Marky Mark, Video Game Movies, and Low Expectations
There’s a Max Payne movie coming out next month. Mark Wahlberg is playing Max Payne.
Yep. Marky Mark.
I’m not sure what to think about this, but one thing I can say for certain is that I will be seeing the movie in theaters. Even if it’s just to confirm my suspicion that the film industry really needs to hire people who play video games before making movies based on them.
Last year, we had the Hitman movie. Having thoroughly enjoyed the series of games that the film was based on, I went in with low expectations. Know what, though? While I’d call it a classic case of the-book-was-better-than-the-movie (substituting game for book, naturally), I can’t say I hated it. Given what he had to work with (read: a story that didn’t do the games justice), Timothy Olyphant played a solid Agent 47. The question is…can Marky Mark do Max Payne justice?
He’s certainly not my first choice (personally, I’d like to see Clive Owen in the role), but I’m not going to judge until I see the film. My biggest concern, if it’s true: IMDB’s trivia page for the movie mentions that Marky Mark reportedly never played the video game as he didn’t want to become addicted, and felt the script connected him to the story enough. WHAT?! If he’s a terrible Max Payne, this is why. If he’s awesome, well, Marky Mark will just go up in my estimation.
I’m also a little bit concerned about the story, given the film industry’s history of taking popular games and mangling them so that everything that was great about a game’s story is either out of context, poorly written, or missing entirely. Remember the Super Mario Bros. movie? Or Street Fighter? Those were a couple hours of my life that I’ll never get back. I’m crossing my fingers that the writers don’t make too many “creative” changes to Max Payne, because it’s pretty solid as-is.
One thing I’m definitely excited about: bullet time. Provided that the filmmakers keep with the John Woo style that permeated the games, this could be visually stunning in ways that the game wasn’t capable of supporting.
Max Payne hits theaters on October 17th. Which means I’ll be reviewing it here on the 18th 
I used to scoff at the idea of any movie starring Marky Mark, but I was so charmed and delighted with his role as Tommy Corn in I Heart Huckabees that now I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt on anything!
Wahlberg was also actually pretty good in Shooter, probably the closest parallel that comes to mind for me…
I look forward to your review, I think I might have to check it our myself now that you bring it to my attention!
You know, I really don’t have anything against Marky Mark in general, I’m just having a hard time picturing him as Max Payne. He doesn’t seem…gritty enough. I’m open to the possibility of being proven wrong.
He was pretty gritty in Shooter, have you seen it?
Hmm, nope. I’m thinking of Italian Job Mark Wahlberg, which looked more like nice-guy-thrust-into-action-role-and-pretending-to-be-gritty-but-falling-way-short. I’ll have to take a look at Shooter.
ya I used to rant about how rediculous it was that marky mark was acting but after several great movies and award nominations I’m thinking he never shoulda tainted his name even trying to rap, I did read how he didn’t play the game, he did mention that his kid or someone did, I’m hoping its good but I wont go out day 1 to see it, may never see it in theaters as I don’t see many there anyway.
hmmm…unfortunately decent actors can’t make up for horrible scripts and directing…i hope they do this one right, i think Mark though play the role…he seems pretty versatile…he probably wouldn’t be my number one pic though for the role
ya I didn’t want to sound like my sticking up for mark is sticking up for this movie, I’m sure it will be sub par as a movie and the unfortunate thing is fans of the game will like it even less whereas movie games are the other way around, even though The Force Unleashed is an OK game at best your still in the star wars universe controling shit with your mind listening to the tunes we all love and adore so it still equals a good time.
ROFL “I will be seeing the movie in theaters. Even if it’s just to confirm my suspicion that the film industry really needs to hire people who play video game”
how true is that!!!! One movie all I will say is…DOOM >:(
I agree Bean it is all about the script and directing… so maybe the director needs to play the vidoegames too!
Hey when is that Halo movie coming out??? They sooo need to go thru with it!
Ugh, all the Doom movie haters out there…I LOVED that movie, it totally cracked me up. It had Hugh Urban in it, like hottie hot hawt *drrrrooollsss* and the Rock fit well with his character, even though I don’t normally like watching him as an actor, it was just the right amount of scary for me and yet had some wonderful moments of humor stuck in there as well, like Portman, he was hilarious and that scene when Reaper’s sister was trying to save Dr. Carmack, thinking she could revert him back and Sarge was pointing at him and screaming LOOK AT HIM!!!! I bout fell off my couch.
PS SMILES hahaha pick a name already geez, you trying to get in that drawing twice or something, I have to keep going in and edited you to Smiles MD so it counts right lolol…you wanna be Smiles or Smiles MD??
I loved DOOM as well, course I didn’t pay to see it so if I had I might say different
Mario Bro’s back in the day ruled as well.
whatever! DOOM was TERRIBLE and I will stand by that, geez remind me not to take movie suggestions from you people
And agreed Mario Bro’s was awesome.. I think I am gonna go rent or buy it to watch again…. I thought Hitman was a good movie too, but seemed tricky either people loved or hated it not too many in between…
Sorry Dope I noticed that I had 2 names too??? I think it happens because I used a different computer and signed in wrong lol soo I’ll stick with Smiles MD
Well for the most part most movies about games have been well shitty to be blunt. Resident Evil was probably the best of the bunch, though Silent Hill wasn’t that bad though. Smiles while we normally agree I am going to have to disagree on Mario Bro’s*LOL* Hitman was ok, but its one of those movies you catch at a $1. theatre and don’t feel cheated having watched it. And for truly horrid how about House of the Dead*ROFLMAO* , now that was just plain bad. Doom was ok, I’d through it up there with hitman. I wouldn’t turn down watching it for free but would rather not have to pay to watch it
Of course though the Rock Rules, I generally enjoy most of his movies, but hey I was a wrestling junkie back in his wrestling days. Yeah Street fighter was pretty bad as well, the acting in it was just plain bad 
As for Marky Mark, I consider him an ok actor. He has been in a few good movies but there have been some that well…….
The Doom movie was awful, and at the end when it goes into FPS mode was the icing on a very shit cake. As for Silent hill, well i’m sure there’s a plot in there somewhere. Max Payne hopefully will be a success though.
“at the end when it goes into FPS mode was the icing on a very shit cake.” ROFL perfect summary Darth..
I wanna say that I dobut Max Payne will be good although I hope it is. It will probably turn out like the Final Fantasy movie… if you haven’t played the videogame its AWESOME, but if you play the videogame you’ll HATE the movie….
Wow the final fantasy movie was garbage to all who saw it, unless your talking about the FF7 movie which I liked as a player of the original.
When I heard there was a Max Payne movie coming out, I was ecstatic! When I heard Mark Wahlberg was cast, I was … confused.
I kid you not, Clive Owen would have been my choice as well. Strange as it sounds, I think he would fit that role perfectly.
I’m not going to knock it without seeing it first. As rare as it is, I have been proven wrong in the past. I guess I will just wait and see.
[...] that time I was optimistic about the Max Payne movie? And how I was strongly considering seeing it the night it [...]