Hugh Jackman

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Movie News Reviews

Movie Review: Prisoners (2013)

Intense Excellence and an Emotional Toll

A Film review of Prisoners

By: Lawrence Napoli

 

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What is a parent to do in an impossible situation? Your child is missing, but you also have a means of possibly finding out where your child might be and it directly involves doing something horrible. It’s a catch-22 between hell and the devil, and Prisoners is a film that puts the audience right into a parent’s worst nightmare in this exact scenario. This dramatic thriller plagues its cast and all those bearing witness with the impossible choice between the guilt of doing nothing and the demons of doing the unspeakable, and it is incredibly impressive how this is accomplished via the lens of religious morality and secular ethics without allowing the plot to spin out of control in either direction. Make no mistake; Prisoners is the first Oscar worthy film of the Fall thanks to a litany of marquee performances by a veteran cast and a story that that plunges its emotional tendrils into your soul and pushes the limits of your resolve.

Screenwriter Aaron Guzikowski certainly had plenty of material to draw from what with America’s media obsession with child abduction. So many families have been shattered. So many creepers have been thrust to the limelight. So many channels have reaped the ratings. As exploitive as the media may or may not be, it does provide an additional resource to get the word out to larger communities to join in an effort to find lost children, but its presence in this script is surprisingly absent. This helps the story immensely as the script is more concerned with making this fictional tragedy as personal as possible by highlighting those most directly involved with it. Scenes that play out within the victims’ families are written very realistically as self loathing and internal combustion are both fueled by anger, frustration and despair. Scenes that play out with the police are not quite as raw, but become so gradually which reflects how personal it can become for the men and women charged with finding children they have no relation to. What allows these scenes to intensify tenfold is that Guzikowski is constantly framing every conversation and argument within the ethics and morality of the situation at large which forces the audience to anchor at a personal level to what is happening in that instant. Amidst all of this drama, a very thought provoking crime conspiracy is playing out in the background and the balance amongst all the storytelling elements at work is simply masterful.

This film is a character and dialogue driven affair layered with elements of suspense. The fact that there isn’t a significant amount of action hurts the pacing a bit seeing how it runs for over two and a half hours, and the mood never sways from a negatively charged place. In addition to this general lack of movement, this film features one of the least interesting and brown scale color schemes a setting could provide any production. It is not an easy task for any director to look at these supposed handicaps and suddenly weave into an interesting film, but Denis Villeneueve chooses to allow the assets he does have at his disposal to lead the way, by staying out of theirs: the cast. More often than not (especially in films I’ve seen recently), actors have been horse-collared by script limitations that prevent interesting characters to be fleshed out and flat characters to remain so because the actors playing the leads are not as skilled as their costars. This is not the case for Prisoners. Every actor seems to reach perfect synergy with their characters and it takes a director that knows the script as well as his or her cast to achieve that kind of intimacy. The best directors are the least intrusive and provide leadership where necessary to complete the production.

Prisoners is a film that boasts one of the best supporting casts for a dramatic crime/thriller film. Terrence Howard and Viola Davis as the parents of one of the missing girls are exceptionally skilled at summoning tears on command. Maria Bello as the mother of the other missing girl produces a tragic train wreck of a woman shredded by despair. Paul Dano, once again, does what he apparently does best and will seemingly never escape: being extremely creepy. And let’s not forget Melissa Leo’s contributions as her prosthetic makeup conceals her identity, but her performance is anything but forgettable.

As much as Hugh Jackman has been promoted as the de facto Oscar candidate for the male lead in this film, Prisoners is every bit Jake Gyllenhaal’s baby as Jackman’s. Officer Loki is a detective clearly tormented by the utter filth that the worst human behavior has subjected him to as he is a loner, but somehow driven to continue to fight the good fight. Gyllenhaal’s transformation into a man that is almost driven to any means necessary to solve this crime and save lives is truly a sight to see because it doesn’t take someone in law enforcement to identify with helplessness, and the frustration that manifests in attempting to completely hold your emotions in check to get the job done. It will be quite easy for most to overlook Officer Loki because he’s still an average cop, but Gyllenhaal’s everyman approach to it makes his part less about the impersonal role of the law and more about seeking justice without bending the rules of law and order.

