Max Payne Trailer

[CeeKay]

a recap of the beginning of Max's quest.

[rickfc]

Ain't It Cool News ripped the movie a new one!

Expecting absolutely nothing of any interest caused me to have some hope during the first twenty minutes.

Then the reality of the film began to seep in. Horrid dialogue, surprisingly bad acting across the board, and some really dodgy sound editing -- have you ever noticed sound editing before? ...me neither -- helped to drive an already sub-standard plot further into the ground.

Spoiler below contains info about how the film ends, but raises an excellent question.

Spoiler for Hiden:

My favourite part, however, is the end. The message throughout seems to be Drugs Are Bad, as everybody's life is getting ruined thanks to this exciting new drug that's out on the street. It's a drug that makes 1% of people into superhumans, and turns the rest of them crazy. Can you guess what the Act Three twist is? Max takes the drug and becomes a superhuman. I don't even know where to begin. Did they not think about this? Did they not think, "Hey, our market is boys between the ages of twelve and twenty-five, maybe we shouldn't be condoning drug use?". It's utterly irresponsible, and without any hint of self-awareness. Conservative Christians, if you'd like me to respect you at all, stop going after films that contain sex, and maybe take a swipe at the year's most socially reckless movie. If you have to take easy shots at the film industry, why not go after a film that actually has something to answer for?

[PeteRock]

Ugh.  It's not looking good.  And I really thought the trailers showed promise.   

[rickfc]

Ugh.  It's not looking good.  And I really thought the trailers showed promise.   

Nice.   

[PeteRock]

Ugh.  It's not looking good.  And I really thought the trailers showed promise.   

Nice.   

How the fuck can this be worse than Catwoman.  Seriously.  Catwoman?   

[Thin_J]

After actually reading the reviews on RT I can't say I care too much about any of their opinions. One guy spends half a paragraph poo-pooing emotional involvement in games.

Still seeing it anyway.

[TiLT]

Max Payne is probably not going to go over well with most reviewers. It's a story that is based upon being cliched, and reviewers hate that. I'm more interested in what fans of the games will have to say.

[SkyLander]

Having it be friggin PG13 pretty much nukes it for me. It's a Mature game for a reason and the story and elements in it made it that way. Don't really have a lot of hope.

[Zarkon]

I have returned from the movie.


My judgement:



8/10.

Stay after the credits.

[Razgon]

I have returned from the movie.


My judgement:



8/10.

Stay after the credits.

THANKS!!! there is a god, it seems!

now, come on, spill more beans! Was it like the game? Was Max as badass as he's supposed to be? Was the dialogue really that bad? Music and sound? COME ON!!! TELL US!!!! ARRRGGHH

[EngineNo9]

I think I'll just be waiting for their inevitable R (or Unrated) DVD release.

[PeteRock]

I have returned from the movie.


My judgement:



8/10.

Stay after the credits.

THANKS!!! there is a god, it seems!

now, come on, spill more beans! Was it like the game? Was Max as badass as he's supposed to be? Was the dialogue really that bad? Music and sound? COME ON!!! TELL US!!!! ARRRGGHH

I have some of the same questions.  I've been hoping that someone from the forums will take one for the team and see the film despite the horrid reviews, and now I at least have some hope that perhaps the film is lost on mainstream critics but may be a hit with the videogame crowd.  Although I don't think it worked out so well for Hitman, so I'm wondering if Max Payne will follow suit. 

[SkyLander]

I have returned from the movie.


My judgement:



8/10.

Stay after the credits.

Did they pull a lot from the game?

[Zarkon]

The good:

The movie seems to be a direct pull of the storyline from the game.  Starts with the subway, goes through Max meeting Natasha and her dying with his wallet, then Alex dying, then ... well, if you've played the game, you get the idea. 

Admittedly, I haven't played the game in over 5 years, but I just bought it last night and will be playing some this weekend, to give you an idea.  Oh.  NO DRUG TRIP IN THE MOVIE. 

