Cultures often clash. There are a lot of great movies, and there are a lot of great games. But when you make one about the other, things seldom work out. Consider Double Dragon. Great beat 'em up, old school arcade action, and a blast if you have a buddy to play with. Now consider "Double Dragon" the movie. Alternatively, Super Mario Bros. is one of the most influential games in history, played by millions, and spawned a franchise that's now over 25 years strong. But "Super Mario Bros." the movie? Eh...
The list goes on: "House of the Dead," "Perfect Dark," "Bloodrayne," etc. Granted, there are exceptions; The Tomb Raider films, Resident Evil, and others. While they stray from the source material, the movies are worth a watch.
Such is the reason for my feelings of hesitance for the upcoming "Pwned!," a film that follows seven gamer friends on a cross-country road trip adventure, that a recent press release says will be "the geek anthem of the MMO era." Says producer Hannah Ervin, "Pwned! is a film with every geek culture reference you could possibly imagine. Mishaps and situations that defy the imagination. Think Superbad and American Pie being directed by Guy Ritchie for a South Park episode."
Sounds interesting, but I just can't help but feel it'll be "Fanboys," with a little bit of "The Wizard," and a lot of World of Warcraft jokes shoehorned in. I have $50 that says there will be a character called Leroy Jenkins. Despite my own opinions, I do give them credit that the producers are speaking with actors prominent in geek culture for features and cameo roles. Such is the case with actress Nicole Wyland (set to play Charly), who fans will recognize from her most recent credit on the TV show "Video Game High School."
Of Pwned!, assistant director Brian McKelvey said, "I think what people will find most appealing about this film is that the gaming, computer, and technical references actually make sense for a change."
ChaosNgn Productions and Director of Photography, Joe Mullen, are already launching pre-production for the movie, and are set to start shooting in San Francisco's bay area. Keep up to date at their facebook page.