Shard: Seven

Precursor: Why call something one thing if you would rather it were another?

Body: As a warning, this is going to come off as a slight Nerd Rant. As a person that enjoys things like stories and heroes I have a tendency to get a little excited when I hear news of a new movie or game based off of a book or comic that I enjoy. I'm one of the kinds of people that will obsessively follow any news about the new thing. I also try to take it all for what it's worth, it may not be exactly what I want but it should at least be what they say it is. Heck, even a new interpretation of the source can be interesting, so long as the  source material is at the heart of it all.

But that's where I get annoyed. Most people that choose to see a movie based off of a book or comic want to see it because it's what they read in motion, not because the writer wants to take everything in a completely different direction. If you want to make a movie about a wise-cracking good guy that fights a villain, then make that. Trying to make it darker or more depressing doesn't improve on the source, especially if the source (in that scenario a comic book) is full of dudes (and dudettes) brightly colored clothing. Make the characters pop off of the screen at the audience. That's all we ask.

And if  you're going to make a game, well, the same is true. Except now people want to pay you for your work because they want the experience of being the hero of the story. It doesn't have to be a direct copy of a particular story (unless the book is a stand alone story), but trying to alter how the characters behave doesn't work.

Once again, I tend to enjoy these movies and games. I will play just about any licensed game that's based off of a story or book that I enjoy. And yes, those have a tendency to be less than great, but I know that going in. Make it fun if you aren't going to make it high quality and don't take control from my hands when something awesome is going to happen. I don't care how the movie did it, I want to make that scene happen with my hands, not some animator's.

If you, as a script writer or game designer want to make a hero that, instead of being a goody-two-shoes, is pragmatic and angry then write that script, but don't hide it underneath the mask of the source material. Very few people are talented enough to make that work and if you are reading my words then you are likely not one of them. Just remember that the fans get angry and write blogs. It's the modern version of torches and pitchforks.

As an addendum, this also applies to movies based off of games. The only good one of those that I've ever seen was Clue.

Of course this is all trivial and does not affect the Greater Good, but it was on my mind and you're reading it. If you want to read something else go right ahead, the Internet is a pretty big place.

The End: In conclusion, I am in lustful love of like stories of all sorts. I prefer knowing the source material, but like new ideas. Please don't pollute something a lot of people love with your filth. And maybe next time I'll include tasty kittens, but for now you get this:

And this: