Mining The Expanded Universe

In light of the announcement of the purchase of Lucasfilm by Disney and the revelation that there would be Episodes 7, 8 and 9, as well as a new movie every couple of years, I've taken the time to put together a list of Expanded Universe material that could be adapted into excellent movies.  Without further adieu, here are fifteen EU stories that are begging to be told on the big screen. 

1.  The Thrawn Trilogy

Every single fanboy on the face of the planet knows that this should have been the next logical step for the upcoming trilogy.  Yes, our lead actors are looking old and horrible, but that's nothing that ILM couldn't fix in post production.  The books were on the New York Times best seller lists and they kept the saga going at a time where things were looking bleak.  Disney could bring Timothy Zahn in to write or polish a script.  This trilogy would introduce awesome new characters (Grand Admiral Thrawn and Talon Karrde come to mind) as well as bringing in characters that would open the door to other EU offerings (See: Mara Jade).

Of course, they've already said that this is not going to be the basis for the next three episodes but perhaps they'll turn to them in the future.

2. Legacy of the Force 

I have always thought that this 9 book series would make an excellent trilogy.  The timeline lines up with real time (the books take place about 36 years after Return of the Jedi), so all of the original cast could return.  These books deal with a galaxy in the aftermath of the Yuuzhan Vong invasion, so you'd have to have a movie introducing that conflict first.  But beyond that, LOTF also saw old favorites like Lando and Boba Fett return.  It would introduce  the next generation of characters (like the Solo twins) to moviegoers who aren't all that familiar with the EU.  And the conflict and final twist of the series are as gut-wrenching as anything we've seen in any of the movies thus far.

And if you're doubtful about the original cast returning, you should read this article about Lucas meeting with Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill and letting them know about the next trilogy.  Insiders also say that Harrison Ford would be interested if the script and director were right.

3.  Republic Commando 

The Republic Commandos are the most elite unite of the Grand Army of the Republic and they are BAD ASS.  This movie could be crafted as a military movie, following Delta Squad from their first deployment on Geonosis to their life and death missions that saved the Republic over and over again.  It covers the same time period depicted in the prequel trilogy, just from a much different perspective.  It'd be nice to see the Battle of Geonosis as we saw it in Attack of the Clones and then flash to the underground tunnels, where Delta Squad is battling hordes of Geonosians to get to their mission objective.  Boss, Fixer, Sev and Scorch each have their own intriguing personalities and I think watching an action/military movie with them fighting battles, rescuing Wookies and destroying Separatists warships would be amazing.

4.  Unknown Soldier: The Rise of General Grievous

Based on the short story that appeared in Star Wars Insider (and its online supplement "Lord of War"), this movie could trace the origins of the droid general that led the largest army of battle droids that has ever existed.  It could begin when Grievous was still Qymaen jai Sheelal, an ambitious warrior growing up on Kalee.  When the war with the neighboring Huks breaks out, Grievous hones his skills and amasses huge kill totals against the enemy invaders.  He quickly attains the status of "demigod" alongside his sister/lover demigod Ronderu lij Kummar.  The movie could follow the conflict, eventually leading to the shuttle "accident" that stole Grievous' body away from him.  It could end with his reconstruction and his reluctant acceptance of his new command.  This movie would explain how Grievous ended up as a cyborg, why he had Magnaguards modeled after the Kaleesh Elite and how he perfected his sword fighting while using Lig swords to hunt.

5.  Republic (The Darkness of Quinlan Vos)

Quinlan Vos is absolutely my favorite EU character of all time.  The Republic comic series follows him throughout the Clone Wars as he infiltrates the ranks of Separatists leaders and tries to win the favor of Count Dooku.  This movie would deal with his memory loss, his love for Khaleen Hentz, his master (Tholme) and his apprentice (the lovely Aayla Secura) and his eventual battle with the darkness that, if you ask me, was a lot more believable than Anakin's descent.  Quinlan's obsession with finding the second Sith was a much more admirable and understandable motivation than "OMG I LOVE YOU AND CAN'T LOSE YOU".

