Videogames are making a lot of money these days. Point of fact: The video game industry made over one billion dollars last month. Granted it was mainly due to GTA IV, but impressive none the less. It is therefore inevitable that more people in the entertainment industry are going to want a piece of that “pie.” Boom Blox for the Wii was the brainchild of famed director Steven Spielberg. Gore Verbinski, the director of the Pirates of the Caribbean films, is set to helm the Bioshock movie. I have no problem with either of these gentlemen being involved in the gaming industry. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the Pirates movies and Boom Blox has received a warm critical reception. However, with the good inevitably comes the bad. No, I’m not talking about Uwe Boll (though he is by no means good). Who is the latest individual looking to get involved in the industry?

Find out after the jump.

Brett Ratner, the director behind Rush Hour and X-Men: The Last Stand, is looking to makes movies based on videogames. Apparently, his new direction was born from recent work he did for Activision. Ratner has not announced any particular franchises he would like to adapt to the silver screen, but wants to continue working with Activision.

Ratner is not the most popular figure in the film industry. His work on X3 made him quite unpopular among the legions of X-Men fans. Despite its shortcomings, I enjoyed X3. I thought Ratner did a good job considering he took the helm six months before the movie began production. I was also a fan of the first two Rush Hour movies. Though none of these films is of Spielberg quality, they were certainly entertaining.

While I do acknowledge that Ratner’s not a total hack, I am truly conflicted over this recent news. Ratner seems like the kind of guy who is merely looking for the next big payday. I have no problem with games being made into films, but I think the person behind the title should care about the IP. Honestly, I don’t think Ratner cares about videogames. He said he wants to make movies based on games because “the games business is much more exciting than the movie business right now.” I appreciate the enthusiasm, but if that was the only requirement to making game-based films, then there would be a lot more people making them.

The other thing that bothers me about his comment is that he finds the industry exciting “right now.” Apparently, this is a recent development. Ratner wasn’t interested in the industry a few years ago, but now, when the industry is booming, he is more than willing to throw his hat in the ring.

I am excited by the prospect of game-based movies. There are certainly more than enough great stories worthy of big-screen adaptations. However, these films need to be done right. They shouldn’t be haphazardly thrown together in an effort to suck money from loyal fans of a franchise. These movies need to be helmed by individuals that care more about the IP they are adapting than how much money they can put in their pockets.

I am sure that gamers worldwide gasped when they heard Ratner’s latest plans. While I am a bit skeptical of his motives, I do think we should give him a chance. Sure he has made his fair share of bad films, but he has also directed Red Dragon. I think that’s worth something. If Ratner does put the time and effort into these films, then perhaps they will turn out alright. However, if he is merely looking to cash-in on the popularity of the videogame industry, then perhaps the angry mob should start lighting their torches now.

Source: Destructoid