Half-Life: The Movie - What do you want?

[Barnz]

This movie needs more Shephard, Rosenberg and Race X.

 

[Stene]

I think there should be Gordon talking, because if not, it just makes the movie kinda weird when you are just watching some mute guy shooting stuff. I mean, why make the movie if it is gonna be just that mute guy shooting.

There could be a few sequences Gordon talking, then, like in Anomalous Materials he is just walking alone and then maybe shows some expression with his head when some scientist comes to say something like "Good morning Freeman" or whatever they say. The story could be "one man's survival", like some ww2 films do, telling how some guy survived all alone with most of his friends dead.

I think the sequence in end of the film Predator, when Arnold is all alone fighting against the Predator, is kinda cool. He has no reason to talk, except commenting some stuff like "Damn!" or "You one ugly mother****er".

Basically, in the beginning of the movie there could be some talking scenes and stuff that tells pretty much what are they doing there. In the game, you had those messages in there, but in the movie, it is pretty lame to see just "Subject: Gordon Freeman..." After the resonance cascade, Gordon would be all alone, figuring out what to do. He would meet some injured scientists and security guards which could tell information to him and maybe let him through some doors, but please no "sidekick". Maybe some security guard helping Gordon but soon dying, making the movie just Gordon's survival.

Some similar scenes to the game could be kept, like in Silent Hill movie. Like the iconic scene when the tentacle monster smashes through a glass window and grabs a scientist with him, and "Forget about Freeman, we are pulling out!". But not like it has to go totally the same way as the game.

But as you are some real writers, I guess you will find a good way for the movie. I am not very good in these

 

[soulslicer]

Interesting thread. The only question I would like to ask you is how you would tackle portraying the mute Gordan Freeman. If this film was ever a possibility, I would suggest not looking at GF at all and take the film as a perspective view, which is in itself very difficult.

 

[mastag]

Darkside wins the thread.

And he is right.

 

[Shoes_Buttback03]

Should Gordon have a helmet or no helmet? Explain why.

He should not have a helmet. But if he does make his face very visible. Like the Battlestar Galactica helmets.

Should Dr. Kleiner, Dr. Mossman and Dr. Breen be included besides references? If so, how do you think they should be included? Also explain why.

No Kleiner or Mossman. I don't even think they were mentioned in the game. But yes you should have Dr. Breen show up in a scene. He is a very important character and it would help people who haven't played the game get to know him. Or else they might be confused in the sequel.

What villains and weapons do you think are essential for the film? Explain each, however stuff like head crabs and pistol don't need much explanation.

Tau cannon and Crowbar. You have to have the crowbar. That's the mainstay of the Half-Life series.

Vortigaunts Are an important enemy. They will be allies in the sequel. Xen grunts are normal soldiers but should be shown a few times. Alien controllers I'm not sure why but they should be here. The Nihilanth because if you don't I will injure you slightly.

Are there any chapters, segments or parts of the game you feel are essential to include in fair detail? Again, explain.

Xen, Unforeseen consequence's, The rocket launch is important for the Episode 2 movie.

 

[halflifethemovie]

Thanks for all the feedback and comments. Keep them coming.

We aren't taking the Half-Life Time line website as gospel due to the fact that Valve has not endorsed it as being accurate. However, as far as the points it makes, we are going to go over all that stuff with Valve when the time is right. We don't want to contradict their grand vision and tightly nit storyline.

As far as the comments go regarding whether Half-Life: The Movie should be done or not, let me assure you, Valve Software are very protective of their material and will not hand it over to us very easily and we don't expect them to. We are not guaranteeing this is going to be made, we never did. We are looking to do that obviously but we know that other stuff will get in the way and possibly, we might not be able to tackle this as well as we currently think we can. I have explained much of my reasoning before and i don't feel like explaining it again. I am not here to convince anyone that the movie should be made, because i never will. I understand people are scared due to the past nature of video game based feature films. So i assure, if we have any doubt that this is indeed a bad idea, we won't do it. We are professionals and we know what we are doing. There really isn't much more i can say to reinforce that statement.

