A Good (and Faithful) Half-Life Movie...Is It Possible?

[Hades]

And if so how would you do it?

Personally I don't think it's possible. The plot of the Half-Life series is pretty bare bones already and the characters who are so life-like in game would be hard to re-create faithfully on screen.

And of course how can you fit in Gordon? Him speaking would be blasphemy but you simply can't have a lead actor without dialogue.

The only way I see it getting done would be to make non-game characters (like a group of civilians caught up in the events) and story that takes place parallel to the main narrative. For example civilian hears about Black Mesa incident, survives the Seven Hour War, ekes out a living under the Combine, etc. etc. Maybe have Gordon make an appearance briefly (sort of the way Jesus does in Ben-Hur).

Either way I think it would be a long shot even with a stellar director and solid cast. Gabe says he doesn't want to give rights away until he's sure that the movie would be done right. Kudos to him for not being a money grubbing skank.

 

[Acepilotf14]

Nope. Not possible.

Half-Life is meant as an interactive experience.

 

[Avoidist]

You'd do it like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1UPMEmCqZo

 

[Lucid]

It's unnecessary.

 

[Kinslayer]

It's impossible to make a good movie out of the events happening in a game.

Why? Because games typically involve, at the least, 8 hours of gameplay. Movies involve, at most, 2 1/2 hours of viewing, and even that's pushing it. Shoving 8 hours of gameplay into even 3 hours, you'll lose a lot of content.

Now, I can see them making a movie in the Half Life UNIVERSE, such as a movie set during the Seven Hour War (It was hours, not years). That would work, I think, and also be interesting as long as they keep faithful to the lore.

 

[brad92]

Here is what Marc Laidlaw has to say about it:

This project always crashes up against the hard reality that Gordon Freeman is a cipher - a Teflon conduit for the player's senses. As soon as you try to turn him into an actual character separate from the player's will, he loses whatever it is that makes him an interesting first-person-game protagonist.

Anybody from outside Valve who gets a hold of the project instantly turns Gordon Freeman into the perfect starring vehicle for that week's top celebrity, and the arbitrary changes just get worse from there. Even if Valve make the movie independently, we would have to solve the Freeman character dilemma - but at least I believe we would solve it in such a way that it would be true to the rest of our vision.

The first Half-Life movie treatment pitched to us climaxed with a tearful reunion between enslaved Vortigaunts and their Vortiwives and children. The last one I saw had Black Mesa invaded by a cavalry unit, just so as to feature a scene of bullsquids tearing into armoured horses... Which I admit is sort of cool, but has nothing to do with Half-Life."

 

[lanceleader]

Some of these script must be hilarious to read. Maybe Half-life would make a better tv serie, plenty of time to develop character and story. The serie could follow different group of survivor, first season would be the portal storm and seven hour war, second season the event of half-life 2. Gordon could be heard of but not actually encountered.

 

[Gman]

I seen this on YouTube.Its obviously FAKE.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxU7YfkGZKA

 

[Gman]

Here's the Supposed to be cast:
Game Character Actor
Gordon Freeman: Hugh Laurie
Alyx: Lucy Liu
Eli Vance: Morgan Freeman
Gman: Christopher Walken
Judith Mossman: Cate Blanchett
Father Grigori: Sid Haig
Dr Breen: Dennis Hopper

 

[Kadayi]

A TV mini series would work far better than a film if it were ever to happen.

 

[Gman]

I Think a Mini TV Series Would Work Perfectly.

 

[Adabiviak]

Of course it's possible. I believe the question you're trying to ask is 'what are the odds that a Half Life movie wouldn't suck?'. I would love to see it done right, but wouldn't bet that, if left to Hollywood for example, it would be.

 

[flamingdts]

A TV mini series would work far better than a film if it were ever to happen.

Half Life: The Chronicles of Freeman

 

[Murray]

Ok, so there are some videogame-based movies out there, which I find decent, like... let's say Hitman, but none of them have ever been as entertaining as any Half-Life game. (Yes, I think the amount of entertainment you get from watching movies can be compared with the entertainment you get from playing video games). Therefore I surely hope Valve will never give in to those Hollywood film producers.

 

[Full Life 1?]

There are many words that answer the title of this thread. Here they are:
??? < This is supposed to be russian, but it wont show up right. ****.
Nein
Nr
Non
No

Basically, no in a number of different languages.