6.  Joe Johnston's Boba Fett

Joe Johnston was one of two people (alongside Ralph McQuarrie) who created Boba Fett.  Back in July of 2011, Johnston was trying to get Lucas to let him make a Boba Fett movie and Lucas turned him down.  Disney might not feel the same way considering Johnston's success as a director has been evident with films like Captain America: The First Avenger.  Johnston's Boba Fett movie could fill in the gap in Fett's story between knowing him as a child in Attack of the Clones and The Clone Wars show until we first meet him in the original trilogy.  Comics like Blood Ties and the now mostly non-canon short story "The Last One Standing" (from Tales of the Bounty Hunters) provide plenty of opportunities for storylines and conflict.  We could find out how Boba Fett survived on his own in such a harsh galaxy and why he develops an obsession with Han Solo.  Depending on how big of a timeline you want to see, you could show Boba Fett confronting the impostor Jodo Kast or escaping the Sarlaac.  Towards the end, we could see the scene from Return of the Jedi where Boba Fett falls into the Sarlaac.  We then see him stuck to the walls of the Sarlacc where he endures an arduous escape after being partially digested.  The movie could end on him climbing out of the Sarlaac with a smile on his face.

7.  The Force Unleashed Trilogy

Yeah, yeah.  I know it already exists unto itself and fan reaction wasn't all that great, especially for the second game, but when you actually understand what's going on, it's quite a good story.  All of the characters in the game were modeled on actors anyway, so you wouldn't be bothered with casting.  Sam Witwer (Starkiller) would be more than happy to take on the role in a live-action setting.  You could dial down his force powers a little bit so that he is still very powerful but not omnipotent.  This trilogy would appeal to fans (or people who think Sam Witwer is sexy because, honestly, who doesn't?) who were interested in the games but lacked the desire to actually play a video game.  The entire gaming experience is very cinematic and would translate well into film.  You'd have to clarify some things for the audience's sake (The Dark Apprentice from the sequel comes to mind) but otherwise it would be an amazing set of movies revealing Vader's secret apprentice and the birth of the Rebellion.

8.  The Old Republic
I can speak the least to this idea because I have not played the game.  But based on what I know about the game and the cinematic trailers, I'd love to see Darth Malgus, Shae Vizla and the Sacking of Coruscant on the big screen.  Audiences have never seen a large scale war between the Jedi and the Sith, which is what would make this story unique.

 

9.  Knights of the Old Republic

Immensely popular games with some of the coolest Sith ever created (Darth Nihilus, Darth Sion, etc.) - how could you ignore this when it comes to a movie?  Darth Revan's Bourne Identity-ish nightmare would make for a confused protagonist, which could keep viewers on their toes.

10.  Darth Bane: The Rule of Two

We all know from the prequels that "Always two there are, no more, no less" and it's this knowledge that keeps the Jedi guessing during the Clone Wars.  A Darth Bane movie would step backwards in galactic time and explain the origins of one of the most powerful Sith Lords of all time.  A Sith Lord who was able to restructure the Sith Order so that it would survive millennia in hiding.  Some of the major set pieces would be the battle against the Jedi Army of Light and the destruction of the Brotherhood of Darkness in the Valley of the Dark Lords.  You could include Bane's apprentice, Zannah, and their eventual confrontation.  And of course, you'd have to include Bane raiding Sith tombs for Holocrons only to become covered in parasitic Orbalisks that were constantly killing him.

11.  Shadows of the Empire

It was the movie without a movie.  It'd be a lot harder to do now considering the age of the cast and the fact that it is supposed to take place between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.  But Shadows of the Empire contributed very interesting things to the galaxy.  From the Falleen species and their use of pheromones to the introduction of Dash Rendar, SOTE fills in the gap between the two movies.  It has Luke returning to Tatooine to sharpen his skills in the Force at Obi-Wan's old hut, Leia trying to mount her first rescue mission for Han (still entombed in carbonite) and Wedge's Rogue Squadron.  It even has a Human Replicant (ala Blade Runner) in Guri.  The more I think about, this one would have to be a CG movie.

