See first posters, date for Max Payne flick

by Justin McElroy { Jul 25th 2008 at 12:25PM }

If there's one entertainment genre that has a worse track record than movies turned to video games, it's video games that have been transformed into movies. At least movies to games have a few bright spots; when people have to summon up Mortal Kombat as the most admirable adaptation of a medium, you know something's gone awry.

So it's with a spirit of mild skepticism that we present the first two posters for Mark Wahlberg vehicle Max Payne. The problem is that we think the above poster (and the one after the jump) look pretty outstanding. AICN has some bigger versions; take a look and let us know what you think.

Tags: max-payne, max-payne-movie, movies

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

LiqwidZero @ Jul 25th 2008 12:27PM

I guess I'm the only one who thought the Super Mario Bros. movie was awesome.

unrelated @ Jul 25th 2008 12:32PM

Yes.

Paul (PSN: heypaul) @ Jul 25th 2008 12:57PM

The only thing I can think of with better than the Super Mario movie was the Double Dragon movie! Oh wait, both of those were terrible.

StrangeBum @ Jul 25th 2008 2:34PM

I kinda enjoyed it too!

=P

NukeAssault @ Jul 25th 2008 3:15PM

I liked it. Double Dragon Movie was awesome too. =D

riggs @ Jul 25th 2008 3:32PM

only good part about the double dragon movie was alyssa milanos booty.

Beatle_Meyer @ Jul 25th 2008 7:01PM

I loved that movie,... but last time I saw it I was only 12. Now I'm a complete movie snob, I wonder how Mario Bros. would hold up these days.

OMGOMG @ Jul 25th 2008 12:28PM

I'm really pissed off that this is PG-13. I mean, I could at least understand why Live Free or Die Hard would be PG-13.

I mean, this is the one videogame movie that has a chance, and they're limiting it to 4 f-bombs.

As Bill O' Riley said, "Fuckin' thing sucks!"

Haggard @ Jul 25th 2008 7:17PM

I don't remember Max swearing a lot. That seems to be how a lot of games portray gritty, tough characters (every male on Gears, the Alone in the Dark guy, and the Prey guy)

Max, meanwhile, was just miserable and made cool allusions to mythology and philosophy about how miserable he was. And then he'd have a bad dream and wake up feeling really miserable. Then got shot in the head but survive because there's nothing but misery in there.

FOXHOUND @ Jul 25th 2008 12:38PM

I like the brickwall poster.

StrangeBum @ Jul 25th 2008 2:36PM

Hell yeah, me too! And I have a few friends who really loved both games and will be excited to see these posters.

Specifically the brick one.

Dirk Diggler FTW!!!

Dash @ Jul 25th 2008 12:41PM

Well, at least the fact that there is an "angel" means somebody working on the movie actually knows about the nightmare/delirium sequences of the game.

The posters work. The game used a graphic novel to do the storyline, so it is fitting that the posters reflect that.

mecharine @ Jul 25th 2008 12:47PM

The trailer makes it seem like the entire movie is in the "dream" state. I dont like that, I dont like that at all. I get the feeling that the movie will give us a "twist ending" where in it was all a delusion before death.

I haaaaaaate that. Its like saying "Everything you saw was just a dream, so whateva!"

arrrgh @ Jul 25th 2008 12:58PM

It's not like that at all. I'm doing fx for the payne movie and it's not angels, first off..it's demons. So no worries there. Valkyr has much to do with it

borrows from this in game quote

Max Payne: Valkyr had been meant to be a white-winged maiden that would lift you to a warrior's heaven. But it turned out to be a one-way demon ride to hell. The devil was in the drug. I knew. I had met him.

dwhite @ Jul 25th 2008 12:45PM

The trailer looks ok. What has me surprised was the Punisher footage from comicon08. That looks much better than Max Payne.

Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ Jul 25th 2008 1:08PM

really? While the new Punisher trailer looks alot better than the shitty first trailer, the Max Payne trailer blows it away. And goddamn did the punisher trailer have some horrible music.

MechaDEVO @ Jul 25th 2008 12:53PM

Mark Wahlberg's constant dumb facial expression actually looks like the face in the games (which were awesome to play through). When watching The Happening, all I could think about was the idiotic look on his face the entire movie.

Beatle_Meyer @ Jul 25th 2008 6:58PM

Yeah, totally. He's such a boob. They should have Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men) play max. He hella looks like Max Payne 2, only slightly Spanish. Anyway, Marky is a fucking dork!

t_m @ Jul 26th 2008 9:14AM

heh.. i just watched The Shooter and I noticed he had permanently confused eyebrows.

Never noticed it before, and I actually think he's pretty under-rated. He was good in The Corruptor..

which kind of gives him 3 degrees of separation to max payne already...

CAHLITO @ Jul 25th 2008 12:55PM

I'm a hug Max Payne Fan, but I'm really disappointing about the PG-13 rating. I'm afraid it might hurt is awesome narrations.

Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ Jul 25th 2008 1:09PM

Meh, this movie could have a hard pg-13 rating though I am disappointed as well that this isn't being rated R.

JoeTheBlow @ Jul 25th 2008 4:13PM

Meh, this is America, all that means is that there are no nipples in it, unlimited violence though,

King Kong was PG-13, and that was virtually a frigging gorefest horror movie.
*thinks of the guy eaten by mega-maggots and shudders*

Infidel @ Jul 25th 2008 12:57PM

You never know, this might just turn out OK.

bvhj @ Jul 25th 2008 12:57PM

I'll go mark my calendar... Oh wait it only has 12 months on it as opposed to the 17 shown in that poster hurrrr

natels @ Jul 25th 2008 1:01PM

I don't know about you, but in that format, it reads Month/Date/Year.

bvhj @ Jul 25th 2008 1:03PM

and my comment reads setup/punchline

T @ Jul 25th 2008 1:18PM

Right. So where's the punchline?

bvhj @ Jul 25th 2008 1:25PM

the bit where it says "hurrrr" CLEARLY

also i hate the commenting system on here jeez

MC Double Def DP @ Jul 25th 2008 1:47PM

ooooh snap!

arrrgh @ Jul 25th 2008 2:39PM

I guess you forgot the "real" punchline?

bounchfx @ Jul 25th 2008 1:01PM

I loved the max payne games. amazing storytelling, I loved the comic style sequences and the way it was written and told, so engrossing. it was fun as hell to play too.. at least on pc.

I'm looking forward to this.. don't fuck it up!

Christian @ Jul 25th 2008 1:03PM

I wish Joystiq would do top 10 of the best and worst game to video or vice versa... maybe have the readers do a poll or vote. It'd be interesting to see.

Joystick Hero @ Jul 25th 2008 2:03PM

...For whatever reason, I believe Crash Bandicoot would end up being both the greatest and worst of all time. On BOTH lists. :/

Courtney @ Jul 25th 2008 1:06PM

Making an awesome poster...easy.

Making an awesome movie...not so easy. I maintain my skepticism.

Blazur @ Jul 25th 2008 1:24PM

I think the only video game to movie adaptation I enjoyed was Silent Hill. It was creepy and followed the same format as the games. Even the music was fitting.

Max Payne is a franchise I've always enjoyed so I'll definitely see this movie opening day. Can't wait to see what this movie has in store for us.

JoeTheBlow @ Jul 25th 2008 4:15PM

Silent Hill was AWESOME, and totally captured the game.
I think the ending bummed everyone out though, but as the games do that too i was expecting it,

e house @ Jul 25th 2008 1:37PM

How about a new Max Payne GAME for the current consoles?

Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ Jul 25th 2008 2:01PM

Hopefully interest in the movie will inspire rockstar to make a game.

Beatle_Meyer @ Jul 25th 2008 6:59PM

Yeah! Remedy should just give up on Alan Wake and make Max 3!

Kliend @ Jul 25th 2008 1:57PM

Shit, that's my birthday.

BigD145 @ Jul 25th 2008 3:31PM

What is with all these game movies? Are we still having a writers strike, or something?

samfish @ Jul 25th 2008 3:42PM

So do with think this will suck more or less than the Hitman movie last year?

...or was that this year? I can't keep my shitty movies straight!

Muskie @ Jul 25th 2008 5:21PM

I honestly don't give a damn about how the film ends up. but if they don't have the absolutely ICONIC Max Payne theme song running through at _Least_ the entire ending credits, I'm asking for my money back!

blamous @ Jul 25th 2008 5:45PM

Unlike most other games that jump to movies, there is real potential for this to be great.
The Max Payne franchise has been one of if not my favorite to play - and the reason was the depth of the story and the flawed hero.
I too am skeptical that they will do it right - but there is a lot of reason to hope.

JoeTheBlow @ Jul 25th 2008 6:07PM

All this stuff has made me want to install Max Payne 1 again, graphics are still good and you can't beat some bullet-time action.

Oh and the Matrix total conversion mod kicks so much ass it isn't even funny, hope i can find that again.

Beatle_Meyer @ Jul 25th 2008 6:54PM

Can't beat "Lords and Ladies" either!

"My Lord?"

"My Laaadyyyyyy!?!?!"

Beatle_Meyer @ Jul 25th 2008 6:43PM

Hmm, poster looks like Max Payne, trailer does not!

Beatle_Meyer @ Jul 25th 2008 6:52PM

If I saw the trailer without knowing it was Max Payne I never would have guessed it. I was sad that the trailer doesn't hint at anything about Valkyre or any of the good stuff from the original story. Looks like Mona and guns are all that transferred from game to movie, but it is only the trailer, after all.

Marky Mark still looks like a little kid to me, like he hasn't lived through enough payne to be Max. Wouldn't it be great if the writer (and in-game model) of the first game played Max in the film?! Haha, diarrhea face!