I'm torn. Part of me would love to see the game "Portal" adapted into a movie. And, of course, part of me thinks that's the worst idea ever.
After all, the general rule is: movies based on video games suck. And none of us "Portal" fans want to see our favorite game turned into a sucky movie.
And yet, one "Portal" fan film has given me hope for "Portal: The Movie" possibilities.
Dan Trachtenberg — director, host of the video podcast "The Totally Rad Show" and "Portal" lover — gives us "Portal: No Escape." This very well-executed, 7-minute short does an excellent job of capturing the darker side of the "Portal" games and presents us with a look at just how cool some silver-screen Portal-powered action sequences might go. Here, see for yourself:
And two thumbs up to badass actress Danielle Rayne (previously seen on, no kidding, "All My Children") who looks very much like I imagine Chell would look (though, admittedly, it's not clear if this is supposed to be Chell). Still, check out Rayne's guns! I was reminded of Sarah Connor's transformation in "Terminator 2."
Yes, the acid-tongued humor of the killer AI GLaDOS is missing; still this short has given me faith. "Portal: The Movie" really could be worth a trip to the theater.
For more game news, check out:
- 'Portal' creator to reveal 'quirky' new game
- Ben Affleck aims to direct film with first-person-shooter flair
- 'Portal' theater is space bendingly awesome
- How to wake up your kid, first-person-shooter style
Winda Benedetti writes about games for msnbc.com. You can follow her tweets about games and other things here on Twitter or join her in the stream here on Google+.And be sure to check out the In-Game Facebook page here.