If the select few continue to gloss over my statements i made previously and ignore what i said, this conversation will go round and round and it won't get anywhere. I don't wish to discuss this at this time.

 

[ríomhaire]

-be sure to use Valve's music for the right parts, if they let you make the movie, the music was made specifically for half-Life's action, and nothing will ever suit it better.

The music in HL was really out of place at times.

As for the crystals... if you wanted to be a bit blunt, you could have a small "prologue" at the beginning of the movie, showing the helmeted HEV scientists in a "mysterious cave" (which is Xen) gathering samples of crystal. Then have them remark on one especially pure sample they've found.

Spoiler

The g-man provided the crystal, it wasn't found on a survey.

And the film must start with the tram ride.

Ok, I'm only partly through playing On a Rail at this point, and the only important things so far are the Guard telling Gordon about the satellite-delivery rocket, and the military sprays- "surrender freeman", "Yore dead freeman", etc.

It's "surrender freemen", BTW.

Also, when Gordon makes it to Xen, it must be made clear that something else is controlling Xen (the Combine). HL1 didn't do a terrible job with this, but I think it could have been done better. Machines that look like Combine technology should be scattered all around in some areas and maybe you will see a machine holding down a Vortigaunt and attaching those slave-shackles to it. Show that the alien grunts are strong genetic mutations of vortigaunts that the combine created (since I'm assuming that's what they are and why they didn't appear in HL2). And maybe (just maybe) include some of the synths (striders, crab synth, morter synth) walking along far in the distance along with an organized army of vorts and alien grunts. The Nihilanth should be covered with surgical scars and Combine technology (it's chamber also partly covered with Combine technology).

It also must be made clear that the destruction of the Nihilanth is what set the Vorts free from the Combine.

The Combine were not in control of Xen and had never been to Xen as of HL1. Valve have confirmed this.

Should Gordon have a helmet or no helmet? Explain why.

He should have a hood that folds back into his suit. For the most part he shouldn't bother with it because it'd look a bit silly and impare his vision. When he's entering a hazardous environment, going into combat and in the test chamber (and maybe Xen) he should pull up the hood.

Should Dr. Kleiner, Dr. Mossman and Dr. Breen be included besides references? If so, how do you think they should be included? Also explain why.

Dr. Mossman never worked at Black Mesa. She was going for the same possition as Gordon but failed to get it as Gordon was more qualifed because of his experience at the University of Innsbruck. This would suggest that she had little or no research experience and would not have been a notable person for anyone to reference.

Dr Breen...hm...he's not nessisary but including him couldn't hurt as long as you don't do it stupidly like showing him as an evil or insane man plotting for power with the g-man.

Likewise Kleiner couldn't hurt if done right. Keep in mind that he was Gordon's proffessor at MIT.

What villains and weapons do you think are essential for the film? Explain each, however stuff like head crabs and pistol don't need much explanation.

I think the gargantua is iconic for many players. I think a lot of people remember the first time they walked down that long tunnel in Power Up to see a beast towering over them and instantly killing two grunts.

The tentacle for similar reasons. If you had to chose one or the other, I'd go for the garg.

I also really like the tau cannon (gauss gun). It's a nice, unique weapon and it has the best introduction of any of the weapons. I don't think you should bother with Gordon using the gluon gun or the hive hand.

Also, the crowbar, obviously. Gordon must use one to smash open a glass doorway, and kill at least one headcrab.

Are there any chapters, segments or parts of the game you feel are essential to include in fair detail? Again, explain.

Questionable Ethics is key. It shows beyond a doubt, for the first time in the game, that scientists had been travelling to Xen for a while. You could add some autopsies on Xen aliens and some more containment areas.

Likewise, are there any chapters of the game you feel are useless to the story to include? Again, explain.

Residue Processing. I think that's a chapter that can be forgotten.

 

[Ubik]

Combine were never, have never, and may never be on Xen. No need for synths, no need for Nihilanth to have Combine technology grafted to his body, no need for any ominous citadels, thumpers, or warp gates to be shown on Xen. Xen's 100% organic.

