Will Shadow of the Colossus survive it’s film adaptation
This week The Hollywood Reporter released the news that Shadow of the Colossus, the amazing and widely loved 2005 game title for the PS2, would be adapted for the big screen. Upon reading the news I was filled with intense joy. In an instance I was transported back to the games imaginative world, beautiful story, and moving score. Unfortunately, as the realization of the what I had read began to settle in, my world began to crumble as I realized what a film adaptation could do to this beloved franchise.
For those unfamiliar with the game, Shadow of the Colossus is the tale of a young man named Wander who has to travel around The Forbidden Land finding and defeating Colossi in attempts to bring a young girl named Mono back to life. The story is as fantastic as it is beautiful, but it isn’t told through traditional means. Most of the game is completely without dialog and, unlike more conventional stories, the player is never given any information about the history of any of the characters.
Here in lies my main concern for the viability of this film. Will Sony stay true to the form and essence of the original game? Or will they give it the hollywood treatment? My fear is that it will be the latter. A fear that is only heightened by the news that the screenplay is being penned by Justin Marks, the man responsible for the atrocity that is Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li.
Whether or not the story comes out unscathed, there is one thing we can count on. The visuals in this film are going to be amazing. Not only are the landscapes in The Forbidden Land beautiful and magnificent, but the Colossi within the game are enormous creatures that tower hundreds of feet above the protagonist’s head. Made up of a twisted maze of hair, rock (which might actually be bone?), and glowing runes, they’re really going to be a sight to behold.
Will the effects be enough to keep the movie from being a miserable failure? Only time will tell I guess. In the mean time, all we can do is hope.
My name is Christopher Schnese
and this has been my reel perspective
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It probably won't do the game justice, but like all publicity, it should offer the game a new audience. So I guess I'm all for it, but almost certainly won't see it.
Yeah, the announcement made me want to pop it in and play it again. Unfortunately, it appears someone has my copy of the game. Either that or I sent it to Amazon for the game trade in thing.
Either way, I'm having to settle for playing the Soundtrack at the office to get my fix.