12.  The Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise

We could see the rise of Darth Plagueis and his tutelage underneath Darth Tenebrous.  Plagueis' obsession with the science of midichlorians and the prophecy of the Chosen One would become the focal point.  We would discover the origins of Palpatine and his training underneath Plagueis.  It would end up with Plagueis being murdered in his sleep (as told in the tragedy) and with Palpatine's first election to public office.

13.  The Skywalker Legacy (Cade Skywalker vs. Darth Krayt)

This one would be based on the Legacy comic series, which takes place 130+ years after Return of the Jedi.  With no returning characters, there would be no concerns with recasting or recruiting original cast members (save for one, maybe).  Legacy would cover the Skywalker bloodline in the future.  Cade Skywalker is the perfect anti-hero with his drug addiction and brushes with the dark side.  A pirate Jedi versus Darth Krayt, one of the oldest and most imposing Sith Lords that has ever existed?  Sign me up.

14.  Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina

Ever since that first moment when fans saw the Cantina scene, we have been curious about the slew of creatures and aliens that pervade the scene. Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina would be a movie comprised of vignettes.  It would dance its way through the cantina, telling the stories behind every face you encounter.  Some of my favorite stories from the book are Momaw Nadon (Hammerhead) and his transformation from pacifist botanist to vengeful Ithorian; the story of Dannik Jerriko as it dives into the "myth" of the Anzati (snot vampires) and just how lethal they can be; and the love story of the Wolfman and the Lamproid, an unlikely pairing that stretches across the galaxy and plays a part in the Alliance and their Rebellion.

15.  Death Troopers

Zombies.  I know I can't get enough of them and it seems like their popularity is only increasing.  With shows like The Walking Dead gaining steam, now would be a great time to adapt a novel like Death Troopers into a movie.  Even The Clone Wars brought in Zombie Geonosians, which was a scary concept for adults, let alone the primary audience of that show.  For Death Troopers, Disney would have to accept the R rating and in turn adult fans would go see such a movie in droves.  It's such a dark concept that I think adults would love the departure from anything even remotely kid friendly (think about how popular Revenge of the Sith was compared to The Phantom Menace).  I don't know how you'd handle the casting of familiar faces but since they aren't the main protagonists of the story, I'm not sure it would even matter.  The setting of an abandoned Prison Barge floating through space filled with an army of insatiable Storm Troopers has the potential to be an intensely creepy and satisfying romp in the space-horror genre.

Resident Evil: Retribution

So we went and saw Resident Evil: Retribution this past weekend.  As a longtime fan of the movies and the games, we were incredibly excited.  Zombie movies are probably our favorite kind of movie.  And then there was Retribution...

The first Resident Evil movie was good.  The introduction of the new character of Alice really helped the movie.  The zombies were great, the environment (The Hive) was great.  It felt new.  The second Resident Evil movie (Apocalypse) was a misstep.  We see S.T.A.R.S. in action and we get introduced to sexy cop Jill Valentine.  Aside from that, it was a completely forgettable movie with an epic boss battle with Nemesis that completely misses the mark.  Resident Evil: Extinction was amazing.  The post-apocalyptic setting (especially the destroyed Vegas) was fantastic.  Alice was struggling with her new powers and she was armed with dual kukris, which made her a legitimate bad ass.  The zombies were still the main enemies and proved to be excellent fodder for our team of traveling survivors.  Resident Evil: Afterlife stepped it up a notch with the 3D effects.  It was a little more over the top but still made for quite an entertaining movie.  Less emphasis seemed to be placed on the zombies in lieu of the giant axe wielding man (the Executioner lifted from the video game Resident Evil 5).

