldnt change a thing , except less viewers without the fanbase of the game .

[Bass_fisherman]

yeah but that would be the day hollywood would stop winning extra money

[Redempteur]

RE films aren't bad to watch stand alone ...but they really are awefull if you know RE games ...

the first wasn't bad ...but form teh second they déviated too much no RE fan will recognise the mess they made with the franchise

[BABY-JEDI]

That he's played the game's. However, what's his excuse for making such crap movies??
Note to all zombie movie fans: watch tv series Walking Dead. It's really good, worth checking out

[Baka-akaB]

And it's a so far faithful adaptation of the comicbook

[Krimmson]

You know what I think happened?
The guy made a Resident Evil fanfiction where he created some random main character that is stronger than all the other RE characters and have the story focus around her (like many other shitty fanfics.)
He just so happened to have the ability and production value to make these fanfics into movies.

[Baka-akaB]

It's worse in his case . At least those other movie guys have the excuse of having not touched the source material , and obviously dont care .

But you play the games and still crap on them for dough ? Shame on you

[Balt]

That's disrespectful? Really, Paul? That's disrespectful, yet playing the games, knowing what makes them so good, and then doing the exact opposite of that in the adaptation; that's giving everyone what they want. That's paying tribute.

Shut up, Anderson. You suck worse then the ones who don't play it. They, at least, have a reason for being out of touch with the source material. What's your excuse?

[GCNSeanFoster]

I still wish they let George A. Romero direct Resident Evil back in the late 90's... They rejected his script and told him to take a hike... IMO Romero's Resident Evil script blows away anything this hack Paul Anderson ever directed...

http://www.dailyscript.com/...

[renegade]

i totally agree with this guy bu his movie POP was garbage.

[Spitonyourgrave]

Take your own advice Paul and Mortal Kombat was just a rip off of Enter The Dragon.

[lzim]

if even that much care was put into a game (for integrity sake).

it is hardly disrescpectful to keep a franchise fresh.

An example is Bloodrayne. It isn't as if Majeco was going to do anything with it. No matter what the movie was about at least it and sequel(s) got made.

[TheMutator]

Paul is like Uwe Boll , with more budget