Rampage movie in development.

[WingedSerpent]

http://my.spill.com/profiles/blogs/new-line-is-on-a-rampage

Apparently now their working on a big screen version of the classic aracde game.  

For those who don't know, Rampage was a game where the player controlled one of three giant monsters. An ape, a lizard, and a werewolf.  You'd destroy the city, eat the populace, then repeat, and repeat, and repeat.  Imagine this for nearly 200 levels.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoFDdmD2T6k

The game was updated a few years ago as Rampage: World Tour.  It gave the game some semblace of a storyline (with a final villian and a female human character commenting on the action) and played up some of the dark yet cartoony humor.  But still the gameplay was not much changed.

I can already hear many complaining about "another bad video game movie" and while I'm not really hopeful that it'll be good...I am interested in seeing what they'll do with the source material.   And I'm also betting this will never leave development limbo.

[Mofo Rising]

It could be entertaining. And if they can make a movie out of Battleship, well I guess nothing is out of bounds.

[Chainsawmidget]

Hasn't Japan been making those movies for decades?

[Trevor]

I've never played Rampage but after reading this game description on the Wikipedia page:

If a monster takes too much damage, it reverts back into a naked human and starts walking off the screen sideways, covering its genitals with its hands. While in this state, the player can be eaten by another player.

I wish I had. 

[Mr. DS]

I have this on a compilation video game for PS2, my 5 year old and I have a blast playing it.  He thinks its funny when you can eat the people.

[Joe the Destroyer]

I think this actually has potential.  It won't be amazing, but I'm sure it could be fun.  There's really not a whole lot of canon to screw up or take seriously, just as long as they have George, Ralph and Lizzie. 

[FatFreddysCat]

I used to play Rampage in the arcade all the time (I always played as the Godzilla style lizard monster)... I used to like when you'd smash a hole in a building, sometimes there'd be someone sitting in a bathtub on the inside like "AHHHH!" and the monster would make this "oops, sorry" embarrassed sort of expression... then he'd eat them.

Another nice touch was that when soldiers would run down the street towards the monster, you could pick them up and eat them. If you ate the guy carrying the flame thrower, your monster would "BURP" and fire would come out of his mouth.

[diamondwaspvenom]

Hasn't Japan been making those movies for decades?

In that case, wouldn't the movie basically be a big budget version of Destroy All Monsters except with Rampage characters?

[Trevor]

I used to like when you'd smash a hole in a building, sometimes there'd be someone sitting in a bathtub on the inside like "AHHHH!" and the monster would make this "oops, sorry" embarrassed sort of expression... then he'd eat them.

I think that's where Steven Spielberg got the idea for the TRex to munch on Martin Ferrero sitting on the toilet in Jurassic Park. 

[AndyC]

Hasn't Japan been making those movies for decades?

Yeah, I could have sworn that game was based on giant monster movies.

I admit it is a really goofy idea for a movie, but having recently played both arcade versions of the game on MAME with my daughter (who loves them), I can't help feeling a bit of excitement about this. I wonder how long until my enthusiasm is crushed.

I will be greatly disappointed if the monsters don't return to human form without clothes and have to awkwardly cover their naughty bits.

[WingedSerpent]

If I remember correctly, Rampage was actually the first game I owned for my NES back in the day.  And while it took two friends and several hours, I did get to the end of Rampage World Tour.

What I keep coming back to, is that for this movie to work, it needs a sense of humor. It could be the Ghostbusters or Beetlejuice of giant monster films. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSkbE5W0YU8

[FatFreddysCat]

I'm waiting for the movie version of the classic arcade game "Xenophobe."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ4WtZcXOms

[Joe the Destroyer]

While they're at it, they can do Berzerk and Escape from the Planet of Robot Monsters.  Maybe even as a double feature. 

Why not?  They're supposedly already doing a Joust movie...