Beowulf and video games, part 1

I saw Beowulf today. Though they took more than a few liberties with the story, it's a pretty good movie (to be fair, the "story" in the original epic poem is quite loose, so it probably needed some tinkering). Being a computer-generated, animated film, there are almost no limits to the scope of the visual effects, and there are certainly no limits to the stunts that the characters can perform.

Several things struck me about the movie as it relates to video games. The next few posts will explore the relationship between epic stories like Beowulf (and their movies) and video games.

Game action inspiring movies
First, while watching the climactic battle scene, I couldn't help but remember some of the boss encounters in the God of War games. With a physically idealized hero (thankfully wearing clothes for this fight) flinging himself around and methodically chipping away at a much larger foe, I could almost see a big button on the screen telling me to press X as fast as possible. I had the same sense when I watched 300, which clearly had some game-inspired action.



There have been film-inspired games for years, and many of them have endured criticism for seeming shallow and rushed to market. Of course, there have been game-inspired films and TV shows for at least a decade well (anyone remember the Super Mario Bros. TV show?). Momentum has been picking up in the last five years or so, with film adaptations of video games popping up regularly (the Resident Evil series, Doom, Silent Hill, Hitman).

The prevalence of movies based on games isn't at all surprising. What's remarkable is the extent to which a video game sensibility seems to be working its way into Hollywood action movies. Indeed, where else would you find inspiration for visualizing an ancient epic poem than our present-day escapist equivalent?

Maybe what I'm noticing is just an attempt by the movie studios to appeal to a younger audience. Maybe the people making movies now happen to be life-long gamers. Or maybe there's a growing expectation that movies provide the same kind of over-the-top, super-intense action sequences as games, where the player is in control. With no control to offer the viewer, do filmmakers feel pressure to choreograph game-like action sequences to avoid losing their audience?

Of course, it's also possible that the complexity of action sequences in films and games only reflects rapid improvements in computer graphics technology. These could be the images we've always wanted to create, but until now we couldn't realize them so well.

What do you think? Are films beginning to draw on some kind of video game aesthetic, or are games and films both just taking advantage of technological change to deliver more intense sensory experiences?