[neasy]

I might be out of my mind, but I recently watched Pandorum - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1188729/ and I can't help but feel that the story is largely constructed from the 1213 plot/story. I'm guessing that the Pandorum writers changed/rearranged elements of the story, so as to not make it a complete ripoff, but there are glaring parallels between both stories. I implore anyone who's remotely interested in this claim to watch Pandorum, but I must warn you, this is a bad movie. Pandorum is available for instant streaming on Netflix right now, that's how I watched it. I may spoil the movie and ending in another post to explain my reasoning, that is, if anyone is actually interested. There is also what I believe is an homage(a clue?) to the game as well in the movie. At the very end of the movie, look for a certain 4 digit number as a very prominent plot point. If any knows the 1213 story and is a little masochistic, watch the movie and let me know what you think.

[RayCide]

I thought Pandorum was a great movie. I couldn´t catch the similarities to 1213 though. I mean, amnesia is an important plot element in both the movie and the game, but there are millions of games and movies that are like that. The monsters are similar... but I could name other games/movies that are more similar to Pandorum than 1213 (Penumbra, The Descent, Event Horizon etc).

However it was a long time since I played 1213, I must admit. If 1213 (or some other 4 digit number important to the game) popped up in the movie, I must´ve missed it. Note however that Yahtzee wasn´t the first guy ever to use this number. OTOH I know there was a metal band like 10-15 years ago named Cemetary 1213.

[Ghello]

I don't see the similarities between a movie where a group of women are killed in cave and 1213.

[RayCide]

Ghello, on 17 May 2010 - 07:45 PM, said:

I don't see the similarities between a movie where a group of women are killed in cave and 1213.

Well, I wrote that The Descent was similar to Pandorum. Not so much in story, but in the claustrophobic atmosphere. And the monsters look alike.

[neasy]

**SPOILERS**

I'll make my case now.

In case you haven't read the synopsis/wiki of Pandorum yet, the movie begins when the main characters awaken from hypersleep and have major memory recall issues. So memory loss, somewhat akin to 1213s, is the plot device that helps drive both stories, allowing the plot to build as the characters piece together what has happened by searching the ship.

Payton (Dennis Quaid) guides Bower (Ben Foster) through the ship the entire movie, similar to Westbury guiding 1213 through their ship. Westbury is crazy, Payton turns out to be crazy as well.

Genetic Experiments lead to dangerous mutations in both stories. I know that is vague, but they are experiments aimed at the same result, to create people who can adapt and live in a potentially dangerous, earthlike planet/environment. There is an uprising from the mutants in 1213, and the scientists quarantine themselves to the highest decks of the ship. In Pandorum, the mutants are tribal(ish?), and have basically taken over the ship; not too similar, I know.

There is a plot twist/reveal towards the end of the movie where you find out the space ship has actually crashed on a planet, while the viewer would presume it had been flying through space the entire movie, a move similar to when 1213 finds out he is on a space station, instead of in some facility.

The end of the movie is the complete opposite of the 1213 ending, but the distinction is worth noting. It turns out the ship crashed deep into an ocean. The surviving protagonists initiate a self destruct sequence on the ship, causing themselves and anyone in a hypersleep chamber to be torpedoed to the surface of the ocean. This ocean resides on a habitable, earth like planet; a utopia, the complete opposite of the post-apocalyptic Earth we find 1213 in at the end of his journey.

And now the kicker. Sure I was seeing a few similarities before the end of the movie, but then, right before the credits roll, computer hud graphics are shown over the surfacing escape pods and it overtly shows the number of survivors from the crash. There were 1213 survivors.

So here is a breakdown:
1213 | Pandorum
Memory loss drives the plot | Memory loss drives the plot
Crazy guy guides protagonist | Crazy guy guides protagonist
Genetic experiments to help save mankind backfire | Genetic experiments to help save mankind backfire
Mutants take over most of the ship | Mutants take over most of the ship
Plot twist reveals main character in space instead of facility | Plot twist reveals main characters are underwater instead of in space
Space elevator takes main character to scorched earth | Torpedo takes main characters to ocean surface on a utopian planet.


Sure, I concede that my claim is a bit ridiculous, but I can't help feel that the similarities are just too close. It seems to me that the story elements were just rearranged, they threw in a girl and a lame-ass Fight Club twist, and then made it a happy ending. Thoughts?

This post has been edited by neasy: 18 May 2010 - 10:05 AM

[arien]

Honestly, from reading your last post, you could technically make the same comparison between the two and something like System Shock II. I really think it's just too far-fetched to say one ripped off the other; it's probably just coincidence.