Also, grunts aren't genetically modified vorts. Stop reading that awful fucking Half-Life timeline website, it's full of shit.

sorry man but you're wrong. there's a part in HL1 where you can clearly see technology hanging around that doesn't go with the surrounding organic environment of Xen, there are alien grunts being "created", and the vorts have those shackles which control them (like the Combine controlled humans) and the nihilianth clearly has many large surgical scars. The Vortigaunt in HL2 (right after you get off the train) is wearing those same shackles and is clearly sweeping up the ground in front of Combine soldiers.

There are no citidels or warp gates or thumpers on Xen because it's unnecessary since there are no cities on Xen. In fact, Xen is usually just inhabited by wildlife but the Vorts and the Nihilanth fled there and the Combine shortly afterwards discovered them. Then when the resonance cascade opened a connection between Xen and Earth, that gave the Combine a chance to invade Earth (since they already occupied Xen). The team said that.

Maybe the grunts aren't genetically modified vorts. That was just me assuming that since it makes some sense and you never see them in HL2. I never got that from the Half-Life timeline website so I don't know why you assumed that. However, I think that website is pretty good. I don't see why you think it's so full of shit.

The Combine were not in control of Xen and had never been to Xen as of HL1. Valve have confirmed this.

wait wait wait... really? I'm pretty sure I've seen quotes from Valve that state otherwise. How do you explain the vort in the same shackles from HL1 working for the Combine in HL2? How did the resonance cascade bring the Combine to Earth if they weren't on Xen? And how do you explain those machines on Xen that clearly don't belong (I hope I'm remembering that correctly).

 

[Barnz]

 

[Crash]

In fact, no Black Mesa scientist probably ever stepped foot on Xen before the Resonance Cascade.

So, all the other scientist on Hazard Suits that we see on Xen went there after the cascade? Damn, they sure moved and died fast...And I suppose the headcrabs, Grunts, and the Ichthyosaurs we see before we get to Xen just stumbled into Black Mesa through a portal? Damn unlucky critters...

 

[Ubik]

So, all the other scientist on Hazard Suits that we see on Xen went there after the cascade? Damn, they sure moved and died fast...And I suppose the headcrabs, Grunts, and the Ichthyosaurs we see before we get to Xen just stumbled into Black Mesa through a portal? Damn unlucky critters...

What was the point of the experiment if the scientists could already go to Xen? Most likely all those scientists in the hazard uniforms who died on Xen went there after the resonance cascade for the same reason Gordon did: to find a way to take out out the monsters. That's why most of the dead bodies were near the Nihilanth. And, yes, they did die pretty quickly. Gordon was a lucky man.

As for those creatures, maybe there was a way that they could have pulled creatures out at random from Xen, without actually entering Xen.

 

[Barnz]

Come back when you play Half-Life.

 

[McGooTheWise]

I actually think gordon was meant to be badass... remember, he made a tennis ball cannon in his youth... I think he's pretty well rounded with firepower. I think that gordon will be good at running and gunning if he were real... After all, alyx does compliment him a lot on his shooting... I'm sure he's impressive, at the least.

 

[Crash]

In all seriousness, is your Average Joe Sixpack gonna buy a little, wiry, MIT grad being able to do what Gordon (we) did? Killing Marines, and bad ass aliens, and doing all the other stuff he (we) did? Or, are they gonna want some muscle-bound killing machine like Arnold Schwarzenegger or Dwayne Johnson (The Rock)? I think one of the reasons Half Life is so successful as a GAME is because of the demographic it hit. It hit GAMERS....geeks, nerds, dweebs, whatever else you want to call them (us). They (we) could relate to Gordon. Your average ex high school football player isn't going to even know what the hell MIT is....This game is a perfect mix between si-fi and action. If it can be pulled off as a movie containing both and appealing to both audiences, more power to you....If you can't do that, leave Half Life alone, and leave it to us gamers....

 

[Ubik]

Come back when you play Half-Life.

played it and beaten it... a few times. I guess it's been a while since I've been primarily just focusing on HL2 and its episodes. What I typed is what I remember.

