Category Archives: Movies/TV

Videogame Movie Adaptions

Back when the media landscape was simpler and videogames still young, aka the 80ies, gamers could only dream of movies or TV shows that were based on their favorite pastime. According to Wikipedia, the Super Mario Bros movie from 1993 was indeed the first foray into such territory which is not surprising given Nintendo’s market leadership at the time. I have vague memories of that title which range from initial excitement to recoiling in horror. Not a great start for videogame movies.

What followed were two decades of fairly terrible or just plain boring adaptions, with the odd watcheable flick like Tomb Raider in between. In fact, I don’t recall anything big until the much debated Warcraft movie by Duncan Jones came out in 2016. While not perfect, I enjoyed Warcraft; watching many of our beloved settings come to life on screen was fun. There were some great characters especially among the Orcs (Durotan, Orgrim, Gul’dan) and the CGI was fabulous. I also enjoyed the humor and lighter moments despite the grim plot. Medivh was silly and Garona poorly written, yet nothing I couldn’t forgive.

While Duncan Jones probably didn’t do himself any favors starting off a WoW trilogy with the Orcs origin story (personally I believe they should’ve focused on Lordareon and the Arthas arc), I was horribly disappointed to learn the sequels got canceled over US box office numbers. Warcraft did great globally and still ranks as the third highest grossing videogame movie of all time to date, making almost $440Mio on a $160Mio budget. I would have loved to see Thrall’s story continue but alas, it was not to be.

Despite all this, videogame adaptions have been going through a renaissance of late. Maybe this is due to cultural lag and videogames finally becoming mainstream in the western market, or maybe other successful movie franchises such as Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Game of Thrones paved the way for bigger overall investment in “all that geek stuff”. Whatever it is, it’s nice to see some videogame IPs finally getting proper screen treatment, with titles like the new Super Mario Bros from 2023 reaching an insane worldwide gross of $1.36Bn. Redemption, Nintendo!

I thought the new Mario movie was surprisingly okay, with the understanding that I am hardly its target audience. On a more personal note there have been some disappointments (looking at you, Witcher!) but also a few series I have thoroughly enjoyed:

Castlevania, minus season 3
Arcane, with an upcoming season 2 this November
Fallout, also see this post
The Last of Us, to be continued in 2025

It’s no surprise that animated series are doing well in this regard. There’s also a symptomatic absence of actual movies among my list, although I still intend to watch Sonic and Assasin’s Creed at some point. As for recent titles like the horribly rated Borderlands or upcoming Minecraft movie, they are a hard pass (maybe it’s Jack Black’s fault). I guess that just leaves me waiting for the other shows and whatever surprise the future may yet hold in store for us. Videogames aren’t going anywhere so I assume neither will the screen adaptions good or bad.

Soundtrack Spotlight: Delicious in Dungeon

Delicious in Dungeon is a quirky little show based on a Japanse manga series that’s currently streaming on Netflix. It’s a beautifully animated fantasy adventure / dungeon crawler with an initial party of four unlikely heroes, looking to slay a dragon and win treasure. As logistical difficulties arise, the journey turns into a foodie’s experiment in cooking and then eating the different monsters they encounter with varying outcomes. It’s an oddball for sure and as one reviewer has remarked manages “a balance of body horror and comedy”. After watching the first three episodes, I confess it’s not my cup of coffee but that doesn’t mean I can’t write about some of its greatest assets here: the soundtrack.

The complete 78-track long soundtrack was composed by Yasunori Mitsuda and Shunsuke Tsuchiya. Now, Yasunori Mitsuda needs no introductions at this point as most longterm gamers certainly know he is responsible for some of the greatest, most beloved and most covered videogame music in history. Many of my favorite JRPGs were made greater by his craft and his signature shines brightly through the music of Delicious in Dungeon. Shunsuke Tsuchiya too has been around for quite some time as a videogame composer.

It’s a delightful soundtrack full of classic fantasy themes, the mystery and the whimsy, the battle themes and the glorious victory. To genre fans it’s a warm blanket in a world of generic synth soundtrack that will soon succumb to the AI machine. You can find the full English playlist here (or with Japanese original titles), it’s deliciousss!

