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Roger has done it again
Why the big guy should play ‘Bioshock’
By Marty Sliva
Once again, the man who has made a name for himself as one of the premiere film critics takes a blind stab at a medium that he simply does not understand.
It’s easy for the uninformed to pass judgment. A sheltered life of ignorance always seems to provide the inexperienced with enough bias to form an unintelligent opinion.
Would it be fair for one to call film a simplistic medium without having seen “Citizen Kane,” “The Godfather” or “Gone With the Wind?”
Absolutely not.
Then why does Roger Ebert, a man who can fully appreciate the art of cinema, constantly use his podium to deny the artistic merit of video games when he is a member of a generation that simply chooses to ignore the best examples?
Ebert’s latest outlandish quote came in his review for the film adaptation of the videogame, “Hitman.” Ebert writes, “’Hitman’ stands right on the threshold between videogames and art. On the wrong side of the threshold, but still, give it credit."
Despite enjoying the film, he has made the claim that videogames and art are two completely different things. Once again, the man who has made a name for himself as one of the premiere film critics takes a blind stab at a medium that he simply does not understand.
Ebert’s recent asinine comment came during the same time I had immersed myself in what will most likely be the finest game of the year, “Bioshock.”
“Bioshock” is a perfect example of a videogame that is unquestionably a work of art. Visually, it is an absolute stunner in its depiction of Rapture, a 1950s underwater utopia run amok. The soundtrack and voice acting are nothing short of breathtaking, with Hollywood-caliber talent on both ends.
The game creates the immersive tension of a Hitchcock film and tells the story with the pacing and execution of Spielberg at his finest. It also contains countless cultural and literature allusions, from Ayn Rand novels to swing jazz.
In fact, the game gave me an infinitely more enjoyable experience than nearly every single blockbuster I sat through this summer. Not only that, but upon completion of the game, I immediately wanted to restart it and go through it again.
That’s more than I can say for movies like “Spiderman 3,” which left me feeling bombed out and depleted.
I know that I’m starting to sound like a broken record, but it makes me cringe to hear a writer with the voice and intelligence of Roger Ebert constantly undercut an entire form of art that he is either too lazy or too ingrained in the past to appreciate.
Thanks, Roger. Once again, you’ve given me something to be passionate about.
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