 

[SamuraiKenji]

Go back through and play it and make sure to pay attention to every detail

 

[Ubik]

Go back through and play it and make sure to pay attention to every detail

yeah I know I'm dling it now since I just got a new computer.

 

[nurizeko]

The reason why i am going to this length to get feedback from "teenagers" (however, many Half-Life fans are adults FYI)

I'm 22 you massive spanner. :hmph:


My feedback is don't try. Also I doubt valve will take you up on your movie/script/whatever offer, valve have made certain chirps and cheeps that lead one to suspect they have no current intentions of movie-fying it, so sorry.




This smurf account is a troll, just slap it a ban and leave movie discussion to the idle speculation thread we have around here somewhere. :imu:

 

[ríomhaire]

sorry man but you're wrong. there's a part in HL1 where you can clearly see technology hanging around that doesn't go with the surrounding organic environment of Xen, there are alien grunts being "created", and the vorts have those shackles which control them (like the Combine controlled humans) and the nihilianth clearly has many large surgical scars. The Vortigaunt in HL2 (right after you get off the train) is wearing those same shackles and is clearly sweeping up the ground in front of Combine soldiers.

There are no citidels or warp gates or thumpers on Xen because it's unnecessary since there are no cities on Xen. In fact, Xen is usually just inhabited by wildlife but the Vorts and the Nihilanth fled there and the Combine shortly afterwards discovered them. Then when the resonance cascade opened a connection between Xen and Earth, that gave the Combine a chance to invade Earth (since they already occupied Xen). The team said that.

Maybe the grunts aren't genetically modified vorts. That was just me assuming that since it makes some sense and you never see them in HL2. I never got that from the Half-Life timeline website so I don't know why you assumed that. However, I think that website is pretty good. I don't see why you think it's so full of shit.

Please let me direct you to this thread which contains many quotes from Marc Laidlaw, who is the main writer of the Half-Life series.

What we saw in HL1 was the very end of a long struggle between the Combine and the last of the Nihilanth's race...although it's a bit different than the word "prompted" implies. The Nihilanth's "world" (if it could be said to have) was long since in the past as far as the Nihilanth was concerned; Xen was their final retreat, and they had their back to the wall, as it were, when the fissure appeared that let them spill into our dimension.

Right from the horse's mouth. The Xenian's were not Combine, they were, in fact, at war with the Combine.

wait wait wait... really? I'm pretty sure I've seen quotes from Valve that state otherwise. How do you explain the vort in the same shackles from HL1 working for the Combine in HL2?

It seems the Combine stole the technology. That said, the Combine's version of the shackles are a little different. They're grey, and a but bulky, and have an altogether less slick appearance to the ones seen in HL1.

How did the resonance cascade bring the Combine to Earth if they weren't on Xen?

They were able to detect the energy of the portal storms somehow. It's also possible that they took control of Xen after you killed Nihilanth and then went from Xen to Earth.

And how do you explain those machines on Xen that clearly don't belong (I hope I'm remembering that correctly).

Inconsistant designs by Valve. HL wasn't nearly as polished as HL2 is.

A bit off topic but one thing that always threw me was the single railing in the factory on Xen. There is just one railing in the entire level and every time I see it it just jars me. It just seems all so human in the otherwise alien environment.

What was the point of the experiment if the scientists could already go to Xen?

Because it was the purist crystal they have ever come across. They wished to anylise it to discover its properties. When you make a breakthrough in science the work doesn't end. It's when you make a breakthrough that you open up a whole new type of work. By studying the crystal they might have hoped to improve their portal technology, or maybe they just hoped to discover more about the makeup of the crystal. A lot of science is just collecting knowledge for the sake of knowledge.

Most likely all those scientists in the hazard uniforms who died on Xen went there after the resonance cascade for the same reason Gordon did: to find a way to take out out the monsters. That's why most of the dead bodies were near the Nihilanth. And, yes, they did die pretty quickly. Gordon was a lucky man.

They were the survey teams that had been sent to study Xen before the resonance cascade occured. This is a quote taken directly from the Lambda Core:

This is the supply depot for our first survey team. Quite a few handsome specimens were collected from the border-world and brought back this way. Uh, before the survey members started being collected themselves, that is.

