Max Payne and Alice Go to the Movies

Reports indicate that we’re in store for more movies that are based on video games. The latest offerings to come down the pike are American McGee’s “Alice.” The title “Alice” was released in the year 2000 for the PC. What kind of game was Alice? Think of the title as a melding of elements from the story Alice in Wonderland—with Alice holding a bloody knife for hacking and slashing fiends and ghouls. Strange? Yes. But American McGee’s game proved to be successful, in spite of the offbeat theme. The movie “Alice” will have a budget of about $45 million dollars and will be produced by Collision Entertainment. The film will be directed by Marcus Nispel, who was director for the remake of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. This gives you a hint at what kind of movie Alice will be, doesn’t it? The second movie up for production by Collision Entertainment is Max Payne. The scenes of the first Max Payne game were dramatic and unforgettable. Payne discovers (spoiler coming) that his wife and daughter have been massacred by drug junkies, high on a new drug. This doesn’t sit well with the narcotics detective, and he goes on a personal vendetta to squash the scumbags. The game has all the makings of a good movie, but whether this can be translated to the silver screen, will rest with the producer and director of the film. We can, at least, rejoice in the fact that the movies won’t be directed by Uwe Boll. The scheduled release of these films will be sometime in 2007.