Itchy Fingers #10 - Star Power

After the death of the late Roger Ebert back in April, I was asked why video game journalism was yet to get its own version of the world’s most notorious thumb waving film critic. After last month’s controversial Grand Theft Auto V became the fastest-selling entertainment product of all time, it’s difficult to argue that it’s a “niche hobby” or “solely for kids”. So why haven’t video game journalists secured their own show on BBC Radio 5 Live or been allocated a double page spread in the centre pages of the nation’s biggest tabloids and broadsheets?

This month sees the release of Beyond: Two Souls on PlayStation 3, a psychological thriller starring Juno’s Ellen Page and Platoon’s Willem Dafoe.  Exploring what happens to us after death, the game follows Jodie (portrayed physical and vocally by Page), who goes from gifted youngster to CIA operative with the help of a disembodied spirit that grants her supernatural abilities. It’s perhaps the most prolific use of star power employed to promote a video game in memory, with both actors’ names proudly sported across the cover of the game in the same fashion as a movie poster.

Developed by French Studio Quantic Dream, the game was created using performance capture technology, pioneered by James Cameron’s 2009 sci-fi epic Avatar. From the slightest facial gesture to high octane stunts, Page and Defoe’s every movement was recorded with precise accuracy in order to craft this “interactive drama.”

Of course, it’s not the first time that screen actors have downloaded into the digital realm of interactive drama. One such game to push the boundaries of this genre was the point-and-click adaptation of cult TV phenomenon The X Files. Featuring over six hours of new filmed footage starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, players had to aid Mulder and Scully in a standalone paranormal investigation.

Even in voice only, the big name actor is becoming a recurring feature in video games. Perhaps one of the most prolific examples of a screen actor lending their voice to a game would be Samuel L Jackson’s vocal portrayal of the vindictive Officer Tenpenny in 2004’s GTA: San Andreas. It was an award winning role that would ironically end the series’ love affair with the cult of personality. The blockbuster success of first-person-shooter Call of Duty has brought the likes of Kiefer Sutherland and Gary Oldman to the franchise, whilst who could forget “Sarah Marshall” herself Kristen Bell unexpectedly lending her voice and likeness to the Assassin’s Creed games.

Thanks to games such as 2005’s Fahrenheit and 2010’s Heavy Rain, Quantic Dream have already separated themselves from the over-crowded games marketplace with founder David Cage’s campaign to spearhead the idea of the interactive film. Subtle in-game decisions crafted by player’s reactions and decisions in situations ranging from the mundane to the morally ambiguous create a unique user experience that certainly gives the acting talent a method of exploring all areas of their emotional palettes

Even as the support from the cinematic community grows, gaming is still on the back foot against its silver screen cousin. Quite famously, Roger Ebert once debated that video games can never be art. However at a time when Hollywood seems largely fresh out of ideas, churning out comic book adaptations, watered down remakes of foreign exports and sequels that no one asked for, it seems to be a redundant argument. As much as I've always respected the late Roger’s opinion on film, when it comes to games, I’ll have my two thumbs pressed firmly down on the D-Pad. 

Originally featured in The Big List NI Issue #240

Film Review - Captain Phillips

When handed the directorial reins of a delicate real-life event, Paul Greengrass can be trusted to bring out the human story above all else. Both United 93 and Bloody Sunday cut through personal grudgery and political agenda in order to capture an impartial dramatization of the events in real time. Captain Phillips is no exception.

Based on the memoirs of Richard Phillips, the film recreates the notorious 2009 hijacking of the commercial shipping vessel Maersk Alabama at the hands of four Somali pirates, and the inevitable reaction by the US Navy to rescue the titular captain from peril. 

After the opening twenty minutes, the film travels into dangerous waters at full throttle, poised to blow a gasket at anytime. Greengrass achieves nail-biting, heart-racing tension for most of the two hour running time thanks to his docu-realistic approach to film making. 

A relatively unknown cast, the close quarters setting and claustrophobic cinematography – all calling cards of a Greengrass film - keep you firmly believing in the danger. 

The film’s narrative and depiction of the supposedly heroic captain may have attracted criticism from members of the actual crew, but Tom Hanks’ version of Phillips as both a cautious and humble seafarer will no doubt kick start the obligatory ‘best actor’ chatter on the road to next year’s Academy Awards. 

Hanks acts with reliable integrity and in the closing moments, delivers a the veracious emotional performance that we’ve come to expect from the actor when taking on historical roles, with Apollo 13 and Saving Private Ryan being prime examples. 

Newcomer Barkhad Abdi may not share the top billing with Hanks but he certainly should, with his unrelenting portrayal of Muse – the skeletal, calculated leader of the pirate brigade and Phillips’ opposite for much of the film. 

There is a focus on the dynamics between Phillips and Muse, but it’s one that doesn’t resort to drawing clumsy conclusions that the pair share deep similarities. Make no mistake; these men come from two distinctly different worlds. 

In fact, Muse’s storyline has just as much weight on the plot as Phillips’ does and whilst the reasoning behind their piracy doesn’t excuse their actions, it certainly gives as us the balanced picture. Even as the film hurtles towards its suspenseful conclusion, neither Somali nor American come across as the heroes or villains of the piece, an encouraging worldly view perhaps shaped by the post-War on Terror era. 

“No al-Qaeda here boss, just business,” Muse constantly reassures Phillips throughout the film and even though the film bears the captain’s name, the tale of the impoverished Somali pirates is a much more interesting one. 

Even if Greengrass treads neutral waters with his film-making, Captain Phillips certainly shows how the world map has been redrawn thanks to the complexities of globalization.

Reviewed for The Big List NI