Intensity describes every aspect of Hugh Jackman’s performance as Keller Dover, the father of one of the missing girls. He is presented as a burly father and husband who is loving yet very particular about doing things his own way because it is the “right” way. He’s also a man who’s Christianity is clearly a significant contribution to his outlook on life. He’s more of an Old Testament, wrath of God type than a New Testament, turn the other cheek type. All of this sets the table for a man who has always been in control of life to be completely at its mercy, but he’s certainly not taking it lying down. We may have all seen Jackman’s anger and rage in his iconic performances as Wolverine, but he goes well beyond that level in Prisoners. It isn’t a berserker rage that demonstrates this new level of intimidation, but a depraved indifference for any target of his character’s personal investigation to the disappearance of his child through his chilling demeanor akin to a psychopathic serial killer. Keller Dover’s decent into darkness is the fundamental journey of this film, and it is as disturbing as it is stomach-turning. Jackman shows what it means when seemingly average people are pushed to their emotional and spiritual limit, but also the dangers that come with rationalizing the irrational through faith or any other means of justification.

Prisoners is an excellent film, but it makes you feel awful to know that you are a member of a species of life that is capable of doing what is shown in this film, which is a reflection from reality. Any parents new to the child raising game could take a few lessons from this movie regarding always knowing where they are and who they hang out with. They will also leave the theatre completely paranoid over the very real possibilities out there, and the fact that there’s no such thing as a community that’s safe without vigilance, concern and care. Prisoners is a film that poses the question when life puts you to the test, will you abandon high class ethics, doctrines of faith or base human decency when extreme tragedy comes to your doorstep? Are all of society’s rules and regulations meaningless words in certain situations? Are we all just looking for excuses to go feral? So many films are asking these kinds of questions these days, but very few reek as much emotional havoc on the audience as Prisoners.

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Movie News Reviews

Movie Review: The Wolverine (2013)

Logan Can’t Protect His Women

A Film Review of The Wolverine

By: Lawrence Napoli

 

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So this was the Wolverine movie we were all waiting to see?  Oh I get it: a Wolverine movie where there’s a high body count, gore, dismemberment, lots of action, intrigue, a final one-on-one grudge match against a marquee villain and a last minute tie-in to the ever evolving X-franchise?  No, only having one of these elements doesn’t count.  Director James Mangold and writers Mark Bomback and Scott Frank attempt to wipe away the visual stain that is X-Men Origins: Wolverine by taking the character back to basics: no X-affiliation, no team dynamics, just a simple re-origin tale where the most iconic X-Man finally deals with his inner demons amidst a rather pedestrian conflict.  Although anyone in the audience can still follow the general plot of The Wolverine, in order to appreciate all the references as well as key character cameos, familiarity with the original X-trilogy is a necessity.  As a result, this film cannot fully stand on its own considering the ultimate conflict of X-Men: The Last Stand is the key “demon” I previously mentioned that continues to dog Logan in this film. Perhaps this fact is what holds The Wolverine back, or perhaps it was the PG-13 rating because the Wolverine movie we’re all (still) waiting for is rated R.

