Kotaku
By: Brian Ashcraft
Jeremy Roush let the game do the talking. Adam Sandler watched the plasma television as filmmaker Mike Binder looked on. They were demoing a video game for the Hollywood actor in hopes of convincing him to include it the upcoming Reign Over Me, co-starring Don Cheadle. In-game save posts were far from the action, and the graphics were last gen. If Sandler didn't bite, the game was out. "One of the hard things about showing Shadow of the Colossus is that if you are not a real game player, your first glimpse of it is that it's blocky," Roush, an avid Kotaku reader, tells me. "You don't see how much artistry that's behind it because it's not Pixar perfect." So he turned up the music, the aspect ratio narrowed, and Sandler saw the feet of a Colossus for the first time. The music started to crescendo, and Roush gripped the DualShock he brought from home as the game's hero Wander climbed the giant.
And promptly got tossed on his ass. "You can feel that tension, sitting there, trying to demo this in front of people," Roush recalls, laughing. "And you're climbing up this guy, and you get knocked off. It was really tough." Once again, the music began to crescendo, and this time he finally brought down the huge Colossus in a slow motion collapse. Adam Sandler was sold, asking Roush for the game's name and immediately calling up his staff to buy it. Next up, was convincing the developer to let them use it in the film. No problem, right? Reign Over Me was produced by Sony-owned Columbia Pictures, and Shadow of the Colossus was created by, well, Sony. But this PS2 game inclusion wasn't just clever product placement on Sony's part.
After Mike Binder finished early drafts of his scripts, he passes it along to people he trusts for feedback. Roush was in the director's inner circle — He had previously done a title scene for Upside of Anger and helped the filmmaker design and build his own Mac-based edit suite, which was used for Man About Town. Binder's latest script was called Reign Over Me, and Roush was slated to co-edit it along with Steve Edwards. It followed the story of Charlie, a New Yorker who lost his family during the 9/11 attacks. The character tries to avoid his problems and cover them up. Says Roush, "It had Charlie, Adam's character, playing a video game that was very much the typical fake game that you see in TV and film." The game was an arcade-type shooter with aliens. An avid gamer himself, the editor's first instinct was that Charlie should be playing an MMO. He could have a social life, but not have to interact with people. "That was in my first set of notes I didn't give to him," says Roush, "because that night it occurred to me that this was the same thing my own father was doing."
The Vietnam War left his father 100 percent mentally disabled with post-traumatic stress disorder. After getting treatment at a V.A. hospital for several years, his father was discharged. Unable to work, he spent the days and evenings watching sci-fi thriller Aliens over and over again until he actually had to buy a new VHS tape. "Aliens is a thinly veiled kind of Vietnam veteran kind of story," Roush explains, "and watching it is a way of thinking about it without telling yourself you are thinking about it." The movie was visceral therapy for his father. That's when it hit Roush. Refusing to accept the death of loved ones. Seeking out an escape from that truth. Giants falling in slow motion. "You could see where someone who was dealing with 9/11 would be engrossed by a giant that keeps collapsing over and over again," he says. Charlie's therapy was Shadow of the Colossus.
Roush took his slim-line PS2 and personal copy of Shadow of the Colossus to Binder's office. Binder's no gamer and coming from a different era. Childhood friends with Sam Raimi, Binder spent his free time deep in comic books — Perhaps explaining why Hollywood of late has had better success with comic books than with video games. According to Roush, it's merely a generation gap. "It's just how much exposure they've had to games as a kid," he says. But Binder was receptive — Not just to Roush's personal experiences with his father, but also his advice on including Shadow. As the game was demoed, the filmmaker saw how it worked thematically. And when Adam Sandler finally came on board, the script was changed so that it specifically mentioned the game's title and sent to Sony Computer Entertainment to get the game's lead designer, Fumito Ueda, to approve of Shadow's inclusion. Weeks later, his reply came through: Greenlight.
What if the Shadow of the Colossus was a Nintendo title? Or a Microsoft one? Sony connections or not, Roush says, "The job of people at Columbia is to make great film. And they've been given the freedom to do that." What's more, he adds, Sony had long moved onto the PS3, and Shadow is a PS2 game that just happened to directly parallel Reign Over Me. A timeline of all the Colossi was created. Roush recorded himself playing through the entire game, fighting each of the giants. From that footage, Binder then selected which Colossus he wanted on screen at particular moments. During the shoot, a mix of pre-recorded footage and live play was used, and Sony Computer Entertainment even sent a staffer to play up to each particular giant. Because of the game's save points, the crew had to wait until he arrived at the Colossus.
Stars Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle were Shadows experts by the time they arrived on set. In one scene, Sandler's character Charlie explains to Cheadle's character Alan how to play Shadow, giving a detailed description of the controls. "That scene wasn't in the script," says Roush. "If you needed to learn how to play the game, Adam could teach you." In order to capture the reality of the characters playing video games together, that's precisely what Sandler and Cheadle did: Played video games together. "Some of the moments where they failed, we used in the film," says Roush. "The failure, the frustration and the happiness are all a part of playing the game. It's hard to act in some ways."
