Well, CGI animated movies have kind of set the mark of the younger audience, since the first real CGI movie ever made was for kids.
I might have to disagree with you on that one, but first I’d have to make sure we are talking about the same “first real CG movie”. If you meant Toy Story, then I still consider that a movie for everyone, kids included, rather than just a kids movie.
But you do have a point that nearly all fully-CG movies are for kids as well - there are very few examples of not-for-kids CG movies.
I suppose it’s more of a niche market than anything, but CGI actually has been used for quite a few adult-oriented movies. (Not of that sort, though I have no doubt there are those, too.) A new one, 9, looks especially good. It’s just that those movies aren’t as popular in the media as things like Shrek and Pixar films. Granted, Pixar’s work is phenomenal and they deserve the praise, but it does hurt the more “serious” side of CGI animation.
Exactly what I mean about people thinking an animated movie shouldn’t be serious. I think there is a large misconception about CGI movies in the mainstream because Disney’s Pixar, Dreamworks, and Blue Sky (and anyothers I have failed to mention) command so much of the market share that they have generated these misconceptions about CGI animated movies since theirs are all lighthearted. I think the only one that really came close to being a movie more geared to a slightly older populus was the Incredibles, but even if you compared it with a dark story like Half-Life it is a big leap. One people may not be ready for. So if Valve did do an animated Half-Life, it might only be attractive to gamers.
The only “serious” CGI movie I know of is ‘Final Fantasy: The spirits within’. I really liked that one. It’s been quite some time since, though, and I have not come across another CGI movie without a humorous attitude so far.
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is pretty serious.
Not to mention the non-FF movies that have been released. Beowulf was entirely CGI, though basically a Rotoscoping technique. Not to mention the non-CGI animations that were quite adult in nature. Heavy Metal comes to mind immediately here, as well as the second Riddick movie, Aeon Flux, ect. (Granted, all sci-fi niche movies, but you get my point.)
Still, why are we discussing this still? I suppose there’s not too much left to cover for the HL movie at the moment, but we’ve really gotten off track here. XP
^this.
and resident evil: degeneration is pretty serious.
Ah, yes, that was a very well-done movie. Though the dubbing was -far- too exact, to the point that it was awkward at times, RE 
is a perfect example of a serious CGI movie done right. And the funny thing is, the movie wouldn’t have been much different had it been live action, thus supporting the point that HL would work best done live action.
Dark Fury was great, i’m a fan of the Riddick series. 
and Resident evil degeneration is cool, but half life in CGI… yeeheeah i think it would be nicey
Not to mention Dark Fury and Aeon Flux were made by the same guy.
You know what?
I’d actually like to se Peter Chung’s interpritation of Half Life.
I have in my mind this very clear vision of a scene for a Half Life movie in my head, but don’t know how it would fit into a Half Life movie:
A scientist has been headcrabbed. He hasn’t become a headcrab zombie yet, but he is dead. He’s on an operating table with a couple other scientists around him. They are about to remove the headcrab when they see something move under his shirt.
They cut the shirt off and see a vertical slit running from his neck down to below the pants-line. The skin on both sides of the slit are pulsing slowly, almost like breathing. A female scientist says, “What is that?” They touch the skin near the slit and suddenly, the slit opens wide with a sickening squishing sound, the ribs looking like teeth.
The headcrabbed scientist suddenly jerks and sits up, and shouts, “YAAAABBBLLE MYYY EEEYYEEEBEEE!” and goes to get off the operating table when–
There’s a shotgun sound and the headcrab goes flying off and the scientist falls over. Gordon Freeman stands in the doorway.
And says,“Somebody call a doctor?”
All I can think of is a hung over (almost Shaun of the dead(without the Sam Rami zooms)) sequence of Gordan getting out of bed and going to work. It would re-enforce the idea that this day was going to be perfectly normal. Almost Nerve wracking how boring it is. All I can think of is having barney near him through most of the movie so someone can do the talking. Also there would be a couple of scenes where Gordon is about to talk, but something interrupts him (an explosion or a Gman sighting)
Sarting Gordon’s story would have to be in the tram, if you wanted to establish how NORMAL the day seems. But that’s just me.
What would be wrong with starting a movie the same way the game starts? It’s not like we need to see him get out of bed and take his morning piss to establish his normalcy?
More importantly, why would anybody want half-life to be made into a movie to begin with? Most of the fun is playing it, why take that away?The same goes for adaptations of other things into movies.
On the subject of "not-for-kids CGI’s, Resident Evil: Degenaration was an adult oriented CGI. It was suprisingly true to the Resident evil story.
EDIT: Didn’t finish reading the rest of the page before posting. i fidured i was the only one that’d bring up RE: D.
Agree Hollywood would butcher the Half Life concept. A European setting in the vein of the Children of Men movie could work well with minimal American actors.
David Bowie definitely should play the G-man
Some things don’t adapt well to the silver screen. Gordon would be alone on a tram with enough seating for at least 10-15 people (though he is late and everyone is already there and working by the time he arrives). I think it would be neat, if you want to start with the tram, to have him sitting in the tram with other scientists gabbing about mass spectrometry, quantum phase displacement, the theft of doughnuts, while Gordon sits in the corner by himself reading the newspaper (Black Mesa Times?).
I, for one, would love to see a Half Life movie. Can’t get enough of that Gordan Freemen! :retard:
Interesting.
For the role of Gordon, I know someone that isn’t a well-known actor but looks so much like the good crowbar-wielding doctor that, if he can act on camera, would be perfect:
None other than the voice of Gordon Freeman: Ross Scott. Here’s two pics:
Get that guy a crowbar, some thick-rimmed glasses, and ask him where the doughnuts are and we’re in business.