While the long-anticipated Metal Gear Solid movie still does not have a release date, new comments from Oscar Isaac prove that it is in the hands of people who cherish the impact made by the critically-acclaimed video game series. An adaptation of the original Metal Gear Solid has been stuck in development hell for years now, with Kojima first announcing a negotiated contract back in the year 2006. Since then, it has gone through many different filmmakers and attached actors, including fan-favorite Christian Bale being considered to play Solid Snake and director Paul W.S. Anderson eyeing the director's chair. Ultimately though, Kong: Skull Island filmmaker Jordan Vogt-Roberts, an avid self-professed video game nerd, was picked to bring the film to life back in 2014.
Although the first game in the chronology of the series is called Metal Gear and was released in 1987, the first installment of the flagship 3D franchise (technically the third game released) was Metal Gear Solid, which was released for the original Playstation back in 1998. Just like the first two games in the franchise, players take control of Solid Snake, a legendary espionage agent with stories akin to the legacy of No Time To Die's James Bond, who's tasked this time with stopping a group of genetically enhanced terrorists from activating a nuclear-mech named Metal Gear REX. The world quickly fell in love with the unprecedented gameplay and purposefully convoluted storyline (itself a parody of Western spy tropes), and Metal Gear Solid and its sequels became one of the most acclaimed video game franchises of all time.
For years, people claimed that Metal Gear Solid was a practically unfilmable adaptation, with the game's rich themes and convoluted storytelling cited as a major obstacle any filmmaker would have to overcome. However, if Oscar Isaac's recent comments mean anything, it's that he and Jordan Vogt-Roberts clearly understand what Hideo Kojima was setting out to do over 30 years ago.
The Metal Gear Solid Games Are About Avoiding Violence
Aside from discussing the haunting and melancholy feel carried by the first game (which is set entirely on a remote island in Alaska), in a recent interview with Total Film, Moon Knight star Oscar Isaac talked about Metal Gear Solid and its stark anti-war position. Anyone who's played any of the games in the series knows that stealth is the most important gameplay tactic at the player's disposal. It's so important that the subtitle of the franchise is "Tactical Espionage Action," because each game centers heavily on Solid Snake's (or Big Boss, depending on where it takes place in the series' chronology) ability to use stealth and creativity to avoid outright violent confrontations with villains and henchmen. Metal Gear Solid has always emphasized pacifist gameplay to the fanbase.
Not only is anti-violence a key theme in the gameplay, but also in the context of the story itself that may be adapted into a video game movie. The villainous mercenary group that Snake faces off against in the very first game, Outer Haven, started out because Big Boss wanted to give a permanent home to soldiers displaced by the world's superpowers and their thirst for global warfare. Big Boss' disillusionment with war comes as a direct result of the manipulation and gaslighting he experienced at the hands of his own government, which was using him as a pawn in order to acquire the plans for the Metal Gear program, a scientific experiment to create robotic bipedal nuclear weapons. Despite Big Boss' own clone, Solid Snake, directly intervening to destroy several Metal Gear models in the franchise, even his own proclivity for violence is questioned several times, causing Snake to lose faith in himself and his quest and analyze his own violent means.
Why Oscar Isaac's Comments Are So Encouraging
Throughout the history of video game movies such as Milla Jovovich's Resident Evil and Monster Hunter, many of them have been disappointments. While there are many reasons that adaptations based on video games frequently turn out poor, a common theme amongst them is a general unfamiliarity with the source material. Fans of games like Assassin's Creed and Mortal Kombat can recognize when a beloved franchise is being brought to screen simply in order to make money, and many times these great stories are being told by people who lack an appreciation for the medium and for the games themselves.
That's why the comments from Oscar Isaac are so inspiring; aside from just openly admitting to being a fan of the games themselves, Isaac's statements are proof that he and the filmmakers involved have a genuine grasp on what makes Metal Gear Solid such a compelling series. It would have been easy to make a video game adaptation with a lead actor who's unfamiliar with the franchise but is capable of pulling in money. Instead, it's much more reassuring to see that not only is Oscar Isaac a familiar and acclaimed actor, but he's also someone who truly cares for the games and wants to make sure that fans are happy with the direction that the movie is taken in.
Metal Gear Solid Could Be The First Great Video Game Movie
Although the precedent for video game movies has previously been overwhelmingly negative, that doesn't mean that it can't be done right in the future. There are plenty of video games that are already made with a cinematic scope in mind (such as Tom Holland's Uncharted), and Metal Gear Solid was one of the first games to be designed in order to feel like a movie. In fact, the entire franchise is built from the ground up in a way designed to feel like an homage to the Western espionage films that Hideo Kojima grew up loving.
Combining the Eastern lens with the cinematic language of spy movies shaped by the West already puts the movie on a good track, but it's also an incredible win for fans to know that the minds responsible for the movie are people who already have an appreciation for the MGS saga. If Jordan Vogt-Roberts passion for the franchise is to be taken seriously (and based on the Metal Gear Solid concept art that he's been lovingly sharing for the past few years, he's completely serious), and the studio steers clear of any unnecessary market-driven intervention, then Metal Gear Solid fans have something truly special to look forward to in the next few years.