Mass Effect, the hit rpg/third person shooter/ all around awesome game produced by the geniuses at Bioware impressed a lot of people, not the least of which was me. I’m not impressed, however, with the man who managed to option the movie rights.
Firstly, let me say I don’t think Mass Effect is a game that will transition to screens smoothly, or, well, in an entertaining manner. Mass Effect, the dialogue options, and the choice of those options itself, gives the game a cinematic feel already – one that won’t be properly captured in two hours. Firstly, there’s the problem of compressing the sheer material – the game took me 26 hours to finish, personally. We’ve seen how this translates in most video game movies – Doom anyone? It usually results in huge plot holes, plot changes, and a general lack of depth. Mass Effect created an entire world of subcultures to delve deep into, and explore – for instance, without a basic understanding of the Rachni War, the mission on Noveria seems out of place. The film will no doubt have a hard time making this expansive experience fruitful to moviegoing audiences.
Secondly, there’s the problem of special effects – I was really impressed with the work Bioware did, and I’m sure most of it will look just plain silly on the big screen where realism is expected. If the film is entirely CGI, it’ll look cheesy, and if it isn’t, well, those sets are going to cost a lot of money I doubt this film is going to have, especially based on its sole producer thus far – but I’ll get into that later.
Thirdly, there’s the problem of customization; film companies can’t customize the main character to fit the basic needs of each individual character in the audience. Mass Effect was able to effectively give everyone the movie they wanted – whether their character was the typical action hero soldier, or a ruthless infiltrator handy with a sniper rifle. Personally, if Commander Shepard is a softy, which he invariably will be, I’ll be upset.
Lastly, and most importantly, is the fact that Avi Arad apparently has the rights to the film. Need I say more than Generation X?
I do? Well, how about Spider-man Unlimited?
Tell me I don’t need to bring up Bratz: The Movie.
If Avi Arad has proven one thing to fans time and time again, it’s that, above all else, he loves to sell toys. They’re a gold mine, it’s true. But, Mass Effect need not be a film dedicated to the sale of Commander John Shepard action figures, and Ashley Williams dolls.
I know what you’re going to say already. “Avi’s been producing good Marvel movies as of late.” That’s ignoring the fact that, as an independant producer, after leaving Marvel, he has had less and less sway in what the content of the film is and more and more of the distribution side.
I think I’ve spoken my peace. If I end up eating a lot of dirt when all this is over, I’ll actually be happy – happy that Mass Effect got the movie it deserved. I hate being right in situations like this. Remember, though, when the Mass Effect movie becomes a giant toy commercial, the way Batman Forever or Robosapien: Rebooted did – this starts with the man who started the transition of this franchise to film.