3. Quentin Tarantino
Why's it a good idea? We know that Tarantino is far too busy making up his own
original ideas (show-off), but don't you see the twisted potential in a far-out decision like this? He's an uber-nerd, for one, so words like "Otacon" and, um, "DARPA Chief" won't phase him
too much. We've got to remember that Tarantino is a revenge film afinado, and with its structure pretty much based around moving to an area and facing off against an awesomely-cool boss,
Metal Gear Solid would be right up Tarantino's street. Just think: badass dialogue exchanges followed by badass fight sequences, all choreographed in that homage-clad Tarantino style (point in case:
Kill Bill). Tarantino also doubles as a human knowledge fountain when it comes to Japanese cinema, and so all those weird things that western people obviously don't get (like, uh,
dekotora), Tarantino will be apt to make them accessible for audiences who can only appreciate other cultures with humorous wink-wink jokes. It's especially important, too, that any filmmaker who undertakes this project understands that the
Metal Gear world is pretty weird. It embraces a kind of science-fiction/people have magical powers idea (this may be what Japan is actually like for all we know) and avoids an explanation. Tarantino made up his own world rules when he put Uma Thurman on a commercial aircraft with a sword in
Kill Bill and had Hitler machine-gunned to death in
Inglorious Basterds like that's how history went or something. Which means that a floating psychopath and the worst's worst botched arm transplant are a perfect match for the motormouth director's quirky sensibilities.
Why's it a bad idea?Tarantino can be somewhat indulgent when it comes to that thing we movie experts call "dialogue"- the last thing we need is a forty-minute Codec conversation with Col. Campbell telling Snake about his weekend in Amsterdam. Then there's the inevitable Ennio Morricone-scored Sniper Wolf battle, the downright insane casting of Uma Thurman as Mei Ling, and the obscure references to games we've never played, like
Cheetahmen II. Tarantino might also steer clear from those deeper issues that
Metal Gear Solid clings to, which could piss off any philosophising fanboys who love that stuff more than they love ninja sword fighting. And although he's obviously a skilled action director, explosive sequences involving large robots smashing things might prove a little too mindless for Tarantino's taste. Hey, somebody call Michael Bay! No, that's a joke. Please don't.