The Until Dawn movie trailer: when 'based on' becomes 'inspired by'

Our Sports sub-ed has some things to say about the upcoming adaptation of this beloved video game...

Megan Grimston
22nd January 2025
Image source: IMDb
Game-to-film adaptations are nothing unexplored in Hollywood, with the first attempt at mixing mediums falling around 1993. However, video game adaptations have been a seemingly tricky territory for producers.

Translating beloved games with eight-hour playtimes and years of history and support into two-hour films is surprisingly not an easy task, and more often than not falls short. Talks around how to successfully produce game-to-film adaptations have never been higher with the release of the Until Dawn trailer, a movie adaptation of the 2015 game that is a titan in the interactive horror gaming genre. For fans of the original, the trailer raised more questions than it answered, as it seems to veer far from the very essence of the game that made it so special.

At its core, Until Dawn is a game that thrives on player agency. It's central characteristic being the butterfly effect, where your actions can (and will) have consequences. Life and death is based solely on the choices you as the player make, unfolding the narrative in unexpected and uniquely personal ways. Although with one overarching synopsis, the immersion produced is unique to the games medium - one that fans of the game say cannot be replicated in cinema. The trailer, however, hints at something fundamentally different. With the film's linear storyline (a group of friends trapped in a deadly time loop must survive a masked killer’s threats and make it until dawn to escape), the game's unique charm seems to disappear. With a mix of characters new to the universe, the charisma from the game's cohort is now left to be newly discovered in the film. It's within this that the game-to-film adaptation concept faces its first criticism: the natural conflict between the interactive game genre and the passive experience of cinema.

In trying to convert the interactive, narrative-driven experience of a video game into a passive viewing experience, filmmakers risk losing what made the game resonate with its audience.

For years, game-to-film adaptations have struggled with the challenge of fan expectations. Super Mario Bros., Resident Evil, and Assassin’s Creed are all adaptations that faced backlash for straying too far from their source material, whether in plot, tone, or character portrayal. Fans of the original games have often been left feeling as though their beloved franchises were reduced to something unrecognizable, aimed at a broader, less informed audience. With this, when David F. Sandberg​​​ was announced as Until Dawn's director, a wave of excitement spread across fans, with Sandberg openly admitting his adoration for the game. However, the trailer seems to reflect differently. With the trailer omitting the playful elements that made the game special, the attempt to appeal to a broader cinema audience has created a clear lack of awareness for the game's quirks.

When source material is a cult hit like Until Dawn, the pressures of appeal and audience expectations are always going to become obstacles. However, an amalgamation of worn-down horror cliches instead of capturing the game's frosty essence seems to have produced a less interesting version. The crux of the issue is that video game adaptations, more often than not, struggle to capture the heart of what made the game great in the first place. In the case of Until Dawn, it’s not just about adapting a story; it’s about adapting an experience. The game's success was built on the emotional investment players had in shaping the story and determining the fates of the characters.

The release of the Until Dawn trailer is yet another reminder of the challenges video game adaptations face. The conflict between maintaining the essence of the original game while appealing to a broader audience continues to create a chasm that many films have yet to cross. In trying to convert the interactive, narrative-driven experience of a video game into a passive viewing experience, filmmakers risk losing what made the game resonate with its audience. For Until Dawn, the trailer suggests that, once again, the promise of an exciting, faithful adaptation might fall short. Whether it’s the limited scope of the narrative, the loss of player agency, or the watering down of what made the game unique, this adaptation may serve as yet another cautionary tale for the future of video game films.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

ReLated Articles
magnifiercross
linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram
Copy link
Powered by Social Snap