Metal Gear Solid – Aaron Sarnecky
If ever there were a game compared to a movie, it would be Metal Gear Solid. It’s been that way since the days of the PlayStation 1. Not that it’s hard to see why. Whereas so many games at the time focused on simple objectives like rescuing a princess, Metal Gear Solid strove to tell an in-depth story full of twists and turns, as well as fleshed-out characters. It did this not only through gameplay, but also through the stellar performances of its cast of voice actors. With such a rich plot, the game is almost asking to be made into a movie.
Those unfamiliar with Metal Gear Solid probably don’t know that it’s not the first entry in the series; it’s actually the third. Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake on the MSX home computer are the first two installments, and the movie series would have to start with them. Not to make a trilogy, but a duology. This is because Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2 have very similar plots, in which Special Forces operative Solid Snake infiltrates an enemy base that houses a Metal Gear, a nuclear-armed, two-legged tank. Along the way, he encounters fellow operative Gray Fox and the mastermind behind Metal Gear, Big Boss. Gray Fox is Snake’s ally in the first game but his enemy in the second, but since the Metal Gear movie would be an amalgamation of the first two MSX games, he would betray Snake to Big Boss in it. After killing Gray Fox and destroying Metal Gear, Snake would then eliminate Big Boss, like he does in the second MSX title.
Believe it or not, that was the easy part, because Metal Gear Solid is brimming with plot elements; so many, in fact, that subplots like Decoy Octopus impersonating the DARPA Chief and the entire character of Master Miller might have to be cut out. Metal Gear Solid is also complicated because it draws heavily from Snake’s past, which is why a preceding movie would be needed. It would be too cluttered if all that had to be explained with no previous context. But even with the Metal Gear movie released beforehand, the Metal Gear Solid movie would need a genius of a screenwriter.
Speaking of screenwriters, I would hope that series architect Hideo Kojima would be one of them, though his falling out with the game’s publisher, Konami, casts serious doubts on if he will ever do anything related to the series again. As far as directors go, I might pick someone like District 9 director Neill Blomkamp. The effects would look great and he has a knack for science fiction. On the other hand, the somewhat pulpy nature of Metal Gear Solid is similar to that of a comic book, and its conspiracy-filled plot is similar to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, so the Russo Brothers might be another good choice. Regarding casting, Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman are unfortunately too old to play Solid Snake (and Liquid Snake and Big Boss). It might be better to fill the cast with unknowns, though for some reason I can see Oscar Isaac as Otacon and maybe even Emma Stone as Meryl. I can also envision Laurence Fishburne as a black Colonel Campbell (who’d be in both films), but that’s probably just the Hannibal fan in me talking.
And there you have it, the Metal Gear Solid duology. Though for the record, I wouldn’t be opposed to someone later making a Snake Eater movie about Big Boss or film about Solid Snake and the Patriots. They could even be subtlety hinted at in a mid-credits scene (an homage to the games’ post-credits phone conversations) or in lines of dialogue. But then again, maybe this is all crazy. Adapting a game about sneaking around would be really hard, so maybe a Metal Gear Solid movie should be an original story with more of an action focus. Or maybe we’ll never get a movie. If not, I’ll be okay, because the games will always be amazing.
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