I'm With Geek
  • Home
  • Geekery
    • TGH
    • Creative
    • IWGCast
  • Film
    • The Essentials
    • Hit Play/Hit Stop
    • Trailer Parks
  • TV
  • Games
  • Comics
  • Books
  • About
  • Our Team
  • Contact
  • Editors Blog

Video Games that need Movie Adaptations #4 - Red Dead Redemption

3/7/2013

 
Picture
By Jamie Kennett

The last in my line of Rockstar Games productions, Red Dead Redemption is the classic tale of a reformed man going on an against-all-odds quest to right all his previous wrongs and set his former life to rest. Staged as a Western, against the staggeringly beautiful backdrop of the American southwest and northern Mexico, it’s set in the summer of 1911 as the Old West enters its death throes.

Picture
John Marston, a former outlaw in the infamous Dutch Van Der Linde Gang, has been going straight for three years. He abandoned his former life after being left to die by his fellow gang members in a botched robbery in 1908, and since then has lived on his ranch with wife Abigail and teenage son John “Jack” Jr. His old life comes back to haunt him when, in 1911, his family is suddenly abducted by the Bureau of Investigation. Federal agents essentially hold his wife and son hostage, and to gain their freedom John is ordered to head for the state of New Austin (a fictionalised version of Texas and parts of Nevada/California) to find and kill his old colleague Bill Williamson, who has since formed his own gang amidst a decaying Mexican War-era fort. A simple assignment turns into an epic quest as John is sent back-and-forth across the southwest, in-and-out of Mexico, and up into the American mid-west on a hunt for his former friends.

Re-using my argument for Grand Theft Auto IV, purely because it was written by the same people, the story of Red Dead is reason enough to adapt it into a film. There have already been talks of doing just this, but evidently there have been no plans made as of yet. I propose not just one film, but a trilogy, given the scale of John Marston’s quest. The first film would revolve around his exploits in 'Texas', the second instalment would pick up where the first would leave off; John arriving in northern Mexico. The third film would of course feature the climax of the story, and its subsequent epilogue, which just so happens to be one of the finest pieces of video game writing I’ve yet to experience, if not the finest. So I’m suggesting a Lord of the Rings kind of treatment for Red Dead Redemption, it’s definitely worthy of it in my honest opinion.

Picture
Let us remember the important thing though, Red Dead is for all intents and purposes a Western, and Westerns are popular right now. They may have gradually waned in popularity during the 80s and 90s, in the wake of the Spaghetti Western’s demise, but a new breed of Western has emerged over the past decade and Red Dead would fit in very nicely amongst films like True Grit, 3:10 to Yuma and of course Django Unchained.

Red Dead is a game that I hold in the same regard as GTA; I’ve often fantasised about the possibilities of a film adaptation whilst playing it. So much have I thought about it that I’ve even contributed to forums regarding the cast of the films should they ever be made. By popular demand, Russell Crowe is one of the contenders to play John Marston, as is Josh Brolin. Both could pull off the character equally well with the Gary Cooper-style strong, silent, ruggedness they’re able to bring forth in certain pictures.


Comments are closed.
    Picture
    Head of Games
    Ben Mapp

    [email protected]

    Categories

    All
    Alien Isolation
    Anne Marie Beach
    Arkhamverse
    Assassins Creed
    Atari
    Batman
    Ben Mapp
    Bioshock
    Call Of Duty
    Carla Hodge
    Carla Hodge
    Chivalry
    Chris Crompton
    Christopher Money
    Consoles
    Cosplay
    Dc-comics
    Deus Ex
    E3
    EA
    Edward Mitchell
    Fable
    Far Cry
    From Games To Movies
    Gameboy
    Game Generator
    Game Of Thrones
    Gamescom
    Graeme Stirling
    Graham Osborne
    Gta V
    History Of Gaming
    Indie
    Infamous
    Jamie Kennett
    John Jennings
    Joseph Mitchell
    Josh Crooks
    Josh Foote
    Kim J Osborne
    League Of Legends
    Leah Stone
    Link
    Luke Kirby
    Mario
    Matthew Battles
    May-the-forth
    Metal Gear
    Microsoft
    Monthly Gaming
    New Release
    News
    Nintendo
    Paul Robert Scott
    Paul-robert-scott
    Pc
    Readership
    Reece Merryweather Brown
    Reece Merryweatherbrownfbc7f0236b
    Reflection
    Retrospective
    Review
    Rpg
    Saints Row Iv
    Sherlock-week
    Sony
    Star Wars
    Steam
    Stephen Hyland
    Superman
    Telltale Games
    The Last Of Us
    Tomas Keavney
    Tomb Raider
    Tom Sams
    Top 10
    Trailer
    Tv Adaptation
    Twisted-beast
    Ubisoft
    Vanessa Hague
    Video Games That Need Movie Adaptations
    Vr
    Watch Dogs
    Way To Play
    Way-to-play
    William John
    You Should Be Playing
    You Should Play
    Zelda
    Zombies

    Games

    Reviews and discussions on the latest games, as well as some classics. Whether you're partial to the PS3, the Xbox 360, or the PC, I guarantee the Games section will have something to keep you entertained and intrigued.

    Archives

    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013

    RSS Feed

    Click to set custom HTML
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.