I'm not necessarily against the idea of a Bioshock movie. Of all the gaming franchises out there, few showcase the tremendous potential of storytelling in the medium quite like Bioshock. I'm not even too worried that the project is being helmed by Gore Verbinski, director of the ridiculous Pirates of the Caribbean films. I mean, look how much he was able to ring out of a movie inspired by a theme park ride! (and, truly, it good to see the project under the watchful eye of someone who can use CG effects to their fullest potential. Rapture deserves to be one of the most beautiful and sad locals ever created.)

I've just have one problem with the announcement.

The great "revelation" is Bioshock(at the 12 - 15 hour point in the game) dealing with the nature of control in the medium: is that something people feel can be accurately transported to the big screen? Could that same reveal be just as effective in a movie capacity as in a game?

As a player, I felt the full weight of the "revelation": I had been led by the nose this whole time, controlled and cajoled into action without really thinking about "why" I chose to do what I did. From a design perspective, the "revelation" perfectly captured the idea of linearity: all games take you along a predetermined path. There is no real notion of "choice", in a game, because the players every possible effect on the world and the story has been mapped out by teams of designers. Games don't allow for real decisions to be made. It's why the medium does have the capacity to become art. Because games are inherently products you interact with, seeing the game effectively say, "You have no choices. You've been doing exactly what I wanted this whole time", was more deeply felt than virtually any video game story to come before it.



Could that idea- about the nature of control(what we have and what we don't have)-be fully encapsulated by a film?

There are some books out there that ONLY work as books (Wuthering Heights comes to mind as a product that can't cross over to another medium and be effective.) Is Bioshock a game that can have the same impact in a different medium?

I suppose the counter argument is to take that idea about the nature of control and stretch it over every entertainment/artistic medium. Film has you going down the predetermined path of the director. Literature and poetry shows you only what the writer wants to show you.

Those who control Art show us exactly what they intend to show us and nothing more. Artists have complete dominance over their medium, and they use their proficiency in the medium to deliver to viewers their ideas. The alchemical response we feel to a certain painting or piece of music or film or game may be unique to a single person. but that response was ultimately planned by the artist. They want to elicit a specific reaction from people, be it grief or joy, remorse or Rapture.

So, really, there is no control in Art.

What would you like to see from a Bioshock movie? Do you think Verbinski could get away with remaking the original game? If so, do you think that game's "revelation" could translate to the screen? If not, what other angle would you like to see the film approach?