by Matt Bird

Created on: April 04, 2009   Last Updated: April 05, 2009

Sometimes - well, much of the time - video game to movie conversions just don't work. What prompts directors to horribly mangle their source material is beyond me, as the original game is usual awesome enough to warrant a straight conversion. A few snips here and there and the game in question would fit perfectly into movie format, whether said movie is live action or animated.

Here's a brief list of some video games that should be made into movies. Or, at the very least, games I think would do extremely well on the silver screen - so long as the director is competent enough to handle what they're given.

- Metal Gear Solid. The games are practically already movies, so why not expand them into full-length features? Metal Gear is perfectly suited for a game-to-movie treatment, with fleshed out characters and awesome story lines. If nothing else a movie might help rein in some of Hideo Kojima's crazier plot ideas and expansive monologues into a more palatable format.

- Devil May Cry. There's just enough story to make for a good Devil May Cry movie, and the frantic Dante-on-demon gunplay would be awesome to watch in a theater. Hollywood could easily muck up on choosing an appropriately cocksure actor for Dante, however, so extremely careful acting is necessary to pull off Devil May Cry.

- Legend of Zelda. Peter Jackson came as close as fiction's gotten to perfection in a fantasy world, so why not give him the chance? Just pick up the pace a bit, throw in a few of Link's kooky tools (without going too overboard, anyway), pare down the number of temples he has to visit and you've got an instant classic. I'd give extra points to a director who could successfully keep Link a silent protagonist.

- Metroid. You have a ready-made Samus Aran in Uma Thurman as it is; what's taking so long, Tinseltown? The games are already compact enough that any one of them could fit well into a movie camera. Toss in a few competent side-characters that don't steal the spotlight from Samus and some good voice actors for the game's big baddies and Metroid could be an action roller coaster.

- Final Fantasy. Yes, I know they've already tried this, and yes, it didn't work that well. But some of the older games could turn out rather well if modernized a bit; I think Final Fantasy IV, in particular, would be a spectacular movie, so long as the cast was cut down a bit.

- And, finally, Shadow of the Colossus. This could be one of the most epic, most silent and most artistically successful movies of all time. Seeing the colossi tromping around on a PS2 is awesome enough; can you imagine how cool it would be to watch those bad boys while crammed into a padded seat with some popcorn at your side? With enough focus on the visual aspects I think the lack of a sprawling back story wouldn't matter too much to moviegoers, and whoever's chosen to play Wander would get the chance to show just how physical acting can be.

Not every game works for this. Super Mario Brothers, for example, NEVER should have been made into a movie. But the more realistic among them, with fallable characters and detailed plots, could prove insanely successful if left in the right hands - hands less prone to tinkering with their newfound toys than what we've seen in the past.

We're watching you, Hollywood. Don't mess up.

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