 

[flamingdts]

Ok, so there are some videogame-based movies out there, which I find decent, like... let's say Hitman, but none of them have ever been as entertaining as any Half-Life game. (Yes, I think the amount of entertainment you get from watching movies can be compared with the entertainment you get from playing video games). Therefore I surely hope Valve will never give in to those Hollywood film producers.

The most "decent" game movie there is is tomb raider/Resident Evil, and even those were a complete mess (with good actors). Hitman was a mess, there was no element of stealth at all. In the history of all video game movies, none of them were even considered "decent" in the eyes of objective reviewers who have never played the game before.

Gordon Freeman does not talk, and will never. Even if they attempt to make a film that surrounds the Half Life series (like following the rebels in another city, or a security guard in black mesa), they have to explain how the whole thing occurred.

The best they can do if it was a half life 1 movie is have a scientist escaping from black mesa, but play it in a first person angle like REC. or Blair witch project. That way, they can focus on the action and not the story.

The warcraft movie will determine the fate of video game movies. Blizzard is one of the most respected companies in the industry and they have yet to screw up. If the warcraft movie is a bust, then video game as we know it is finished. If Blizzard can't make a good movie, no other company can.

 

[jet_porkins]

It simply cannot be about Gordon Freeman.

 

[Schall]

Idk but I do know that Morgon Freeman would play a good Eli.

 

[MorganFreeman911]

There are many words that answer the title of this thread. Here they are:
??? < This is supposed to be russian, but it wont show up right. ****.
Nein
Nr
Non
No

Basically, no in a number of different languages.

*hi5* Yes.
I love you.

 

[Murray]

The most "decent" game movie there is is tomb raider/Resident Evil, and even those were a complete mess (with good actors).

Never seen Tomb Raider to be honest. Resident Evil didn't come to mind earlier, but it was ok I guess. About the same good as Hitman I would say.

 

[Gman]

The most "decent" game movie there is is tomb raider/Resident Evil, and even those were a complete mess (with good actors). Hitman was a mess, there was no element of stealth at all. In the history of all video game movies, none of them were even considered "decent" in the eyes of objective reviewers who have never played the game before.

Gordon Freeman does not talk, and will never. Even if they attempt to make a film that surrounds the Half Life series (like following the rebels in another city, or a security guard in black mesa), they have to explain how the whole thing occurred.

The best they can do if it was a half life 1 movie is have a scientist escaping from black mesa, but play it in a first person angle like REC. or Blair witch project. That way, they can focus on the action and not the story.

The warcraft movie will determine the fate of video game movies. Blizzard is one of the most respected companies in the industry and they have yet to screw up. If the warcraft movie is a bust, then video game as we know it is finished. If Blizzard can't make a good movie, no other company can.

Your Forgeting a First person camera film.......Diary of the dead.

 

[Darkside55]

The first Half-Life movie treatment pitched to us climaxed with a tearful reunion between enslaved Vortigaunts and their Vortiwives and children.

I could kinda dig it.

The last one I saw had Black Mesa invaded by a cavalry unit, just so as to feature a scene of bullsquids tearing into armoured horses

FUND IT

 

[Tollbooth Willie]

Your Forgeting a First person camera film.......Diary of the dead.

Which was a piece of shit.

 

[blackout]

I think Half-Life, although being the most holy and awsome of games, would not make a good movie in any way, shape or form. the only exeption being escape from city 17.

the Seven Year war

sever hour war fool:sniper: don't you know anything about Half-Life?

 

[Noodle]

If done well, I could see a short film, mabye 15 minutes in length, that basically takes place inside Black Mesa, and leads up to the resonance cascade. A good flash-of-bright-light ending. Good suspense possibilities.

 

[TheValveNinja]

Half-Life is a movie in its self.

 

[the-one-free-man]

I'm gonna be honest, any Half-Life movie, done right or not would satisfy me. Of course, I would much much prefer it done right, me being a huge fan of the series anything is better than nothing. However, I would not want a poorly done movie to damage the saga's stature.

 

[Eejit]

It would have to follow other Black Mesa characters rather than Gordon. Possibly some version of Barney's Blue Shift adventures.

 

[orzhovslodier]

Maybe if it followed Alyx or something. I can't imagine watching a movie about a protagonist that doesn't talk and has no personality or character traits would be any fun.