The music may not be the same as the game, but is definitely mood-setting and dark.  I wouldn't be surprised if the music (and the dialogue) is close to what's in the game.  Which may be one of the things the movie is getting dinged on, to be honest.

There are at least three uses of bullet-time in the movie, most of which seem to be aimed at setting dramatic mood rather than "OH COOL WE CAN SLOW DOWN TIME PEW PEW PEW."

The bird stuff in the trailers?  Those are all drug-hallucinations, pretty much like the game.  All of the characters are here:  Max, Mona, Alex, Jim Bravura, BB, and so on. 

The movie ends the same as the first game, and definitely stay after the credits.

I'm honestly not sure what they pulled out of the movie to make it PG-13, other than perhaps frontal nudity or gore, because a lot of cussing and shooting is in the game.  I'm definitely going to be buying the DVD though, to see the 'gamer cut'.

[TiLT]

...goes through Max meeting Natasha and her dying with his wallet...

Huh? This doesn't sound familiar at all. AFAIK, there were only three women involved in the storylines of the two games: Max's wife, Mona, and the Big Bad in the first game.

[Caine]

been too long for me to remember the whole story, but the firebombing of the restaurant stands out as one of the greatest set piece levels.

too bad they didn't use the music theme from the games.  mp2 has such a haunting theme song that would have fit nicely.

i want to see this movie in the theaters. 

[Zarkon]

...goes through Max meeting Natasha and her dying with his wallet...

Huh? This doesn't sound familiar at all. AFAIK, there were only three women involved in the storylines of the two games: Max's wife, Mona, and the Big Bad in the first game.

This was near the very beginning of the game.  After Max is at the subway, he goes to his snitch, meets Natasha there.  She comes on to him in his apartment, and he kicks her out.  She's killed just outside, and has stolen his wallet. 

[Zarkon]

been too long for me to remember the whole story, but the firebombing of the restaurant stands out as one of the greatest set piece levels.

too bad they didn't use the music theme from the games.  mp2 has such a haunting theme song that would have fit nicely.

i want to see this movie in the theaters. 

Well, the movie is based on MP1 not MP2.  There's probably going to be a sequel.

[TiLT]

...goes through Max meeting Natasha and her dying with his wallet...

Huh? This doesn't sound familiar at all. AFAIK, there were only three women involved in the storylines of the two games: Max's wife, Mona, and the Big Bad in the first game.

This was near the very beginning of the game.  After Max is at the subway, he goes to his snitch, meets Natasha there.  She comes on to him in his apartment, and he kicks her out.  She's killed just outside, and has stolen his wallet. 

Either my memory is failing me, or this isn't part of the game at all. I played through both Max Paynes about 6 months ago, so it's reasonably fresh in my mind. IIRC, what happens after Payne is done at the subway is that he heads to the Finito Brothers for information, and they betray him. Max's wallet isn't even mentioned in any of the two games.

[Caine]

been too long for me to remember the whole story, but the firebombing of the restaurant stands out as one of the greatest set piece levels.

too bad they didn't use the music theme from the games.  mp2 has such a haunting theme song that would have fit nicely.

i want to see this movie in the theaters. 

Well, the movie is based on MP1 not MP2.  There's probably going to be a sequel.

oh yeah, i know that about the movie.  i just really thought the theme for 2 was a great piece.

here's a good amateur version of it.  amateur in renown, not in quality, btw.

[Zarkon]

...goes through Max meeting Natasha and her dying with his wallet...

Huh? This doesn't sound familiar at all. AFAIK, there were only three women involved in the storylines of the two games: Max's wife, Mona, and the Big Bad in the first game.

This was near the very beginning of the game.  After Max is at the subway, he goes to his snitch, meets Natasha there.  She comes on to him in his apartment, and he kicks her out.  She's killed just outside, and has stolen his wallet. 