The script represents a mixed bag in that the major plot points leave much to be desired when compared to other comic book adaptations, but the individual scenes deliver the best moment to moment depictions of Wolverine in a realistic world to date.  Bomback and Frank did their homework by examining dialogue sequences from the original trilogy that cuts to the very core of Logan’s roguish personality and applied them here.  Not one single line uttered by Wolverine sounds like forced exposition or contrived plot advancement.  He is every bit the loner and every bit the wounded soul we all know and love him to be, and for the most part, his interactions with everyone are spot on.  However, I found the plot points that lead Logan to Japan from his general state of self loathing to the details that keep him there for the duration of the film to be weak.  Wolverine is known for having a very unique sense of justice that usually crosses the line to vengeance, and appealing to that aspect would be a practical way to snap him back to reality.  The problem is that the messenger has to be someone more important to Logan than a vague voice from the distant past or someone he’s never met before.  When the story evolves after he lands in Tokyo, few things would keep the Wolverine around when he has no reason to stay and everyone’s trying to kill him.  Love would be a great reason, that is, if it was for someone he knew for more than a couple days.  There are just too many points in this film where I thought Wolverine would have simply walked away because a good reason to stay never manifested.  He hung around in the original trilogy mostly for his attraction to Jean and his protection of Rogue.  The connections he makes in this film to produce an artificial “need” in his character feel circumstantial at best.

The other major disappointment I felt The Wolverine laid out for the viewer was the curious approach to the action and combat throughout.  Mind you, this isn’t a criticism of the look of these sequences as they are all shot profoundly well.  There are plenty of wide shots to keep the audience oriented and blurry camera tricks to purposely obscure problematic angles are never used.  I’m specifically calling out the content of the action.  Most of the opposition Logan faces throughout comes in the form of a number of Yakuza thugs, security guards and ninjas.  A convenient plot device is used to level the playing field which makes these kinds of antagonists a viable threat to our hero, but that goes away at some point, yet he is still somehow kept in check by these non super-powered villains.  The ninja village sequence embodies this kind of disappointment perfectly because the audience is clearly being setup for an incessantly violent moment where the infamous “berserker rage” is about to erupt; only it never does and the entire confrontation fizzles.  The same criticism holds true for the climactic battle with the big bad of this film.  It doesn’t come off as big of a surprise, as I’m sure the writers originally banked on, and it displays the smallest window of Logan’s repertoire as a pugilist in any conflict we’ve seen on screen thus far.  If this is the Wolverine that will be a part of Days of Future Past, then I seriously question his worth as a combatant because he simply isn’t the best at what he does anymore.

The one thing I did respect about this production is the fact that this film approached the story from a more dramatic angle.  As such, certain performances that took full advantage of very small pockets of screen time truly shined and gave the movie an emotional anchor that not every X-film can claim to have.  One of the standouts was Hiroyuki Sanada’s enraged and embittered Shingen, the son of Yashida (the rich meyser who invites Logan to Japan in the first place).  Although his character is given virtually no importance to the story, no other antagonist matches this actor’s intensity on the screen at ANY point.  Rila Fukushima did an amazing job as Logan’s mutant sidekick/Japanese escort, Yukio, considering this woman is acting in her second movie ever.  She isn’t stereotypically gorgeous, but her playful mannerisms and emotive facial expressions make her character the most charismatic by far.  I’d also like to point out that Famke Janssen’s performance as the ghost of Jean Grey in this film is the best she’s ever performed as this character.  I never particularly agreed with her casting in the first place, but her contributions here redeem her . . . somewhat.

There were also some severe misses.  I didn’t care one bit for Hal Yamanouchi’s old Yashida, and my criticism is twofold for the character and his performance.  When your character has severely restricted body language, the performance must compensate in other areas (such as vocal intonation) to stand out.  Yamanouchi, perhaps, does too good of a job playing a man that is seconds away from death’s icy grasp and as such, Yashida is no more important than a standard crusty old rich man with nefarious ends.  The other villain that was an absolute waste of time was the mutant Viper, played by Svetlana Khodchenkova.  I understand that she was going for a femme fatale, but she was not particularly sexy, wasn’t very maniacal, and never seemed threatening on the screen.  I don’t know what else a performance can do to screw up the presentation of a villain, but at least she was thorough at it.

Like Robert Downey Jr. playing Tony Stark – Hugh Jackman IS Wolverine.  His dedication to physical conditioning and the seriousness and preparation he approaches this character with is the essence of what it means to be a truly professional actor, and he is a credit to his calling.  

