MASS EFFECT movie announcement: good news or bad news?

MASS EFFECT movie announcement: good news or bad news?

May 25

Seems like Legendary couldn’t let the recent Heavy Rain movie announcement go unanswered: Mass Effect is now officially on its way to the silver screen. I don’t think I’m exaggerating here when I say Mass Effect was the most important thing I saw, played or did in the last few years: for me it was a nigh life-changing experience, so naturally my knee-jerk response to this news is to cross my arms and frown loudly.

The main problem with adapting Mass Effect to a non-gaming medium is that Mass Effect is one of those quintessentially game-y experiences. Everything from the sex, race and gender of your character through to the friends you make and the teammates you sacrifice are entirely in the hands of the player, and each of the three games (the third is yet to be released) tells a continuous story through which you can carry over your character and story choices. That is to say, there is no canon: no two players’ experience of the plot will be precisely the same, and that’s part of the game’s power.

In order for a film adaptation to work, there are two options: either take the plot straight from the games and lock the characters into one set path; or throw Commander Shepard and the Reapers out the window and come up with a whole new story in the Mass Effect universe. I know I’d prefer the latter, but I know just as well that would never happen.

No matter who they cast in the role of Commander Shepard (the player-controlled protagonist of the Mass Effect trilogy), at least half of the fan base will be outraged. Basic, fundamental things like Shepard’s sex will send the fans into fits of rage — most fans prefer a female Shepard because they reckon her voice-acting’s better than the male counterpart, but the game’s advertising focuses solely on the default “male model” Shepard. Thus, if half of players chose to play as a woman, they’re going to be irritated if a male is cast in the role. (Incidentally, Lost‘s Matthew Fox is a dead ringer for default Shepard.)

Mass Effect has a rich and distinct visual style, blending all of the best of sci-fi into one gorgeous package, from the neon dystopia of Blade Runner through the colourful 90s palette of Babylon 5 to the clunky real-worldiness of Star Wars, and deals with themes that explore both the lighter, Star Trek side of morality as well as the murkier, grittier Battlestar Galactica end of the spectrum. The film adaptation could easily tap all the groundwork laid by game developer Bioware in establishing the look, feel and sound of Mass Effect‘s expansive universe, and that would help their goals immensely.

Also helping the film’s cause is Legendary Pictures’ involvement: they contributed to Warner Bros.-distributed flicks like 300 and The Dark Knight; they’ve also got their fingers in other video game pies, like the developmentally-challenged Gears Of War adaptation as well as Sam Raimi’s World Of Warcraft feature. This bodes well for Mass Effect. Screenwriter Mark Protosevich is in talks to write the script: he wrote the ho-hum I Am Legend and the upcoming Thor, so his talents are relatively untested in my mind.

What bodes even better for Mass Effect is Bioware’s involvement from the outset. Founders (and Doctors) Ray Muzyka and Gred Zeschuck will serve as executive producers on the flick, hopefully keeping the project in line with their “emotional engagement is everything” development mantra; and Mass Effect‘s lead designer (equivalent to a film’s director) Casey Hudson is quoted as saying he always “thought Mass Effect was perfectly suited to be a motion picture,” so maybe it isn’t all doom and gloom for us, the game’s fans.

Still, I can’t help but shake the feeling that a movie adaptation of this game is unnecessary. The first game is the closest thing to interactive storytelling perfection I’ve ever seen, and I wouldn’t want my personal experiences ruined by some screenwriter’s interpretation of events. That said, there’s a rich universe and strong story to tap, so I guess it might not be all bad … but I can’t help but be reminded of Wing Commander, Hitman, Doom, Resident Evil, and Uwe Boll’s litany of film sins whenever I think of game-to-movie adaptaions. I do not want Mass Effect to suffer a similar fate.

This Thursday’s Prince Of Persia has a lot to live up to: if it’s good, my faith in the Mass Effect movie will increase dramatically; if it’s average, or bad, my hopes for any and all video game adaptations will plummet below their already low levels.