AI Summary
The video discusses the recent recasting of a character in Amazon's upcoming God of War TV series, arguing that the show was doomed from the start due to fundamental incompatibilities between the game's narrative structure and the TV format. The creator expresses skepticism about the adaptation's approach, which begins with God of War 2018 and skips the Greek saga, and compares it unfavorably to successful adaptations like Fallout.
Chapters
The creator believes the recast is the final nail in the coffin for the God of War TV show, which they really want to succeed.
The creator questions why the adaptation starts with God of War 2018, skipping the Greek saga's action, which they consider a major narrative loss.
The cast list included characters like Thor, who doesn't appear until Ragnarok, raising concerns about the adaptation's pacing and fidelity.
Ryan Hurst's casting as Kratos was seen as a positive, with hopes his passion would keep the show on track, similar to Henry Cavill's role in The Witcher.
The creator argues that God of War doesn't fit a TV show format because it's centered on one man's linear story, unlike Fallout's self-contained episodes.
Telling Greek stories through flashbacks could lead to a choppy narrative, reminiscent of The Last of Us season 2's problems.
The creator loves the games, even having a frost axe decoration, and hopes the show succeeds but fears it won't reach the level of Fallout.
The creator remains hopeful but pessimistic about the God of War TV show, believing it faces structural challenges that may prevent it from achieving the success of other adaptations like Fallout.
Mentioned in this Video
Study Flashcards (5)
Why does the creator think the God of War TV show is doomed?
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Why does the creator think the God of War TV show is doomed?
Because the game's linear narrative centered on Kratos doesn't fit the TV format, and skipping the Greek saga loses key action.
00:56
What was the creator's initial reaction to the adaptation announcement?
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What was the creator's initial reaction to the adaptation announcement?
They were skeptical, especially about starting from God of War 2018 and skipping the Greek saga.
00:02
Which actor was cast as Kratos and seen as a silver lining?
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Which actor was cast as Kratos and seen as a silver lining?
Ryan Hurst, whose passion for the franchise was hoped to keep the show on track.
00:29
What comparison does the creator make to The Last of Us season 2?
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What comparison does the creator make to The Last of Us season 2?
They say flashbacks to Greek stories could lead to a choppy narrative, similar to The Last of Us season 2's problems.
01:23
What does the creator hope the show achieves?
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What does the creator hope the show achieves?
They hope it reaches the level of success of the Fallout TV show, not like the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender.
01:47
💡 Key Takeaways
Format mismatch argument
Provides a clear, reasoned argument for why the adaptation may fail, based on narrative structure.
00:56Flashback narrative risk
Highlights a common pitfall in adaptations and compares it to a recent example.
01:23Success benchmark
Sets a clear expectation for what the creator considers a successful adaptation.
01:47Full Transcript
[00:02] action show. I think this recast is the final nail in the coffin for a show that I really really want to work. When Amazon announced this adaptation four years ago, I was a little skeptical. They want to start from God of War 2018,
[00:15] the franchise. You can start the story from God of War 2018, but if you're adapting a God of War TV show, are you telling me that you want to skip over all of the action in the Greek saga? I was even more worried when the cast list
[00:29] for characters like Thor, who doesn't even appear until the God of War Ragnarok game. The one silver lining to this cast list was Ryan Hurst as the live action Kratos. I was hoping that his passion for the franchise would keep
[00:44] the show on track, kind of like how Henry Cavill was passionate for the Witcher show before they booted him off of that. But now with this recast, I'm feeling hopeless. And this has nothing to do with Ryan Hurst. I hope he has a
[00:56] healthy recovery, but it just feels to me like God of War doesn't really fit a TV show format. I think Amazon is trying to ride the hype of the Fallout show, which is an amazing adaptation, but that's because the Fallout canon is so
[01:09] all over the place that you can tell self-contained stories within that is doing and I think it's doing it really well. But God of War is centered about one man, Kratos, who starts the Greek trilogy as this mindless killing
[01:23] machine who becomes like a father in the Norse saga. And if we're going to tell a lot of the Greek stories through flashback, then that kind of just feels like Last of Us season 2, which had its own problems with a choppy narrative. So
[01:35] yeah, I mean, I love these games. I literally have the frost axe up on my air conditioner. Get it cuz it's it's cold. And I'm super excited for the Laufey game. So I hope this show goes well. I just hope that this is a Fallout
[01:47] well. I just hope that this is a Fallout TV show level success and not like the TV show level success and not like the live action Avatar: The Last Airbender.
