Universal halts 'Bioshock' production

[Warp Coil]

A savvy screenwriter and a good director could make "BioShock" an amazing film. The video game is one of the best I've ever played. It's very heavy on story, and if it's done right, it could transfer to film okay. Especially if the movie is told from the perspective of the game's main character. The audience learns what is happening at the same time the main character is, and we get backstory via radio, diaries and the occasional flashback sequence.

Unfortunately, I have no faith in Hollywood. This project will sit in development hell for a while, undergoing more and more changes. The screenplay will likely end up a huge departure from the game's story, the plot won't make sense, and they'll end up changing directors and hire someone awful. The film will be a mess and it will perform badly. That's the trend with so many of these projects, I'm sad to say.

 

[firehawk12]

The Bioshock hero wouldn't be a faceless character in the movie. It's not like he's wearing a helmet or something. We just never see his face because it's always first person perspective.

Well, barring the major plot point reveal, one of the themes of the game is the relative anonymity of the main character. It's not like Gordon Freeman, who's just a silent psychopath who has no emotion, it's that the Bioshock character is literally an empty vessel being directed by outside forces (quite literally, the game). Indeed, it's a treatise on why we play games.

I have a feeling they'll get like some lame big name actor like Brad Pitt, give the character a "personality" and then throw in a love interest for good measure... and at that point, they might as well just make their own movie and call it Underwater Horror or something.

 

[Mr Light]

The audience wouldn't know the truth until the shocking plot twist at the end of the movie. Before that point he's just a guy trying to escape Rapture by working with that Irish guy on the radio.

 

[Rii]

It's for the best. I could do without having one of the few noteworthy FPS games of the last five years turned into a mediocre film.

 

[lennier1]

The audience wouldn't know the truth until the shocking plot twist at the end of the movie. Before that point he's just a guy trying to escape Rapture by working with that Irish guy on the radio.

The shocking plot twist that was pretty much obvious about a third into the game?

 

[Mr Light]

It surprised me... Are you talking about the "would you kindly" part or his heritage?

 

[Arrqh]

There was a lot of foreshadowing for both.

Again, the story of Bioshock wasn't really anything special. What was special was the execution. They played a lot on the expectations of people who played games to make their point about free will and that's what made it work really well... and that's something that could only be done in an interactive medium.

That's one of the reasons why the last third of the game isn't as good. It isn't just because the motivations of the main villain become one dimensional... it's also because you've just traded one faceless NPC giving instructions for another which was sort of the point of the first 2/3rds. And it's also why my expectations for the sequel aren't quite as high.

 

[Mr Light]

I was also disappointed with the way Ryan was taken off-stage. It was a little anti-climactic. It was certainly surprising though, since I thought he was the final boss.

 

[Arrqh]

I was also disappointed with the way Ryan was taken off-stage. It was a little anti-climactic. It was certainly surprising though, since I thought he was the final boss.

Actually, I'd consider that to be the thematic centerpiece of the entire affair and probably the best part of the game.

 

[firehawk12]

Yeah, it's just too bad the last act of the game falls apart.
Although I suppose part of it could be seen as a "Metroidvania" parody.