The Wolverine is not as awful as some make it out to be, but it is also nowhere close to being the definitive visual presentation of a story that fully embraces this character as the mainstream media has determined it to be.  I repeat: this is NOT the Wolverine movie we were all waiting for, but that’s not to take anything away from Hugh Jackman who still gave his all, but that same effort could not save Wolverine’s first solo outing.  This film cost slightly less than Origins to make, but it has also come up a tad short on its initial weekend at the box office despite opening at number one.  The Wolverine is yet another summer “blockbuster” that loses its luster for not having that “IT” factor that makes it a must see.  It is a good movie, but doesn’t feature the best action in the world, nor does it tote the best use of its licensed property; which is why people go to see comic book adaptations in the first place.  Chalk this one up to another that fell short of the hype despite being filled with potential.  

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Movie News Reviews

Film Review of Les Misérables

Do You Hear the Oscars Sing?

A Film Review of Les Misérables

By: Lawrence Napoli

 

I remember having read the original novel by Victor Hugo in high school and despite viewing class as a complete and utter task, this was a story I genuinely enjoyed.  I remember having been treated to a Broadway performance of the show in NYC starring Colm Wilkinson as Valjean and being blown away by the featured performances of several “Valjeans” from around the world performing One Day More in their native tongues after the finale.  I remember being incredibly impressed by Les Misérables in Concert filmed at the Royal Albert Hall in London back in 1995.  I remember being somewhat disappointed by Liam Neeson’s dramatic adaptation of the character in a star studded Hollywood film directed by Bille August in 1998.  I am a Les Mis super fan.  Needless to say, when I saw the Anne Hathaway trailer and Hugh Jackman mini documentary at my local Regal Cinemas, I just about lost my mind with voracious anticipation.

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One more day to fight.  One more day to live.

But wait!  The 2012 adaptation of the musical masterpiece of Les Misérables is not a perfect film despite every legitimate production element being worthy of Oscar nomination if not gold.  Weakness #1 must be the scene transitions.  Like any play, Les Mis has plenty of awkward shifts in geography and time as the plot progresses, but the format of this entertainment spares the audience uneasiness due to the orchestra’s transition overtures, on-the-fly stage transformation and strategic implementation of the curtain.  A movie has no such need for any of these tools as time and space is far more easily manipulated.  Unfortunately, 2012’s Les Mis has several moments where a change in song is as blunt as hitting the skip track button on a stereo.  Director Tom Hooper clearly wanted an authentic representation of the musical on film, but I don’t believe being a slave to the music was the way to go.  Adding short lines of dialogue or exposition could have easily reconciled these jarring transitions and would not have adversely affected the end product.

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 Am I to be a slave of the original score?

Weakness #2 is that not every actor in this film is an accomplished singer.  You’ve probably heard it by now, but everyone has designated Russell Crowe as the weakest link, and I truly hate to kick him while he’s down, but it’s all true.  Yet, I feel compelled to defend Crowe because he is still a great film actor and some very raw emotion gets conveyed by the man’s face as the antagonist Javert.  However, the sound that protrudes from his mouth is the furthest from menacing, demonstrative and anything matching the proficiency of anyone else in the cast.  Tom Hooper could have helped his actor out in a couple of ways.  First, consider dropping Javert’s lyrics down an octave to more comfortably match Crowe’s speaking voice.  Two, immediately addressed Crowe’s legato delivery which is completely out of character for Javert who is meant to be staccato; further enhancing his domineering persona.  Three, consider recasting all together.  Russell Crowe is one of the greatest film actors of all time, but even his legacy will be bumped and bruised as a result of his efforts here.  I just hope whoever produces the upcoming Academy Awards show does not make fun of Crowe’s Javert because that man will show up specifically to knock someone out on live television – Romper Stomper style.

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Not one word!  Or else someone gets a fist in the face!

Those issues aside, Les Mis uses other Hollywood tools to their maximum potential which infuses layers of pristine production value to the overall experience.  The camera’s ability to get right up close into each and every actor’s face is one thing the stage will never be able to duplicate.  Danny Cohen’s cinematography allows the audience to absorb every ounce of sorrow and happiness from an extremely accomplished cast that is equal to the task.  It also allows the actors to use the freedom of live singing as the cameras roll to put more of their characters into their songs.  The costume design by Paco Delgado reflects classic depictions of each character, but is no less proficient than any production that came before.  The combined efforts of production designer Eve Stewart and supervising art director Grant Armstrong deliver the kind of set pieces that give early 1800s France an epic scale never before depicted by this musical.

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Set design: BANG!

The biggest surprise of this film was the performance of Amanda Seyfried as young adult Cosette.  She’s already shown that she could sing for the silver screen with her performance in Mamma Mia (2008), but those tracks were recorded in a studio and dubbed in post production.  Ms. Seyfried reveals quite the lovely soprano voice for her live recording and although I was expecting a professional acting performance, I was not expecting such an exquisite voice.  I totally bought into her chemistry with Eddie Redmayne’s Marius which was no small challenge thanks to both of their characters’ limited screen time. 

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The blonde beauty of Seyfried

For the record, the biggest disappointment is technically Russell Crowe’s Javert, but he wasn’t the only one.  Thénardier and his Mrs. played by Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter respectively were amusing playing the comic relief of this production, but neither was hysterical and I felt their acting and singing seemed to be holding something back, muffled in projection, diminished in capacity.  I respect that Borat was the only member of the cast to attempt a French accent whilst singing his tunes, but a man that has made a career out of shock, despicable and disgust should have been able to produce a more repulsively delicious rendition of Thénardier.  Granted, both Cohen and Carter have very limited screen time, but anyone playing a character not named Valjean or Javert has to deal with that reality and others did so with greater success.

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Lazy, mailed-in, or something else?  You decide.

Speaking of which, Anne Hathaway’s portrayal of Fantine was inspired, so much so that I must begin to reevaluate my general disdain for her as a result of her work in Les Mis.  Her performance of I Dreamed a Dream is easily one of the most emotional moments in the entire film as any viewer can tell that Hathaway is digging deep into her own soul to produce the face of despair and desperation.  Now, I could never claim to have tasted the kind of real world horrors like homelessness, disease and physical abuse, but I can certainly identify with the endless toiling of mind-numbing work where the only reward is keeping the bill collectors at bay.  However one identifies with Fantine, it is Hathaway that compels us to sympathize.  Even Victor Freeze would be hard pressed to hold back the tears.

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Is the dream truly dead?

The Co-MVPs of this production are an obvious choice and an unexpected one.  Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean/24061 was just about the biggest no-brainer of the decade in Hollywood Land.  The man’s experience in musical theater, his physical stature, his experience in films in addition to the wide variance of his roles makes him the perfect actor for the perfect role.  Jackman buys into his role heart, body and soul as is frighteningly obvious as Valjean, the prisoner is almost Machinist skinny in the beginning of the film and I have never seen Hugh in any kind of physical condition other than prime.  Jackman puts the entire spectrum of human emotion on display and maintains a high level of intensity as only the best leading men of Hollywood have done.  It will be a stretch for Wolverine to triumph over Abraham Lincoln for this year’s best actor in a leading role, but it is very possible and quite deserving.  Also, his chemistry with Valjean Legend Colm Wilkinson, who plays the bishop in this film adaptation, is remarkable for its brevity and a proper homage to the history of this musical’s significance.

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Machinist Valjean

The other MVP happens to be Eddie Redmayne as Marius.  I was misty eyed for most of the film, but when he sang Empty Chairs at Empty Tables, it was all over and the waterworks began to flow.  This moment is the emotional climax of the film and with only 50% of the film’s overall screen time to work with; Redmayne steals just about every scene late in the game because the intense sincerity in his eye is second only to Jackman.  Best known for his recent role in My Week with Marilyn (2011), Redmayne is coming up on the Hollywood power charts and I certainly expect his name to be nominated for best actor in a supporting role for his excellent work in Les Mis.