As for those creatures, maybe there was a way that they could have pulled creatures out at random from Xen, without actually entering Xen.

The animals in the pens in Questionable Ethics were being studied before the resonance cascade occured. If you're still not convinced then what about this quote:

Did you see it? They said it was hauled from the Challenger Deep, but I?m positive that beast never swam in terrestrial waters until a week ago.

It's been on Earth for a week according to this guy. People have been telling him it came from the Challenger Deep but why would they bother lying about the existance of aliens if the resonance cascade had already happened? It'd be pretty obvious the stuff was alien then.

 

[Ubik]

Yeah, I knew a lot of what you said there. I think you interpreted what I said wrong.

I know the Xenians were at war with the Combine... just like the humans were. But when the Combine won, they transfered humans into warriors for their army, just like the Combine would have done with the vorts if they were beaten on Xen (which I believe happened). I don't think the Combine stole that technology like you stated. The headcrab from HL1 and HL2 differ more than the shackles do from both games, but the headcrab in both games is still the exact same creature. They just wanted both to look nicer.

I suppose you're right about the humans from Black Mesa being able to teleport before the experiment so I stand corrected on that matter.

I still think the Combine were on Xen though. It just seems to all point in that direction. This is how I believe it happened (if I'm wrong, please correct me):

-Vorts and Nihilanth flee to Xen from the Combine (Xen is not their homeworld, this has been stated by Laidlaw I think)
-They remain there until the Combine find them
-When the Combine come to Xen, they defeat the vorts and the Nihilanth (along with the alien grunts if they are affiliated with vorts)
-They transfer the vorts and alien grunts into soldiers for their army in factories (just like they did with humans on Nova Prspekt)
-Then the resonance cascade opens up a link between Earth and Xen, and the Combine notice so they take this as an oppurtunity to invade another planet.

 

[Barnz]

You're all wrong.

 

[Wleikko]

C'mon guys, stop that 'I know HL story better than you' argue.

First of all, I must say that I'm very glad that someone who wants to make a video game based movie is willing to hear a word from fans.

Anyway, you should deffinatly follow the game's story until the resonance cascade. The first part of the game, at far as I'm concerned, is the best part and the most memorable by anyone who ever played HL, especially the tram ride and the resonance cascade.

Some of my ideas:
The begining - helicopter camera pan over the Black Messa complex in New Mexico - few shots, maybe the dam shown but not necessary, and then nuclear explosion destroys everything (end of the Opposing Force), flames all over the screen, - instant cut, dark ambient of a Freeman's dorm, on screen message - "Two days earlier", a clock with red digits (a bit of retro ) showing the time- I forgot the exact time, 10 or 15 minutes before the time during the tram ride from the game. Alarm goes on, Freeman wakes up, usual stuff, dresses up, arrives at the tram station - yes, the tram is essential . Now, I think that he should ride the tram with few or more people, scientists, security guards etc... not alone, as in the game. Maybe Gman shown, sitting in the corner, reading newspapers, but deffinatly not in focus... Freeman starts a conversation with a fellow college, talking about some previous successful and unsuccessful experiments, thus explaining the audience not familiar with the game, Black Messa'a area of research. Arrives at sector C, casual talk with the front desk security guard, like they know each other well, Gordon asks for messages, the security guard explains technical malfunctions, etc. Freeman goes to the locker room, on the way meets few colleges, takes the HEV suit - also maybe, on the way, turn his head in slow motion and sees Gman through an office glass talking with someone - a bit cliche, but suggesting Gman's significance and mystery. Arrives at the test chamber - before entering, talks with two scientists about the experiment - the purest sample so far, instable etc, very important. Enters the test chamber, then well known scenario - black screen, breathing - very cool, but as for the flashes - not a clear vision of Xen and vorts, maybe a very blured image of humanoid silhouettes, not suggesting that they might be aliens. Return to the test chamber, red light rotating, alarm... Shakes his head, brakes glass on a one of those - "brake the glass in case of emergency" - takes the crowbar (essential), and leaves the test chamber. Everywhere dead and injured, etc...

