Paige FTW: Big-screen Gaming Updates
As Hollywood increasingly looks for previously established franchises to turn into larger, cinematic franchises, I thought it would be fitting to check in on what’s coming up on the horizon.
Detective Pikachu
Release: May 10
I thought this movie would be a disaster … but it looks surprisingly good? A lot of thought seems to have gone into world-building and what living with Pokemon would really be like, which is reason enough to check it out — even if the rest of the movie is just “Deadpool, but this time he’s Pikachu.”
Sonic the Hedgehog
Release: Nov. 8
The fuzzy, 3D Pikachu of Detective Pikachu retains his endearing cuteness. The teases of 3D, “realistic” Sonic are the stuff of nightmares. Those thighs, man. I don’t know about this one. Some franchises really should not get the gritty touch.
Monster Hunter
Release: Sept. 4, 2020
Paul W.S. Anderson has turned the Resident Evil films into … movies that don’t resemble their source material very much at this point. But people seem to like them. Time will tell if his post-apocalyptic aesthetic will translate to Monster Hunter. The first photos seem … OK.
Call of Duty
Release: TBA
While I have no doubts that a Call of Duty film could be a quality war movie, I do wonder how exactly they will be able to distinguish that this is based on … Call of Duty. How will cinema be used to capture the feel of a video game without dissolving into generic tropes? Director Stefano Sollima last did the middling Sicario: Day of the Soldado, so my expectations are tempered.
Uncharted
Release: TBA
First, it was going to be the Wahlberg. Now, it’s the youthful, fresh-faced Tom Holland who lead the project as young Nate Drake. While I love Holland and think he could absolutely do it, is anyone interested in seeing how Nate became Nate at this point? Then again, if the project stagnates long enough, Holland will be old enough to be regular Nate…