 

[DeadMansFilm]

It's impossible to make a good movie out of the events happening in a game.

Why? Because games typically involve, at the least, 8 hours of gameplay. Movies involve, at most, 2 1/2 hours of viewing, and even that's pushing it. Shoving 8 hours of gameplay into even 3 hours, you'll lose a lot of content.

Now, I can see them making a movie in the Half Life UNIVERSE, such as a movie set during the Seven Hour War (It was hours, not years). That would work, I think, and also be interesting as long as they keep faithful to the lore.

THATS WHY THEY MAKE HALF LIFE MOVIE 2 and 3 and 4 and So on......
you now, like, um, Star Wars has 6 movies...

 

[DeadMansFilm]

LOLOLOLOLOL

 

[DeadMansFilm]

WTF

Why do you all say there is no way, are you dumb??? They have the music, they know the voice actors, the whole game has a ****in story or else it would suck... face it, its possible...:E

 

[Captain M4d]

What successful video-game adaptation hasn't been mainly influenced by the financial potential of the brand name? I really can't think of any, except for any fan films. All of those blockbuster video-game adaptations had producers behind them who saw tons of money in names like Super Mario Bros, Resident Evil and Tomb Raider. Look at I, Robot. The only thing that movie had in common with the books was the three laws of robotics. Besides that, it was purely the I, Robot brand that the producers were trying to sell to consumers. "Oh, I, Robot? Wasn't that supposed to be some cool sci-fi novel that no one cares about anymore? Lets go see the movie!"

Sorry, I am very skeptical of Hollywood. Blame my Media Studies major. The major's basic description is "you learn that most things about the media are self-serving, money-eaters and they suck."

 

[TheOneFreeMan]

It's impossible to make a good movie out of the events happening in a game.

Why? Because games typically involve, at the least, 8 hours of gameplay. Movies involve, at most, 2 1/2 hours of viewing, and even that's pushing it. Shoving 8 hours of gameplay into even 3 hours, you'll lose a lot of content.

I believe you've got this the wrong way round.

In a movie, you'd be cutting out all of the gameplay. The only thing that makes a lot of HL2's gameplay segments interesting are the fact that they represent a challenge for us to overcome. If you watching a movie and encountered a half hour segment of Gordon driving down a deserted highway with a few Combine outposts along the way, you'd walk out.

The bare bones of the plot in a game like Half Life 2 wouldn't be enough to fill out a movie; you'd encounter a bunch of pointless action scenes which would bore the hell out of everyone.

 

[EmrenTheGeneral]

If Gordon is not main character in movie,yes it is possible
(I want lamarr for main role )

 

[Zubin]

Yeah... As long as you manage to exclude Gordon Freeman from the movie somehow it might work...

 

[gFrohman]

What successful video-game adaptation hasn't been mainly influenced by the financial potential of the brand name? I really can't think of any, except for any fan films. All of those blockbuster video-game adaptations had producers behind them who saw tons of money in names like Super Mario Bros, Resident Evil and Tomb Raider. Look at I, Robot. The only thing that movie had in common with the books was the three laws of robotics. Besides that, it was purely the I, Robot brand that the producers were trying to sell to consumers. "Oh, I, Robot? Wasn't that supposed to be some cool sci-fi novel that no one cares about anymore? Lets go see the movie!"

Sorry, I am very skeptical of Hollywood. Blame my Media Studies major. The major's basic description is "you learn that most things about the media are self-serving, money-eaters and they suck."

Yeah, I pretty much agree with you here - Hollywood always manages to f*ck up adaptations whenever they come around (seems like a main goal).

If someone was coming out with a Half-Life movie, I'd be scared that it would suck, not excited. It would be very difficult to pull it off IMO, but it could be done - just not without a lot of good planning, writing, acting, etc.

 

[Zaz]

No it's not possible, because who would want to see a mute guy go around killing aliens and people while scientists and guards stand around being useless? Half Life 2 has a better chance of being a movie, but that's because it actually has characters other than Gman and Gordon.

 

[Maestro]

There is no way that a good movie could come of any video game.

Here's why.

I rest my case.

 

[Captain M4d]

I don't think I would ever want a feature length Half-Life movie, though I am very satisfied with some of the fan films that have been made.

Such as these:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1UPMEmCqZo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etO0QMNeLIs