Max Payne Movie...!?
Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 11:32 am
In the face of terrible reviews, a small group of us marched into the cinema hoping to enjoy Max's outing on the big screen. I saw Max Payne on its UK opening night last Friday with two fine gentlemen, and tried not to be biased.
I was actually impressed - Yes, less action than there should have been, but at the same time this didn't treat its audience as a bunch of rabid blood-thirsty violence-fueled kids (as one reviewer reckoned). It balanced Max's superhuman abilities we enjoyed in Remedy's game (getting shot repeatedly and still walking, ultra slow-mo etc) very well between the game and reality; I especially liked how they achieved this towards the end, using one of the plot elements from MP1 slightly differently, and IMO slightly better.
Actually a heck of a lot more elements made it from game to film, far more than I think any film adaptation has ever done before; to the point that few of the twists were surprises because I knew much of the plot. I felt very reassured when I saw the abundance of V-inspired graffiti everywhere ala the game. What they did with the characters was very good, in some cases they were improved, especially what they did with BB. No sign of the secret society/Woden or Vlad, but it survived without them and it's expected given that this is a 1.5 hr long film with only so much room for storyline. Seeing Vlad would have been cool though, if only briefly. 
I would say it was too slow during the first stages of the movie, but with a very satisfying route to the conclusion.
I also appreciated the adaptation of the 'Fallen Angels' to the 'Soldier's Angels', the valkyrie. Their hallucinagen (sp?) fueled presence was a neat idea.
Hmm... I give it... 72%
I was actually impressed - Yes, less action than there should have been, but at the same time this didn't treat its audience as a bunch of rabid blood-thirsty violence-fueled kids (as one reviewer reckoned). It balanced Max's superhuman abilities we enjoyed in Remedy's game (getting shot repeatedly and still walking, ultra slow-mo etc) very well between the game and reality; I especially liked how they achieved this towards the end, using one of the plot elements from MP1 slightly differently, and IMO slightly better.
Actually a heck of a lot more elements made it from game to film, far more than I think any film adaptation has ever done before; to the point that few of the twists were surprises because I knew much of the plot.
I felt very reassured when I saw the abundance of V-inspired graffiti everywhere ala the game. What they did with the characters was very good, in some cases they were improved, especially what they did with BB. No sign of the secret society/Woden or Vlad, but it survived without them and it's expected given that this is a 1.5 hr long film with only so much room for storyline. Seeing Vlad would have been cool though, if only briefly. I would say it was too slow during the first stages of the movie, but with a very satisfying route to the conclusion.
I also appreciated the adaptation of the 'Fallen Angels' to the 'Soldier's Angels', the valkyrie. Their hallucinagen (sp?) fueled presence was a neat idea.
Hmm... I give it... 72%