[RayCide]

neasy, on 18 May 2010 - 05:02 PM, said:

Genetic Experiments lead to dangerous mutations in both stories. I know that is vague, but they are experiments aimed at the same result, to create people who can adapt and live in a potentially dangerous, earthlike planet/environment. There is an uprising from the mutants in 1213, and the scientists quarantine themselves to the highest decks of the ship. In Pandorum, the mutants are tribal(ish?), and have basically taken over the ship; not too similar, I know.

Well, maybe I misunderstood something in the movie, but I thought they established that the "monsters" were just products of natural evolution? They were the descendants of those that were banished to the lower levels?

[neasy]

RayCide, on 20 May 2010 - 03:25 PM, said:

Well, maybe I misunderstood something in the movie, but I thought they established that the "monsters" were just products of natural evolution? They were the descendants of those that were banished to the lower levels?

Not exactly. I think the pod people were genetically modified to more easily adapt to their new home planet, but when they were awoken early and had to live on the ship, they instead adapted to living in the ship instead of on the new planet.

[David-kyo]

The makers of the movie may have been indeed bit inspired by the game (unlikely), or this must be the funniest coincidence ever:

Wikipedia said:

Bower escapes with Nadia by ejecting his hypersleep pod from the ship. The hull breach causes the ship's computer to initiate an emergency evacuation, ejecting the remaining 1213 hibernating and unmutated crew members onto the watery surface of Tanis, the new home for humanity.

This post has been edited by David-kyo: 26 May 2010 - 05:14 AM

[m0ds]

I'd go with yes, they did take inspiration from it.

In a world where you can ask any tom dick or harry if they know of Yahtzee/ZP and 1 out of 3 times they say yes, I'm sure there has been some influence here. 1213 crew members is just too random a number NOT to be taken from his game. That's an awesome touch though.

In the same way that one of the Pirates of the Carribean sequels has something in it straight out of another AGS game (though I haven't seen the two sequels since they were in the cinema) and I literally shat my pants at the cinema as to it being too creepy to be a co-incidence... These people, their research teams and so forth - trust me - they do check this kind of material. If something is popular they harness that.

Good find

[AdamM]

Which Pirates film/game are you referring to, m0ds?

Also I hope you weren't sitting next to anyone you knew at the cinema that day.

This post has been edited by AdamM: 26 May 2010 - 09:29 AM

[m0ds]

Ha! Dead Mans Chest and At World's End both had moments that made me feel someone had been scouring adventure game forums. But like I said, I haven't seen either sequel since I saw it in the cinema, and can't remember what it was that made me think that. But when I re-watch I'll try and remember here.

I remember by the end of At World's End I was thinking "Someone's been taking notice of my website, Fountain of Youth." ... and then lo and behold the end shot of that movie....But yeah. It's probably all just co-incidence

The only evidence is this, we released our successful demo in 2006, and At World's End was released in 2007. We also had contact from a movie studio in 2006 which proved to me studio researchers were taking note of the new popularity of the "fountain of youth". It was the publisher behind, "The Fountain".

The only other one, not exactly related, but watching the behind the scenes for War Of The Worlds, there's a bit where Cruise & Spielberg are talking to each other and it sounds like they say my name and then laugh and look at the camera! I'll have to find that, but it totally tripped me out!

This post has been edited by m0ds: 26 May 2010 - 10:46 AM

[RayCide]

I don´t want to ruin your fun m0ds, but the "fountain of youth" thingie has to do with the novel called "On strange tides" which was written in 1988 (it´s about pirates searching for the Fountain of Youth). Coincidentally... no wait, it ain´t a coincidence, but actually the novel is being adapted as Pirates of the Caribbean part four. Coincidentally (or maybe not) the novel also heavily inspired Secret of Monkey Island and its sequels.

[m0ds]

Sure, I don't doubt it was the novel...but my point is you never know who is watching.

The guy that directed Cloverfield mentioned a video I made in an interview. It just goes to show you never can be too sure!

This post has been edited by m0ds: 26 May 2010 - 05:41 PM

[Blueskirt]

The movie is easily the best scifi movie I watched in recent years excluding the latest Star Trek. And I also agree with neasy. I was reminded of 1213 the whole time I watched the movie, and I was dismissing it all off as mere coincidences, but then there's the 1213 survivors thing at the end and that one's just too big to dismiss IMO, 1213 was probably a big source of inspiration for the guys who made it.