As for the weapons - crowbar, pistol, and in the middle of the movie he might find a shotgun in a weapon storage, but with very few shots, and few frag grenades.
And in one scene might use a flamethrower.
Now, I don't think that Freeman should fight to much - slam few headcrabs with the crowbar, shot few aliens, and burn a big one. But for the most of the time should try to avoid them, or uses his brain to kill them.

Also - the blast pit would be very cool - not as long as in the game, but burning the garg with a rocket engine would be great!

That's it for now, sorry for spelling and grammar errors, English in not my native.

How do you spell 'definatly'? Definetly, deffinatly, deffinetly?

 

[SamuraiKenji]

A:welcome to the site
B:agreed stop with the argument

 

[halflifethemovie]

This is all great stuff here again, keep up the good work with posting. The more discussion, the better. I thank you all for this.

I'm 22 you massive spanner. :hmph:

My feedback is don't try. Also I doubt valve will take you up on your movie/script/whatever offer, valve have made certain chirps and cheeps that lead one to suspect they have no current intentions of movie-fying it, so sorry.

This smurf account is a troll, just slap it a ban and leave movie discussion to the idle speculation thread we have around here somewhere. :imu:

Notice i put "teenagers" in quotes. I wasn't calling Half-Life fans teenagers, another poster did, which i quoted. I don't recall the conversation but if you care, you can go back and find it yourself.

I wrote in the very first post that this isn't where the fans can express their hatred for Hollywood ruining their favorite video games by making movies based off of them. We are tackling this enough getting finance and getting people to back the project, not to mention Valve will also be giving us trouble, which we welcome, since we don't want to ruin a film based on their franchise as much as they do. We are completely aware of Valve's current standings on Hollywood when it comes to their franchise.

I am not here to be a "troll" or to humor anyone. I am here for research. I am not getting a good laugh out of this. I don't enjoy arguing with others on an internet message board. I, however, do enjoy discussing concerns and ideas for a video game adaption with a good slew of passionate fans of the original material. I hope everyone here understand we plan to do this right or not at all and that is why we are here to do research.

 

[Pesmerga]

ITT independent production studio ie; shitty production values.

Seriously, this is a huge joke. You're probably some CC graduate with a few film nerds with no experience and less talent who talked about the idea in your friend bob's living room for a few hours, ultimately reduced to making a terrible thread on a game forum looking for ideas or perhaps trying to fuel your own ambitions with empty praises.

Now I don't really mind if you want to go make a film- by all means more power to ya. I've a friend who has similar aspirations. But don't come to this forum expecting red carpets because you're a "big hollywood producer". You're welcome to the same kind of criticism that everyone else here is.

 

[halflifethemovie]

ITT independent production studio ie; shitty production values.

Seriously, this is a huge joke. You're probably some CC graduate with a few film nerds with no experience and less talent who talked about the idea in your friend bob's living room for a few hours, ultimately reduced to making a terrible thread on a game forum looking for ideas or perhaps trying to fuel your own ambitions with empty praises.

Now I don't really mind if you want to go make a film- by all means more power to ya. I've a friend who has similar aspirations. But don't come to this forum expecting red carpets because you're a "big hollywood producer". You're welcome to the same kind of criticism that everyone else here is.

I wasn't going to reply to your post at first but I'd thought i had to reply to one statement you made which is pretty ludicrous.

I never said anything that would even suggest that i expected to be treated special upon registering to an internet forum, and likewise, i never said i should be treated with any less criticism than any other member. I have been polite and humble in all my posts.

All i ask for is simple cooperation or common courtesy. I came to start a discussion, participate in an orderly manor and research from there. As hard as it may sound, if you feel the urge to post, please be nice enough to read the posts you are replying to, cause i certainly am getting annoyed with repeating myself and i am sure others are getting aggravated seeing me do so.

 

[Shippi]

.

 

[elkaebee]

Disregarding everthing said before this:

I've been playing the game a lot the past couple of days, and have come to the conclusion, that, if the movie is to really be in league with Half Life(the game), the tram sequence must be kept, and at similar length as to that included in-game, and as the first scene.