Either my memory is failing me, or this isn't part of the game at all. I played through both Max Paynes about 6 months ago, so it's reasonably fresh in my mind. IIRC, what happens after Payne is done at the subway is that he heads to the Finito Brothers for information, and they betray him. Max's wallet isn't even mentioned in any of the two games.

It is, because it ties into the entire reason his ex-partner finds him.  A girl is killed and she has Max's ID.  I don't remember exactly where in the game it is, but it's relatively early, before Alex is killed.

[CeeKay]

...goes through Max meeting Natasha and her dying with his wallet...

Huh? This doesn't sound familiar at all. AFAIK, there were only three women involved in the storylines of the two games: Max's wife, Mona, and the Big Bad in the first game.

This was near the very beginning of the game.  After Max is at the subway, he goes to his snitch, meets Natasha there.  She comes on to him in his apartment, and he kicks her out.  She's killed just outside, and has stolen his wallet. 

Either my memory is failing me, or this isn't part of the game at all. I played through both Max Paynes about 6 months ago, so it's reasonably fresh in my mind. IIRC, what happens after Payne is done at the subway is that he heads to the Finito Brothers for information, and they betray him. Max's wallet isn't even mentioned in any of the two games.

It is, because it ties into the entire reason his ex-partner finds him.  A girl is killed and she has Max's ID.  I don't remember exactly where in the game it is, but it's relatively early, before Alex is killed.

umm.. I'm playing the first game right now and there's nothing like that before Alex is killed- he dies before you even leave the subway, and Max doesn't have a partner until the second game.

[Zarkon]

Told you guys I hadn't played the game in a good long time. 

So apparently the movie takes elements from both games, I guess.

[TiLT]

Told you guys I hadn't played the game in a good long time. 

So apparently the movie takes elements from both games, I guess.

I'm telling you, there is no Natasha in either game. Only three women involved.

Max's partner in the second game isn't even an official police partner. It's Mona.

[kronovan]

Ain't It Cool News ripped the movie a new one!

Expecting absolutely nothing of any interest caused me to have some hope during the first twenty minutes.

Then the reality of the film began to seep in. Horrid dialogue, surprisingly bad acting across the board, and some really dodgy sound editing -- have you ever noticed sound editing before? ...me neither -- helped to drive an already sub-standard plot further into the ground.

I don't think I've ever read a review at Ain't It Cool News before, but that reviewer loses me right there with those comments. "have you ever noticed sound editing before"; hell yes I have and I've haven't seen many films where it was perfect. Maybe that reviewer has difficulty hearing or finally took the wax out of his ears, but I've heard more than my share of films where mistakes were made in the audio production. I'm on the fence with this film as to whether I'll see it in the theatre or wait until it's available for rental. I loved the game and enjoyed the story, but I think that was more to do with the comic book panel approach they took to telling it.

[Razgon]

no impressions thread for this one? oh well, guess I'll post here...

I love Max Payne - Played the first two games a million times, and have all the music as well..brilliant, simply brilliant...

so - the movie...sucked... I am sorry, I like cheesy movies, I like pure entertainment movies where you leave the brain at the door, but this? The story was rather poor, the effects were mediocore at best, and the acting? wow - that was bad! BB was the best of them, and that was as stereotypichal as you can get.

The music didnt do anything for me, and the whole Valkyrie thing was quite pooly executed and didnt make much sense.

I'm trying hard not to spoil anything, thus I'm being vague on purpose, but, to those considering it - its a rental movie at best, I'm afraid.

The strange thing is, the games oozed atmosphere, but it simply wasnt there in the movie. They should have gotten the ones that made the trailer do the movie instead, since they pretty much nailed the atmosphere and choose the right music...

6/10 is my final score on this one, sadly...because, I REALLY wanted to like it!

[Turtle]

Ya know, I also wonder why they don't just give trailer people entire movies to make?