Duncan Jones - the celebrated director of 2010's cult-hit Moon and the prodigal son of David Bowie - is jealous. In an interview withBadass Digest, Jones revealed that not only is he an addicted gamer in his downtime, but that Sam Raimi's upcoming World of Warcraft movie could be the video game film that finally advances the oft-maligned genre.
%26ldquo;I%26rsquo;m hugely jealous of SamRaimi. I really believe World of Warcraft could be the launch of computer games as good films,%26rdquo; said Jones.
Describing himself as a rare breed of director who actually plays video games instead of simply claiming to do so for the street cred, Jones added that Raimi's upcoming adaptation could be the first film to accurately convey the genuine experience of gaming to audiences, noting: %26ldquo;A good game adaptation is where you find the story or the emotional aspect that%26rsquo;s at the heart of a computer game and you replicate that on film. It doesn%26rsquo;t mean you need to have first person perspective or try and capture the mechanics of a game. If you%26rsquo;re going to make a film of a game it%26rsquo;s got to be about the essence of why you, the audience, care what%26rsquo;s going on. There are certain games where that will work, and there are certain games where it doesn%26rsquo;t.%26rdquo;
Relating his perspective to the WoW movie, Jones said, %26ldquo;from the little I%26rsquo;ve read of interviews with him the way [Sam Raimi]'s approaching it makes so much sense. It%26rsquo;s what I was talking about %26ndash; it%26rsquo;s not worrying about how the game plays, it%26rsquo;s about creating the world of the game and investing the audience in that world.%26rdquo;
Duncan Jones may not be a familiar name in gaming circles, but his rising status in Hollywood, relation to a music legend, and his genuine love for gaming could very well make him a positive influence on video game based movies in the future. Aside from Uwe Boll, of course.
His next film,Source Code, arrives this April.
Jan 3, 2011