I know it sounds silly to sacrifice a great many minutes of a time constrained movie to a single part that gives little information and has no dialogue spoken by anyone, but that tram sequence made Half Life what it is. This is a movie, and it probably isn't as awe-inspiring to see it in film, I know, and it does play a risk of losing audiences in the first few minutes, but that is the same risk Half Life took when it came out. No action took place, and the bare minimum of infromation was given about Black Mesa, besides that it was a research centre covering a wide variety of sciences.

Half Life 1's plot in earlier stages wasn't much to write home about, but the fact that it did something that no other game (and several other forms of media) had done in a long, long time, that was what made it revolutionary.

The movie, however will most likely not have the first person perspective to strengthen the narrative to bring it above it's B-Movie origins, killing any hope of achieving something different.

Which brings me back to the tram: That, that, is what will make or break the movie. It showed us how much that waiting, watching people go about there daily business, can create a more merorable experience than simply spending a couple of minutes explaining the plot before breaking out the guns and killing everything in sight.
If the movie loses the train sequence (and not just a half-minute one), what makes it any different from every other goverment cover-up-with-aliens out there?

Nothing.

(bashes head repeatedly against desk after realising that what was just written made no sense in thread's context)

 

[Mc Bane]

I would love to see a Half-Life movie if it is well done. I've been against the general idea of a movie because I've never expected anyone to do a good enough job of it, but seeing someone actually take the fans into consideration rather than thinking they know best is refreshing and reassuring

I don't actually like the idea of following Gordon - I'd rather see the story of another Black Mesa survivor, because then there wouldn't be the whole "Gordon doesn't speak!!!" obstacle to go around, but you'd still be able to keep the environments, aliens and the events recognisable as Half-Life.

Obviously I can't speak for Valve, but I don't think they would go for having Gordon as the main character. It would mean imposing a personality on him, which is something they have always been very against with their games. You wouldn't be able to please all the fans, either. My vision of Gordon may be drastically different to someone else's, so whichever personality you go for, someone will be unhappy.

A Half-Life movie without Gordon Freeman? Are you high? What's next - replace monsters from Xen with Demons from hell? Headcrabs replaced with a virus? Replace Black Mesa with the Starship Enterprise? Not even call it Black Mesa, in case they offend fans by not putting the walls in the right place?

This is EXACTLY the sort of thing that ruins game-to-movie films. People thinking they know what's best, and replacing the very things that people associate with the game. You say "Half-Life" to anyone that's played it, and you can guarantee that immediately popping into their head will be: Gordon Freeman, G Man, Barney, Zombies, Crowbar, and a tram. Then other things will follow. If you think it would be a good idea to replace Gordon Freeman with "Jake Toughguy", then you're as much of an idiot as Uwe Boll etc.

I see where you're coming from with the whole "My vision of Gordon may be drastically different to someone else's" thing, but I'd rather have a Gordon that didn't fit my idea of him, than some cobbled together excuse for a character, invented because the movie creators were too stupid or afraid to stick to the story, in case they pissed off the fans.

If it does not have Gordon Freeman in it, you might as well call the movie "Zombie adventure" or something, because it won't be Half-Life. If it does not have a crowbar in it, you might as well call the movie "Zombie adventure" or something, because it won't be Half-Life. If it does not have Barney, Kleiner, Headcrabs, Vortigaunts, G Man etc in it, you might as well call the movie "Zombie adventure" or something, because it won't be Half-Life.

The movie MUST star Gordon Freeman, MUST have the G Man, Barney, Vortigaunts, Kleiner, Crowbar, Headcrabs, Zombies etc in it, and a damn tram ride at the start. And be in Black Mesa. Otherwise save yourself the hassle of bugging Valve, and call your movie something else, because it won't be Half-Life.

 

[Shippi]

.

 

[Wleikko]

Well, I didn't play as Gordon Freeman in Blue Shift, Opposing Force or Decay and those are very much Half-Life games.

