Jumanji, LPs, and the Video Game Movie

I'm starting to get the feeling that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's Hollywood career revolves around finding shiny green rocks and, ahem, "putting that thing back where it came from or so help me."

But seriously, guys, we need to talk about Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.

I delayed this blog post by one day so I could go see this movie on Discount Tuesday and talk about it now. I've been playing around with an idea for a while, and I had a feeling that the latest reboot of Jumanji was going to factor into it.

I was right.

So let's talk video games and movies.

I'm going to preface this by saying that practically I'm not much of a gamer. I don't have a console, so I don't really get to play the games. I enjoy video games, and I used to play a little on my brother's consoles. But nowadays I watch Let's Plays on YouTube because I like the stories of some video games and it's nostalgic for me to watch someone else play.

I recently finished watching an LP of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword by Chuggaconroy. It was really good; I watch these for the stories and the commentary, and I came away with an appreciation for the player and a love for the story. This game actually has a really great story and excellent character interactions and development. I was very drawn into the game, even though I wasn't the one playing.

What does this have to do with Jumanji, you might be asking? Hold on, I'm getting there. First, though, I want to talk about movies based on video games.

And why they do so terribly.


Seriously, why? Video games have some great stories, and if TV shows and books can be adapted into movies, why do games struggle so much? I've heard a number of theories, from bad movie-making, directors/writers who don't know the game well enough to understand what makes it popular (this is true of any kind of adaptation, to be honest), to the fact that video games put the player in control and movies take away that control.

I agree most with the last reason. I think video games have something special in that they are inherently interactive and a movie is not. However, that doesn't explain why I enjoy watching Let's Plays, and why others enjoy them, too. I am not interacting with the game when I watch an LP, but I still have a lot of fun. So, why does this work and not a movie based on a game?

I think it's because the interaction is still there in how the player comments and reacts to the game. I'm not reacting, but the fun, real reactions to the game are still there.

And that's what I think Jumanji did right. I don't think it was the best movie ever, but as a movie structured around the idea of a video game, it made some interesting moves. While this film is not based on a game, it is a movie about a video game. It manages to blend the epic adventure of a video game plot with the realistic gamer reactions someone might have when playing. It toys with meta-playing, like knowing that you can waste a life in order to achieve an objective. It also uses the idea of becoming someone else (who is very much not you) when playing a game.

It captures the feel not only of the game but also the act of playing one. Granted, it's not based on a game itself, but I still think that's why this movie is being praised when movies based on video games get panned.

Video games are more than their story, but movies limit themselves to the story alone. Maybe they have to: it's a medium thing. But the act of playing the game is a part of the story, too. The Zelda games are epic fantasy adventures, but they're also gamers messing around cutting grass and fighting chickens and screaming and running like crazy when the boss battle arrives and they have NO IDEA what to do next.

They're fun and playful because the players are. Movies can't capture that; they have to pick a genre and they can't leave it up the players. LPs capture both the game and the way people play it.

I don't know if a movie based on a video game can really capture the feeling of being a normal person playing the game and reacting to it like we do. And, for some games (horror games come to mind), maybe we wouldn't want that. But I think there's value in exploring what Jumanji did right in making a movie about a game by addressing the feeling and responses of the players. If a studio wants to make a successful movie based on a video game, they need to look beyond the story itself and into the experience the players have while playing it, serious and silly. Only then would a movie based on a game feel "right" to the players who have experienced it.

I also think it wouldn't hurt to attempt it with a longer medium first, like a TV series.

Oh, and guess what? I registered for the Utah Valley Marathon. I'm excited but a bit nervous. Good thing I have time to train. So, that happened.

It was also brought to my attention that my "About Me" section on my blog needed to be updated, so I did that, too. We'll be back to our normal Monday schedule next week.