It's Been Stuck In Development Hell For Years, Here's Why Shadow Of The Colossus Is My Top Pick For A Video Game Movie

I love video game movies (Yes, even some of the bad ones). And, if you were to ask me one video game I would love to see adapted to the big screen, it would be Shadow of the Colossus.

Debuting on the PlayStation 2 back in 2005, I have been fascinated with this game for 20 years now. The story of a traveler named Wander who wants to bring a woman named Mono back from the dead, Shadow of the Colossus is one of those games that people always point to as an example that video games can be art.

Now, unbeknownst to many, there actually IS a Shadow of the Colossus film that has been in development since 2009, but it hasn’t been going well. That said, even though I’ve expressed that I hope Astro Bot is PlayStation Productions’ next adaptation, here’s why SotC would be my dream movie.

Shadow Of The Colossus Could Be Told Without Any Recognizeable Dialogue Whatsoever, Which Would Be Super Unique

You know what a lot of people complain about these days? Quippy dialogue. Many refer to this as a symptom of the “Marvelization of movies,” but really, it’s any dialogue that has a sort of silly edge to it.

And, look, I get it. Not every movie needs jokes, but here’s the thing: Not every movie needs dialogue, either. Now, I know what you’re saying. How can you have a movie without dialogue, and all I have to say is, don’t you remember the first 20 minutes of Wall-E? Well, if you don’t, in the beginning, Wall-E is mostly by himself. There are sound effects, but the silence of the world speaks volumes, as Earth has been abandoned by people. To this day, Wall-E is still considered one of Pixar’s best movies, and for good reason, as it uses dialogue sparingly to tell its engrossing story.

Well, Shadow of the Colossus is similar. Oftentimes, the only thing you’ll hear is Wander calling out for his horse, Agro. There are other characters, but they speak in a made-up language with subtitles. And, I would love this for a SotC movie. Because honestly, the story can be told without any recognizable dialogue, which would be a bold approach.

There are a lot of upcoming video game movies, but how many can be told through visuals alone? None that I can think of. SotC could be that movie.

Colossi On The Big Screen Would Be Jaw-Dropping

The trailer to Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is jaw-dropping, and that’s without seeing clear images of the story’s staples like the Cyclops, or Scylla and Charybdis. I honestly cannot wait to see Nolan’s approach to the subject matter, as The Odyssey is truly one of the most epic stories ever told.

Do you want to know another story that I consider one of the most epic tales ever told? Shadow of the Colossus, and honestly, seeing those colossi on the big screen would give me serious goosebumps. Because here’s the thing: Yes, Team Ico, which is now genDESIGN, did a great job of making these colossi seem massive back in 2005, but honestly, they didn’t feel as seismic as they probably could have if they had better technology back then. Sure, we’ve seen updated remakes that clean up the PlayStation 2’s limited visuals, but besides that, the remakes look pretty much the same, so the colossi appear big, but not as massive as they could look…in my opinion, anyway.

However, I think the colossi could be IMMENSE on a big screen, and a movie could really lean into their size. For example, the biggest colossus, Phalanx, would be so jaw-droppingly huge on a big screen as it soars through the air with its bags of sand on its underbelly. Or, what about Dirge? Oh, God. Could you imagine how terrifying Dirge would look on a big screen with those giant eyes of his poking out of the sand?

Honestly, this could be the most epic movie of all time, and I would be there for it! Get this on the biggest screen ever, Sony, ASAP!

A Movie Could Expand The Lore, And The Land

Here’s the thing about Shadow of the Colossus - some of what makes it so great is the mystery behind the lore and the Forbidden Lands, which is where the story takes place. It's all really fascinating, and mostly because we know so little about it. Then, you have the shaman, Lord Emon, as well as the people who are after Wander, as he’s apparently done something terrible by destroying these colossi.

Also, what happened to Mono? Is she related to Princess Yorda from the game, Ico? In fact, is Shadow of the Colossus a prequel to Ico? A lot of people believe that it is. Well, I think a movie could clear all of this up, which would be great since there’s so much to both the lore and the land that I would eat right up.

I feel this way about the upcoming Elden Ring movie as well. There’s just so much story in Elden Ring, but a lot of it is optional. I feel like a movie could really add great value to that story, and I feel the same way about Shadow of the Colossus. Yes, I do love how sparse the storytelling is in SotC. That said, I would still love to learn more about the history of The Forbidden Lands.

This movie could be that opportunity, but there’s something else I REALLY want to see if this movie were to ever get made.

This Would Be The Best Chance To Finally See The Unused Colossi!

Any devotee to SotC will tell you that they’ve dreamt of what it would be like to fight some of the unused colossi that never made it into the game. Now, for those who don’t know, there are 16 colossi that made their way into the final product, but there are also about 10 unused colossi that are the stuff of nightmares, and we fans would love to finally see them in all of their glory.

The most well-known unused colossi are often referred to as Devil, Spider, Worm, Phoenix, Evis, Yamori A, Sirius, Saru, Roc, and Griffin. Now, I’m sure every SotC fan has their personal favorite unused colossi that they would love to have seen in the game, but for me, the three that have always seemed the most alluring were Devil, Spider, and Worm. Devil is a smallish colossus, and it would have hunted you in tall grass, which is unlike any other battle in the game.

Spider is a massive, Lovecraftian-sized creature with six legs and tentacles that come out of its mouth, and worm is a horrific sandworm with no face, and just a giant mouth. Fans have wanted to fight these beasts for years, and perhaps a movie is the only way that we’ll ever get to see them in action.

Could SotC be a candidate for the best video game movie ever if it were ever released? Would it be too obscure to ever become successful if adapted? I’d love to hear your thoughts!