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Red: the color of the carpet.  Black: the color of my tux.

Even the most casual fan of Les Misérables, the musical will be stunned by the vibrant life this film breathes back into the tale.  For those unfamiliar with the play or the novel, expect to see a powerful tale of the downtrodden attempting to rise above poverty, greed, hunger and hate to find a higher cause in life for themselves and others.  It is a story that reminds us that life will always throw danger, complication and hostility in our direction, but even a simple act of kindness given by or to us can give us the strength to carry on.  Those familiar with the story will be very forgiving of the transition gaps so viewer beware.  You may have to simply accept the plot jumps on faith alone, but also know this.  If you are willing to suspend that disbelief and open your heart you will bear witness to one of the best dramas that expose the essence of humanity: the dichotomy of grace and disgrace.

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Movie News Reviews Video Game News

The State of Hollywood 6: The Metal Gear Movie

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The State of Hollywood 6:

The Reality of the Metal Gear Solid Movie

By: Lawrence Napoli 

 

What could go wrong?

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When the Metal Gear Solid film adaptation was confirmed to be in the works at Konami’s 25th Anniversary of the video game franchise, I was very intrigued at the prospect of bringing one of the most cinematic game sagas to the silver screen.  I was also quite apprehensive of such lofty ambitions for the simple fact that Hollywood has blundered just about every gaming license it has gotten its greasy palms on, and I’d hate to see Kojima’s masterpiece sullied by anyone for any reason.  Just look what they did to Super Mario and he was a fat plumber who curb-stomped turtles to save a princess.  How can Hollywood possibly handle the “nuances, ideology [and] cautionary tales,” (quoting Avi Arad, himself) of global conspiracy by the military industrial complex to control the future of mankind via technology, genetics, economics and violence?  (Wait, isn’t that happening in real life now?)

The answer to that question is that none of the above really matters to Avi Arad or anyone else in Hollywood because there are greenbacks to be made and ravenous fan bases ripe for exploitation.  Hollywood’s goal is producing blockbuster gold in the form of a film that may or may not have something important to say about life, but is really more interested in wooing dollars out of our wallets with explosions. 

In many respects, the meat of Metal Gear’s story contains ideas that average blockbusters wouldn’t normally give a second thought to.  That is until the most recent culmination of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy (who, by the way, is the only director Kojima has mentioned interest in allowing to helm a Metal Gear adaptation).  Unfortunately, there is only one Chris Nolan and he will be too busy promoting the rest of DC’s alphas to Batman’s prominence on film.  Thus, [insert director here] inspires far less confidence in this project’s production which attracts a smaller pool of actors and other talented filmmaking professionals to the cause.

[[wysiwyg_imageupload:2964:]]Why Metal Gear and why now?

The entertainment industry seems to see Arad’s alliance with Columbia Pictures as a response to Ubisoft using its own production facilities to create an Assassin’s Creed adaptation starring Michael Fassbender.  I see it as Hollywood having sucked just about all the sellable juice from the comic book industry and it needs a new host to leach upon before it goes through a true “dry spell” of projects. 

The big four of the entertainment industry: music, movies, books and DVD’s are averaging between $30-60 billion dollars of annual, global revenue in their respective categories and the video game industry is on par with each of them.  This simply wasn’t the case 15 years ago, but considering the constant evolution of the internet and the increased demand for user interactivity as a result; it stands to reason that gaming continues to be on the rise and more people regardless of age, gender and ethnicity are plugging in.  The best known franchises in gaming have high exposure for various consumer bases around the world, so considering Hollywood’s recent trend on focusing on global numbers (as opposed to [US] domestic profits), it makes perfect sense for more games to be remixed as movies.

