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Seasoned movie-goers will dread the thought of going to see a movie that’s based on a popular game, given all of the flops and failures in decades past. But in recent times, game-adaptation movies have shown that they’ve learned from the mistakes of old and are of a much higher quality now. Movies like Tomb Raider in 2018, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle in 2017, and even The Rock’s other game-adaptation movie, Rampage in 2018, were good enough to be enjoyable and made a killing at the box office.
Cinema may be in the early stages of a golden age of games in movies, so which ones should the executives commit their money to next?
Metro: Exodus
Based on the books by Dmitry Glukhovsky, the Metro gaming franchise has gradually become a huge hit among gamers. Starting with the claustrophobic survival horror Metro 2033, the most enticing elements of the game were its unique setting of post-nuclear war Moscow and its fantastic story. Metro: Last Light continued to deliver on Metro 2033, improving gameplay and allowing players to venture deeper into the world and storylines crafted by Glukhovsky.
Earlier this year, Metro: Exodus was released as one of the most highly anticipated games of the first half of 2019. The series had officially become triple-A calibre and now explores many open-world maps so that players can experience what’s left above ground. The story that flows through each game is incredible, with the characters, creatures, and setting all potentially providing immense cinematic value. With the books and the games to draw from, a movie adaptation saga of the Metro series could be sensational.
Roulette
We’ve seen many films that feature or are centred around poker, blackjack, or craps, but very few have utilised the thrills of roulette or its somewhat sordid past. It’s a well-known fact that in America throughout the 1900s, casinos were often rigged to increase the house edge, while there were people who discovered these rigged wheels and set about learning their patterns to earn an edge themselves. A movie on these people defying corruption and possibly very dangerous casino owners could make for a thrilling cinematic experience.
Roulette is still a very popular game today, but this is largely due to the rise of European roulette as well as online casinos, which use third-party organisations to verify the fairness of their games, providing peace of mind to players. European roulette only has one ‘0’ pocket, which greatly decreases the house edge from its American cousin, and the rise of Aspers’ online European Roulette with its gaming regulations in place means that the game is trusted and much-loved once more, making it a fine addition to the movie scene to join the likes of poker and craps.
God of War
God of War may go down as one of the greatest games of all time. The soft reboot of the former Greek mythology-centric franchise puts the protagonist Kratos in Norse mythology, no longer primarily driven by hate and instead trying to hide his true, rage-filled self from his son as they go about fulfilling the boy’s mother’s last wishes.
The story, character development, and world of this game are phenomenal; it already looks made for the movies. As much fun as the combat and exploring is within the game, it’s the story that makes it such a memorable game. With the right director, a powerful lead to play Kratos, and a good-sized budget for the creatures of myth, the story of Kratos and Artreus getting to the highest peak in the nine realms could be a box office smash-hit.
Movie makers should exploit the rich lore of the 40K universe, explore the lesser-told side of the thrilling world of casino gaming, and make the most of the incredible story put on a silver platter by God of War.