Comfort Films

Struggling with a herniated disc for the past month, I have found myself immobilized and cranky during April and in dire need of diversion. The weather has been annoyingly volatile too which is standard April weather in this part of the world. It’s either too hot to wear spring clothes or then it’s snowing. Certainly excuses enough to return to my favorite comfort watches on the screen for when I am feeling moody and tired!

It’s safe to say that the Lord of the Rings movies by Peter Jackson remain my favorite films of all time. Having rewatched the extended versions of the trilogy again last week for the umpteenth time, I feel like they’re the gift that keeps on giving: each time I discover a new detail or line I hadn’t noticed as much before. Or maybe it’s just me focusing on different themes as I get older – great art grows and changes with the observer. The passion and craft that has gone into the 20 year old masterpieces is as impressive as ever. To this day they stand far above the rest.

There’s something uniquely comforting and uplifting about watching the LOTR films. From the moment the magnificent Shire music by Howard Shore starts to play and Gandalf’s cart is arriving in Hobbiton, it’s as if I’m transported back to the past and greeted by a dear old friend. There are only very few movies, books and games that can create that wholesome, almost therapeutic effect for me. Here is a familiar place under the sun where I can relax and recharge for a little while. The stories and characters of Middle-Earth are like immortal companions and the world like a warm blanket to wrap myself in.

I wonder if we’ll ever see another production of LOTR’s calibre but I doubt it. The movie industry has changed too much and failures like Amazon’s dreadful Rings of Power only serve to drive the point home. Apparently there’s an animated movie coming out by the end of this year called War of the Rohirrim, co-produced by some of Peter Jackson’s old crew, but I’m not holding my breath for anything.

(P.S. Just after posting this today, I learned of the passing of the great Bernard Hill this May 5th. He was a wonderful actor and among my favorite characters in the films. Rest in Peace, Théoden King!)

Binging the Fallout TV Show

Fallout is out on Amazon Prime this week and it so happens that I already watched all 8 episodes (don’t ask). After seeing the brilliant teaser trailer for the show, I took conscious steps not to go and read the hype-threads on Reddit or fall prey to the negativity surrounding Amazon after the debacle that was Rings of Power. The creators behind Fallout are responsible for Westworld and Jonathan Nolan, brother of the famed Christopher Nolan, boasts an impressive resumee of his own as a movie director. Add to this Ramin Djawadi of Game of Thrones fame as new Fallout composer and Walton Goggins, one of my favorite actors from Justified and The Shield, playing a major role in the series: I dare say we have a recipe for success! [Mild spoilers ahead]

And the show really delivers, I’m very happy to say. It is a fun and wild watch with some massive world building, wide vistas and beautiful shots. The humor is very sharp and things often turn to the bizarre and macabre. Many an easter egg and inside joke will be missed by the uninitiated as the show is full out fan service galore. I greatly enjoyed the cast and how the different places, back stories and timelines slowly come together towards the end of the season. Goggins’ character is a joy from the first scene and it’s fair to say he’s carrying large parts of Fallout. Ella Purnell and Aaron Clifton are great too even if I felt their romance happened rather haphazardly and could’ve used more time to develop. Some of the relationships fell a little flat.

Generally if I was to criticise anything, it’s that things feel somewhat rushed halfway through. There’s so much ground to cover between the past and present that it’s hard to take in everything about the very detailed scenery and locales. I would also have liked characters like Wilzig or Ma June to get more screen time, to learn more about why they got to where and who they are. I wonder how much had to be cut and edited out as it feels like there was material enough for 10 episodes at least. As someone who is not too familiar with all the Fallout lore myself, I feel like I probably also missed quite a few things along the way. The show is big into ‘show rather than tell’ which generally is a very good thing.

“Wasteland has its own golden rule. Thou shalt get sidetracked by bullshit every goddamn time.” [The Ghoul]

It’s definitely rich and entertaining enough for me to give it a second watch soon and the way things were left off in the final episode, it’s clear we’re supposed to get a second season. That at least should be a given – Fallout is an excellent watch and deserves all the praise it’s receiving. It’s not often we get such a high quality adaption for a video game series, even less so when it comes to live action!