Metal Gear, as a franchise, gives Hollywood everything it wants in an adaptation: relevance, popularity, violence and lots of opportunities for special effects.[[wysiwyg_imageupload:2965:]]  Yet history has shown there is no such thing as “a sure thing” so not every gaming icon makes perfect sense to invest in.  As marquee as Mario and Link are in videogames, neither could sell a contemporary blockbuster the way Solid Snake can because they are rooted in Nintendo’s stylized fantasyland which may not be for everyone above the age of 13.  Halo also generates high visibility, but a film adaptation might turn off an audience more interested in action as opposed to being bombarded with too much sci-fi jargon and exposition.  The same goes for Mass Effect and BioShock.  The only other contemporary franchise that might out shine Metal Gear as a potential film would be anything that bears the name of Call of Duty, but please note the similarities between the two: modern day/future warfare, modern day army tactics, modern day violence (with a slight sci-fi edge to Metal Gear).

[[wysiwyg_imageupload:2966:]]Dollars, cents and “success”

Let’s just say there really isn’t a lot of success when it comes to movies based on video games (as there isn’t much success in games based on movies).  Hollywood measures its success in cash and despite the ever increasing cost of general admission and conspiratorial gimmicks like double the ticket cost for IMAX and Digital DLP projection, the industry is still not making the money it used to make.  Yes, consumer feedback is most directly reflected in the dollars they spend and when you observe mega-films like Avatar and The Avengers take home multiple billions of dollars worth in global ticket sales, it makes you wonder how Hollywood could ever be struggling.

Hollywood’s problem in general (and game adaptations in particular) is that “success” measured in dollars is a skewed statistic as a result of the aforementioned inflation and tricks.  Only focusing on the green has contributed to the overall decline in Hollywood’s product and whether you agree with that statement or not, the audience is showing disappointment due to its increased absence as the years go by.  When you go to the movies, how often do you sit in theaters that one would consider “full?”  When you talk to your friends about movies how often do complaints like “I’ve seen it all before,” and “they’ve run out of ideas,” come up in the conversation?  It all sounds very circumstantial and unquantifiable, but if we tracked the number of tickets sold (regardless of price) we would begin to see an alarming drop in patronage overall.

Why should any of this be important to Hideo Kojima and his Metal Gear franchise?  Acknowledging the rising cost and decreased business of Hollywood has[[wysiwyg_imageupload:2968:]] placed even more pressure on blockbusters to over perform at the box office and this increased scrutiny demands stricter adherence to the “Hollywood formula”: good writing and plot are sacrificed for big name actors, elaborate set pieces, visual effects and tons of explosions (essentially style over substance).  Even “the formula” cannot be considered foolproof, but no major studio will ever bankroll such a project unless “the formula” is in full effect.  Cue, (Sony) Columbia Pictures which owns 15.5% of movie market share and is 2nd only to Warner Bros. in pure blockbuster production power.  Big money is already behind this Metal Gear project, but accepting it implies the complete submission to whatever Hollywood says the movie will be.  In the words of Amanda Connor regarding the adaptation of her husband’s Jonah Hex: “You don’t handle Hollywood.  Hollywood handles you!”  Sorry Kojima-san, you’ve just been kicked out of the writer’s room.

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“Kojima approved” may be irrelevant in the Metal Gear adaptation.

Why it will fail!

Three words: TACTICAL, ESPIONAGE, ACTION!  That is the subtitle for every Metal Gear Solid game and it designates to the player exactly what this fiction is all about in addition to the order of importance of each of these elements have within the story.  Hollywood’s “formula” dictates quite the opposite by forcing the film to be focused on action/effects, rated PG-13 and entirely unconcerned with social commentary.  When the base philosophical difference between the source material and the adaptation is that far apart, how on Earth could Avi Arad speak so smugly about staying true to Metal Gear’s “nuance and ideology?”

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This is a sneaking mission Snake.  The goal here is gathering information, so apply appropriate tactics.