Reign Over Me must be one of the first Hollywood films, if not the first, to deal with games thematically and intelligently. While other industry pundits try to figure out how to take the latest blockbuster game and turn it into a movie or vice versa, Reign Over Me already has an insightful leg up: Let the games speak for themselves. Characters bond through games and lose themselves in them, only to find themselves again. They enjoy the simple act of play. "We're starting to get people in Hollywood who have perspective of what the video game experience is like," says Roush, "what it can feel like. And all that gets integrated into Reign Over Me."
Comments
that's a really good idea
if you've never played Shadow of the colossus, go freaking get it. it is sweet.
also, i think this movie looks good...even without the game in it. i would go see it no matter what
"We're starting to get people in Hollywood who have perspective of what the video game experience is like,"
No no, the true video game experience involves a console with lit candles next to it, and hallucinogenic smoke. Or maybe a DS light.
I wasn't planning on seeing this movie. However, after reading this (and being completely gay for Shadow)I think I might check it out. The allusion they are trying to relate to is quite interesting.
This entire scenario makes me very happy as a gamer and movie-goer.
Thanks for the info.
Video game used thematically in a movie. Nice I really think this is big. No more N64 controller while a Xbox game is on the screen. I do see the parallel between Shadow of the Colossus and this movie.In the game you want to revive a loved one and in the movie Chjarlie has lost his family.Also defeating the Colossi are like defeating his inner demons.Stop me before I quote Don Quijote de la Mancha.
Oh good stuff!
I'm looking forward to watching any movie where someone doesn't mash wildly at the controller while acting like they are playing a video game.
I'm looking at you, 40 Year Old Virgin
If this brings more well-deserved hype to the game, and helps get the wheels turning on a sequel, then fantastic.
I'm going to sadly have to disagree big time with the above opinions. I was at the SXSW screening of Reign Over Me and every time I saw Shadow of the Colossus on screen I groaned. To me it just felt like more sony marketing tie-ins. Remember Men In Black 2 where they drove the car with a dual shock? Remember The New Guy when all of the leads friends were addicted to Everquest? Sony has been at the forefront of gaming tie-ins but I still don't feel like it meshed with the movie. Perhaps if it had been in a Fox movie I wouldn't complain as much but the fact that a Sony movie had a Sony game in it just put me off.
Oh, and the movie has blatant shots of Barq's root beer every time they need something to drink.
@William of Spain: I completely agree. I've been on the fence deciding whether or not to see this movie, but this has just cinched it for me.
I still don't know what anybody sees in Shadow of the Colossus. It wasn't a tenth of the game that Ico was.
@sxp151: You sir have no soul.
This is absolutely fantastic, I really can't tell you how happy this makes me. To actually see a game become a story element, and not just as a negative or the butt of a joke.. I feel actual progress!
Roush: So, what did you think?
Sandler: STOP LOOKING AT ME SWAN
Theres a 99% chance that this movie will not be worth watching, its the unfortunate reality of todays Hollywood movies. But it sounds like these guys actually "get" how to use video games as a plot device, and that does nothing but fill me with the warm and fuzzies. It means that it's finally coming to the point in which the greater public could come to the realization that video games are an artform. As valid and potentially intelligent as cinema, paintings, and music... etc.
good article.
wow, this just makes me love the game even more...and i already love it enough as it is!
Nice article.
I think Reign Over Me looks interesting, but I'm in no rush to see it in the theater.
Who gives a flying f@#$ if Sandler likes the game or if it goes into the movie.
I don't get this shit, the little paragraph that I did read like they were showing this game, which has already proved itself a year ago, to the king of all video games to see if it gets to be released.
@sxp151:
I have ico, i played it for an hr or so one day about 2 yrs ago. too slow.
shadow was 100x better...especially at keeping my interest
@ApeofGods: So you read 1 paragraph of a feature article, completely misunderstand the point of the entire piece, and proclaim your ignorance in the comment section?
Smart move!
The thing is it takes a game like Colossus to make people realize that games can be seen as art (or whatever you want to call it).
Yet this kind of game is still way too rare, and I wish this could be seen as an example that it's worth nurturing more "indie" games and helping developers bring us this kind of entertainment.
He relives the collapse towers through the colossuses falling down? Thats a pretty weak link.
It would be far more poignant to point out the main character's relationship with the princess. You know the fact that everything he does, what defines his journey is her death. He is defined by that death and so is Sandler in this film...
Looks great! I never heard of this mvie, but now, I'll certainly look for it. :)
I'm a big Shadow of the Colossus fan and also this take on videogames is really great, it'll certainly make people realize that videogame can be used as media with some artiscally value and not only mindless entertainment.