Yes, but what if they have released Opposing Force or Blue Shift as standalone games, with no original Half Life back up story? Would they be as good as they actually were then? Playing OF or BS and knowing they you're only a part of a much bigger invents going on makes it interesting.
I agree, it was quite refreshing to experiance the story from a different perspective, but why did they return to Gordon Freeman as the main character in the sequel?
Also, for someone who has never played HL, telling story from Gordon's perspective is the best way.

 

[Mc Bane]

Well, I didn't play as Gordon Freeman in Blue Shift, Opposing Force or Decay and those are very much Half-Life games. There's more than one story to tell from Black Mesa.

They're not making Blue Shift, Opposing Force or Decay. They're making Half-Life. Gordon only doesn't talk in the game to make the GAME more immersive. That's not how MOVIES work. Movies tend to be more immersive when the characters DO talk. The game also uses first person view the entire time, to be more immersive. That is another example of something that works for an entire game, but not an entire movie.

We all know how Gordon is supposed to look, so halve the job is done already in terms of putting him on the big screen. There are even opportunities to have fun with the whole "he doesn't talk in the games" thing - moments of awkward silence, not answering some people, make a bit of a joke about it for the fans - but there is NO reason to cut him / minimise his involvement in the movie, or make him mute.

I just think that a movie showing more of Black Mesa, that reveals more of the events, that would have to tie in with Gordon (cause I agree, he HAS to play some part), would be better than trying to simply replicate the game.

Good god. That is EXACTLY what makes a game-to-movie FAILURE. Changing stuff that does NOT need to be changed. Trying to tell the story a different way. Cutting the main freaking character out of it, or making them NOT the main character. These are ALL FAIL. What you are proposing is EXACTLY the OPPOSITE of how to make a successful game-to-movie film, and is exactly what has ruined previous efforts to date.

You want to make a good movie from a game? REPLICATE THE GAME AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. That's the whole point of making it. That's what the fans of the game are expecting. It WONT be boring "like playing the game again" because unless you make the film in HL1 GMod, it will feel like a movie based on your game, and be FUN.

 

[Que-Ever]

Why are you getting so offended? Stop being an ass to Shippi.

 

[halflifethemovie]

Valve Software has expressed that Gordon Freeman as the main character in a Half-Life Film is not what their afraid of.

What we have found out about the other pitches to Valve is that either A. The premise was changed (Gordon Falls in love) or B. The script was crap.

 

[SamuraiKenji]

He is an ass but he has a point
Hes not making OF BS or Decay
Hes making HL and Shippi is saying "dont do the HL movie like the game is do the HL movie like Decay or Blue Shift"
How could you have a HL movie but do it like Decay?
That would be stupid

Sorry if offended anyone but you know >..>

 

[Mellish]

Maybe this movie could be about if Gordon Freeman did have a personality, a mind, instead of the player controlling him. If you catch my drift.

 

[Shoes_Buttback03]

I'm still uneasy with the G-man scenes. As weird as it may sound I think that will be the hardest thing to get on film and can ruin the hole movie if done wrong. Even if the rest of the movie is 100% epic win a bad G-man scene can make it an epic fail.

Don't do it like Silence of the Lambs, thats not really correct. Try to make it like...any scene in Lost with Benjamin Linus...except the first few episodes he's in. Or something like that. I'm serious DO NOT MESS IT UP.

For the reactor scene, pretty much copy and past that. Make the effects and set better and what not but keep it exactly the same as in game. Oh I'm talking about the Resonance Cascade reactor not the Lambda reactor. But copy and paste that too.

Don't get to creative with the look of Xen. Just a heads up.

 

[SamuraiKenji]

agreed with above

 

[Shippi]

.

 

[ríomhaire]

*snip*

So you think the guy that wrote the story for the games is wrong? That's nice.

McBane. I don't see why you think a HL film without Gordon as the main character would be such an abomination. When people say that Gordon Freeman is what makes Half-Life, Half-Life what they really mean is that getting to see the game from an immersive in-game perspective that few other games rival and keeping that part of the game in a transition to film is pretty much impossible. The truth is that Gordon is barely a character. He has no personality and no dialogue.