Metal Gear Solidis not about war.  War has changed.  War is the escalating cost of gasoline and energy.  War is hacking databases to steal identities.  War is Chinese banks buying up American debt.  War is corporations over people.  War is the race to do things better, faster and cheaper than the other guy.  War is less about proxy battles fought on foreign soil and more about the concept of human struggle and how interconnected every individual is in our daily toils as we live our lives.  THAT is Metal Gear Solid.  THAT is the story of Solid Snake: a super soldier coming to grips with how his warrior code of honor and discipline is completely at odds with his chain of command and the true authority behind it.  It is a case study in refined, character driven drama where even individuals of immense power still answer to another; slaves to causality; chess pieces playing out their roles.  The trick is they are all discovering this truth and not everyone likes it.

Solid Snake running around for two hours blowing sh*t up has 0% chance of producing a story that approaches any of the above. 

[[wysiwyg_imageupload:2971:]]How it might succeed

The right people have to be recruited for the creative positions in this kind of production: writers, actors, crew and F/X.  They must be led by a director that becomes intimate with the source material and creates a vision that he or she will not allow producers or executives to compromise.  [Insert director here] is not well versed in having a spine, let alone creating a vision worth buying into.  This is the reason why there are so many directors you have never heard of and will never hear from again.  Any old person will not do to direct this adaptation.

Mechs must be fully animated, but discipline must be maintained so as not to turn Metal Gear into Transformers.  One easy step in accomplishing this feat is by completely forgetting Michael Bay (or his agent) exists.  The second step is putting serious thought into the final battle which involves Snake vs. Liquid who is piloting the mechanical behemoth, Metal Gear Rex.  As ridiculous as 1 man fighting a robot the size of a house is, planning the action in a way that is not “over the top” is the only way the climax of this film (and Rex specifically) doesn’t come off as stupid.  Of course, that’s assuming the director wants to play out the final confrontation in the same manner as the game.  The answer to this situation becomes a little less daunting so long as “tactical” and “espionage” continue to prevail over “action.”

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My name is Rex, not Grimlock!

Finally, the right actor must be cast for Solid Snake.  Certainly, Metal Gear features one of the most colorful casts in the history of fiction, but the story is very singular in perspective and Solid Snake is the man.  The internet has an interesting list of potential leading men such as Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Sean Bean, Viggo Mortensen and Matt Damon (sorry David Hayter, you are invited to play some role on the film, but you can’t be Snake).  My particular problem with these high profile, A-listers is that just about all of them have already represented iconic characters recently and franchise fatigue is inevitable.  This affects both the actor’s performance as well as the audience’s ability to accept the actor in the role.  I am most intrigued with the mentioning of Josh Holloway who is most remembered for his role on Lost.  I like the fact that he has as much to gain from the role of Solid Snake as the role does from his performance.  He certainly looks the part, but can he act it?  Also, can he completely delete his southern accent?  Both of which are vital to creating a viable, Solid Snake.  I won’t give Josh my official endorsement, but the mitigating circumstances I just mentioned place him higher on the list than anyone else.

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Conclusion

Adapting Metal Gear is not the slam dunk many would make it out to be.  Otherwise, it would have already happened.  It certainly presents a high risk/high reward scenario provided the creators approach this film with the intention of keeping it unique from other war/sci-fi/action films.  It also presents a low yield/heavy backlash scenario if the adaptation simply sucks.  I am not certain Kojima’s ego would survive such an outcome and I’d hate to have him stare that possibility down up close and personal.  And perhaps that is the reason we haven’t seen this game in Hollywood scripts up to now.  However, with the upcoming release of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (developed by Platinum Games) and Kojima’s desire to move into the producer’s chair for future Metal Gear Solid games, it seems he is being less possessive of his brainchild.  Ironically, Snake and Kojima share the same problem of trust as both consider themselves to be true professionals that rely on their own efforts rather than others.  Still, it’s much easier for a man to move mountains with the help of other men.

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