No, I am just explaining the irrelavance of movies and hollywood and have a personal gripe against this kind of tripe. How movies are stuck on this pedastal.
Do I care if a video game is used as a plot device in a crap movie? Not really, do I care how these poor assholes had to get an audiance with king washed up actor to do it, not really.
Ok, being a little harsh, but in the age where 99% of movies blow I think we can stop trying to seek the approval of Hollywood.
i think i want to see this movie now DESPITE having Adam Sandler in it.
That was a very well-written feature, and I enjoyed reading it tremendously. The movie already looks good, and the inclusion of Shadow just makes it that much better. I plan to go see it, definitely.
RRHood - film is visual. The experience of Mono's death is only emotionally touching when you are experiencing the entirety of the game yourself. It will not work when you are seeing the game in chunks scattered throughout the film.
You ARE right - the death and rebirth of her is the more poignant aspect of the game's story, but it won't work for the movie. The visual impact of the Colossi can.
SOTC sequel - sequel - sequel!
(total shameless statue-owning SOTC whore)
agreed, this makes me want to go see it. I was teetering on the edge for a while, adam sandler, 911 conflict, ugh, talk about a downer, but maybe I'll go see it now.
This is easily the best piece of writing I've ever seen on Kotaku. Great job.
@ApeofGods:
beleive it or not, hollywood is way more popular than videogames. and, another astounding fact, the game companies try to make money. i know i'm getting a little crazy here, but if a great game is enjoyed by more people, maybe, just maybe, more great games will be made.
it is very important what the mainstream thinks of games- and hollywood is way more mainstream than the videogame community right now.
Good point Khaman, Im just questioning the tenuous link they have there and it just seems like a SOTC whore like yourself wanted to force something he wanted into a film.
Wow, the guy in the pic looks like he's been on a 2 week Meth bender.
This is a really awesome feature.
jabbertrack - Dissing that scene in 40 Year Old Virgin? You know how I know you're gay?
Why all this Colossus yapping? Sandler, SoTC?
It's all about the Colossus of Rhodes. I got all up in it and kicked its ass.
GREAT article. I am reminded why I keep kotaku on my feed reader.
Ashcraft, you get a cookie!
@hass
Um, no, actually, every year we see a decline in movie attendance/sales and a rise in gaming.
I'm also pretty sure game sales have exceeded movie sales at this point, and this with the rapid pirating going on in gaming. (granted movies are pirated just as much, but I am pretty sure more gamers dont pay for their games to the average of movie watchers who do pay to see their movies)
It's days are numbered, and if not, it's a matter of time. So I don't see why we still gaze into an industry full of BS, stupidity, and terrible quality as some sort of aspiration.
Why are we looking up to "big brother hollywood" when they really just produce crap and has a terrible business model? Why do we have to feel that a game is justified if it's turned into a movie or displayed in a movie, suddenly it means it's worth something to "regular people" and we can feel good about ourselves. It's product placement, it might be intelligent product placement, but it's placement all the same.
Games/Gamers should stop feeling the need to be justified by mainsteam, hollywood, or whatever because all it's doing is ruining gaming. But again, that's a debatable opinion.
Excellent article Brian.
Reign Over Me looked like an interesting movie, I think I'll have to go see it. Jeremy Roush seems to have a very good story to tell.
I just bought Ico yesterday I'm really impressed with the sound in it. I've already decided I want to play Shadow of the Colossus.
It's cool that they use a game as a plot device in a movie. Usually, they have the "angry" teen playing a game with pac-man sound effects and a PS controller.
The Break-up had Vince Vaughn playing San Andreas and ignoring Jennifer Aniston. Wonder if that was written in the story or if it was on set because the movie sucked ASS!!!
I need to go home and stick Shadow of the Colossus in my PS2 and finish it. I hear the ending is amazing....
RRhodes - Reading the article and trying to not bias myself, I think the connection he's trying to go for is fairly strong. It's not perfect drama, more Lucas than Chekov; but if someone's life is shattered and linked to something so much taller than he is, I could see a connection to scaling something that huge yourself.
If the film was about a guy who attempted to recover from his 9/11 grief by scaling Everest himself, the film following him from his training to his practise (with emotional pitfalls on the way) to the climb itself, would that still be tenuous? (Hi, would anyone like to buy a screenplay with that idea? I'm available.)
Personally, a mix of the two SOTC themes would have been better. Could have at least mentioned the lower-keyed resurrection plot in the film and firmed up the film/game connection.
Good article. Admittedly I'm more interested in the movie now than I was before, but it seems a little deeper now, knowing that there was a lot more thought that went into the film than I first expected.
Really, really cool feature. Thanks Bash.
On a completely irrelevant and irreverant note - that dude has scary eyes. He might try to eat a puppy.
I am now really torn. Adam Sandler... but Shadow of the Colossus?
I do hope the game gets some limelight after this, it is far too under-appreciated. And the $20 Greatest Hits pricetag will most certainly help convince new people to buy it.