There’s little buzz out there about the recently-released Mark Wahlberg flick, Max Payne, the film adaptation of Rockstar Games’ antihero. Mark Wahlberg (THE DEPARTED) plays the titular cop who is still trying to get over the death of his family while investigating several murders, while Mila Kunis (FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL) costars as an assassin desperate for her own revenge. See the trailer below!
After the intriguing trailers I had higher hopes for this film’s ability to rise above the unfortunate history of game-to-film adaptations. With the way new video games have developed complex storylines and narrative features not unlike an extended feature film, I have grown optimistic about the future of these adaptations. Sadly, in this case, my optimism was premature. I will say this: the visual effects are stellar. In terms of shot by shot mise-en-scene Moore is a visionary, but the amazing visuals made me mourn all the more the blatant plot holes, the stock characters, and the unimaginative, overused revenge story.
Needless to say, early responses have been less than “major.” Interestingly enough, this has had little impact on the film’s first week in the box office, but I myself will be paying closer attention to the third and fourth week numbers once word of mouth spreads. In fact, it might be in everyone’s best interest that the blogosphere has been completely distracted by Mark Wahlberg’s reaction to Andy Samberg’s Saturday Night Live sketch. Here, watch this performance–while I in generally am a Mark Wahlberg fan, this clip has definitely given me a lot more than his performance in this film.
