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It was Monday we heard 3D Realms boss Scott Miller hating on the Max Payne movie. Monday of this week. Now it's Thursday, and what do we see, but 3D Realms boss Scott Miller being totally in love with the Max Payne movie. "To be clear, I'm proud of this film" he told Edge.
Hollywood flick Max Payne topped last weekend's box office. But how do other game movies compare? Multiplayer blog has assembled a list of the last ten game movies that got a wide, nationwide release in North America. Here's the list:
While promoting the Max Payne movie last week, actor and Macauly Culkin friend Mila Kunis totally geeked out over World of Warcraft on talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live!. Kunis told Kimmel that she had to quit a year ago because she was too into the game. According to Kunis:
Lots of people have seen the Max Payne movie, lots of people don't like the Max Payne movie. Add 3D Realms boss Scott Miller to the chorus of nay-sayers. Having had a hand in the production of the 2001 classic, he knows what he's talking about when he says "There are several fundamental story flaws ... in the film that have me shaking my head in bewilderment". Like what, Scott? Like how a major character from the game is just killed off nonchalantly. Or how we we don't know that Max's wife and kid were killed until halfway through the movie. Or how...yeah, you get the idea. Game movie sucks, guy who helped make the game is upset, world keeps on spinning.
Bad reviews, so what? The Hollywood version of Max Payne staring Mark Walhberg came out on top at the box office in its first week, beating out Oliver Stone's W. That film debuted at the fourth spot. Explained Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers: "The estimates for 'W.' were all over the place... You can't really expect that a politically charged movie like that would take the weekend over a big video game adaptation with a movie star in the lead role." W., of course, is director Oliver Stone's take on the presidency of George W. Bush. Hey, W., so you're President. What's that like? Say "hi" to your mother for us, okay?
Film critics, what are we gonna do with you? Look, we apologise that you're forced to sit through a few godawful video game to movie adaptations each year, but we loathe them with every fibre of our collective beings too. But you can't make blanket statements like this, Roger Moore of the Orlando Sentinel.
In his review of the new Max Payne movie, which he pans like everyone else, Moore writes "But as good as a couple of its action beats are, Max still suffers from the heartlessness that makes games emotionally inferior to movies. Nobody ever shed a tear over a video-game character's death."
Oh, Roger. A simple Google search for "I cried when Aeris died" shows just how wrong you are. Even I... have a friend whose tear ducts were fit to blow near the end of Shadow of the Colossus. Shit on Max Payne 'til your heart's content, but realise we're a sensitive lot. *sniff*
Movie review: Max Payne — 2 out of 5 stars [Orlando Sentinel]
Excited about the Max Payne movie? Don't be says Australian writer Latauro at movie site Ain't It Cool News. While the film's stars, such as actor Mark Wahlberg, have praised the script, the early buzz around the film is anything but praiseworthy. From the AICN review:
Finnish developer Remedy will be showing a new Alan Wake trailer at the Finnish premiere of Hollywood flick Max Payne on October 15th says Website Pelaajalehti.com. A Finnish source tells game site VG247 that this is "100 percent true". So Finnish readers living in Finland, mark you calenders — October 15th!
You've every right to be! Game movies have, to the last, been truly awful. And since we haven't seen Max Payne, it's not out of the woods yet. But hey, you watch this trailer, you at least you know their heart's in the right place.
The Max Payne movie is getting a teen-friendly PG-13 rating. This comes in the wake of the film's director John Moore (pictured, not rapping) railing against the MPAA for slapping the picture with an R-rating. But according to Moore, the film wasn't really cut that much to finally get the coveted PG-13 rating — just a frame here and there. Moore's already calling the film "as effective a video game movie you're ever going to see" and even adds that the film's disc release will have a "Gamer Dedicated Cut". He explains:
It's a little slower and a little more atmospheric. There are some rougher edges on it, but it's not going to be a bloodfest. I want this to be the Max Payne that I set out to shoot... The movie you see in the theatres will be an intense experience and the movie you see on DVD will be as intense an experience with some extra sensibilities for people who really adore the game.
And Moore already has his fingers crossed for the inevitable sequel.
Max Payne Director Wins Battle with MPAA, Gains PG-13 Rating [GameDaily] [Pic]