And that brings us to Resident Evil: Retribution.  We finally get to find out what happened on the freighter at the end of the last movie!  We finally get to see Leon Kennedy and Barry Burton in the movies!  Unfortunately, what followed was the worst movie I've seen all year.  There are SPOILERS ahead but, honestly, I would not recommend that anybody go see this travesty.

Where to start... the plot is beyond convoluted.  The narrative is spotty at best and makes no sense for the first half of the movie.  They eventually offer explanations that at such a late stage feel like a consolation prize.  The dialogue... my god, the dialogue.  I don't know what happened to Paul W. S. Anderson between movies considering he has written all of the movies but he dropped the ball on this one.  After watching Alice and Ada Wong walk through what is very clearly a holographic wall, he feels it necessary to give Ada Wong a line explaining that it is a holographic wall.  As if the audience would not have been able to understand that.  Most of the dialogue comes off as stilted, over-explanatory drudge that is blatantly intended as exposition.

It feels like this film was intended on being one giant appeasement for video game fanboys (and it even fails at that).  Oh, the fans of the game want to see Ada Wong, Barry Burton and Leon Kennedy?  Let's shoehorn them into our story!  Fanboys loved past characters from the franchise?  Let's pull in a handful of people from the previous films!  But wait, didn't most of these people die in those movies?  Doesn't matter!  Let's just use clones, those are always convenient plot devices.

Leon's movie debut is terrible.  He's too rugged and manly - in the games, Leon is much more of a pretty boy who can kick ass  The guy who plays Leon would have made a great Chris Redfield instead of the actor they chose for Afterlife, who had no charisma whatsoever.  Ada Wong's introduction in the movie is lifted straight from a scene in Resident Evil 4 where she sneaks up on Leon and he ends up with a knife to her throat.  It was a great little reference and the casting and costuming of Ada Wong was pitch perfect.  Sadly, her wooden acting and neutered dialogue killed what could have been as intriguing a character as she was in the games.  Barry Burton, who is played by Kevin Durand, is one of the few characters to be pulled off successfully.  He's a little bit cheesy but it captures the essence of Barry pretty damn well.

They even brought in the "Las Plagas" parasite from Resident Evil 4.  I was excited about this.  Resident Evil 4 is still one of the creepiest games ever and the seemingly unstoppable Las Plagas were great enemies, even if they weren't quite zombies.  Instead, what we get in Retribution are Russian Zombies.  I don't know how they are "Las Plagas Undead", as the movie informs us, considering they just look like Russian versions of the zombies from the classic movie, Dead Snow.  There is nothing Plagas about them.  Their heads don't pop off to reveal terrifying parasites.  Nope, they are just regular looking zombies dressed in Russian military outfits and armed with weapons.  We even get a random zombie with a chainsaw (just like in the game, OMG!), despite the fact that a Russian soldier wielding a chainsaw in Red Square doesn't even remotely make sense.  They even bring the Las Plagas parasite back into the movie at the climax, where one of the characters gets the parasite injected into her.  Does she show signs of parasitic infection?  No.  Does she look different at all?  No.  Apparently all it does is give her the ability to heal and makes her strong enough to crack sternums with a single punch.

The movie feels completely disingenuous.  It too often breaks from the flow to go into some CGI screen from the Red Queen's perspective.  The same Red Queen who has somehow now booted series villain Albert Wesker from his spot at the head of Umbrella and is now trying to bring about the downfall of the world.  It feels like a video game with all of these scenes and yet it lacks the spark of ANY of the video games.  There's even a scene towards the end where two people are beating the shit out of each other.  It comes off as very visceral and brutal, which was perfect.  And then, right in the middle of the scene as one character is about to break the other's arm, we cut to a CGI x-ray looking screen showing the bone breaking in the arm.  Because people wouldn't have figured it out if you had just put in the bone crunching sound?  Or if you had shown the bone poking through the skin?  Or just about any other way of showing such a thing rather than breaking from the intense action to show a completely out-of-place video game-esque screen really ensuring that we know this guy's arm is broken.

It goes on and on.  Did we need a five minute scene of Alice fighting and killing the same set of zombies over and over again?  No, probably not.  Did we need yet ANOTHER scene of the god damn laser corridor coming to chop somebody into pieces?  Fucking hell no.  Considering this is now the third movie (out of five) to show the laser hallway, I'm over it.  Was it fresh and impressive the first time?  Absolutely.  But again and again and again?  Not so much.  Same goes for the ridiculous elements that were intended to be 3D.  In Afterlife, they showed the edge of the axeman's axe swinging at you.  In this movie, the exact same thing.

So how do you make the movie seem fresh?  How about inventing some magical plot about Umbrella creating environments based on Suburbia, Moscow, New York and Tokyo?  That'll make for some great scenery!  Even if you buy into it, the logic that they created doesn't follow through.  Movies in general require a suspension of disbelief, but this one just never earns it.  One example is at the very end, where they are trapped at the bottom of an elevator shaft because the Red Queen cut the power.  And then the explosives go off and everything starts flooding, but aren't they going to drown!?  No wait, the elevator suddenly works in the nick of time with absolutely zero explanation.  Thank goodness!

The same lack of logic pervades Retribution.  The Red Queen wants Alice and Ada dead REALLY BADLY because Alice is a threat.  So when they get to the New York simulation, what does the Red Queen do?  She releases two Executioners and that's it.  She can run full scale zombie epidemic simulations, infecting all of the clone test subjects with the zombie virus and she releases TWO Bio-Organic Weapons.  Again, that's it.  She needs to destroy Alice and all she does is send Jill Valentine (who is being controlled by a device on her chest that literally gets gently brushed off by the end and that curiously causes her hair to turn blonde) and a group of Umbrella soldiers (whose thick body armor inexplicably gets pierced by every single bullet) and two big, lumbering axemen.  No zombie hordes.  Nothing else.

Alice, the bad ass woman who has been decimating zombies for five movies now, has been through hell and back.  She gets shot in this movie and bleeds out for most of the movie (which is completely irrelevant to anything else) and it barely slows her down.  Hell, she even survives having her sternum completely cracked and having her heart stop for a couple of seconds.  And yet, she discovers the clone daughter of clone Suburbia Alice and suddenly she's Suzy Homewife.  No longer liberated, she spends the rest of the movie trying to protect the daughter that isn't really hers.  It's an absurdity that feels like a cheap plot point to make Alice seem vulnerable, even though she already is more vulnerable without her powers.

Another point of lazy screenwriting - it would have been horribly inconvenient for Alice to have her powers in this movie (because everything would have been way too easy) so we had Wesker conveniently remove her powers at the end of Afterlife only to have him restore them at the end of this one.  It's just so damn predictable.

The score was a ridiculous blend of dub step and noise.  There was no tension whatsoever.

Which also comes down to one thing... where the hell were the zombies?  The Las Plagas Undead in Moscow were a joke and behaved more like ugly humans than zombies.  The Bio-Organic Weapons (the axemen) were scary looking but nothing like typical zombies.  The Tokyo zombies suffered from the fact that they apparently could take infinite amounts of damage and keep getting up, which made Alice's extended battle with them seem incredibly pointless.  That leaves us with the Suburbia zombies, which happened to be the best part of the entire movie.

After Alice is knocked unconscious and we are taken to a completely unrelated narrative, we see Alice and Carlos living happily in Suburbia with an unnecessarily deaf daughter (seriously, what did this character trait contribute to the movie at all?).  They go about their normal morning routine and then shit hits the fan.  It is very reminiscent of Dawn of the Dead and carries a great amount of tension and dramatic weight.  Unfortunately, this sequence lasts only a few minutes and is completely waved away by the fact that they are all clones.

Like Afterlife before it, Retribution's ending is one giant cliff-hanger, serving as an instant segue into the next film.  Regrettably, this is one conclusion that I am no longer looking forward to.

Hey, at least Resident Evil 6 comes out in 14 days.


TL;DR: Resident Evil: Retribution sucked.