[X] My Assistant

[Stahlseele]

Desthmachine? *snickers*
yeah, it's pretty bad, i'll admit that ^^
But it still very much is shadowrun, aside from the missing magic of course.

[Psikerlord]

The Cowboy Beebop movie/series isn't too bad as an example of a runner team, it's got cyber, but no magic. Also I really like Firefly, again as an example of a runner team, I guess. They have psychic powers, if not magic per se, and hmm guess they don't have cyber. I'll also throw the Matrix 1 in there - in terms of the moves they pull off as what a "real world" cyberguy might do. Also.... star wars? It's got magic. It's got cyber. It's got guns. And little runner like teams.

[DuckEggBlue Omeg...]

Double Dragon

So bad it's good, kinda. Definately in Pink Mohawk territory, it has just about everything from earlier editions: distopian setting, gangs ruling the streets, evil mega corp, cyber/bioware and magic (no augmented reality, and though the matrix isn't VR, it does seem to be arranged in PLTGs), even if the cyber and magic are rare rather than common.

Not than I can actually recommend watching it, not with a clear conscious anyway.

[CanadianWolverin...]

Now that we add TV series to the list: Did anyone mention Dark Angel?

Doc Byte has the correct answer, just try this some time, watch the two seasons back to back, no commercials. Its like watching a movie series, almost like as if Johnny Mnemonic or Bladerunner became a trilogy.

It has the dystopia, the corps, what remains of Seattle and the surrounding area, corrupt cops, thieves, hackers, drones, gangs, slums, secret groups, cybertech, biotech, social "niceties" towards different people, and yes, even IMHO magic which expresses itself as cults, adepts, some "out of body experiences" (see: Astral) and UGE (helped along in some cases by biotech) that spans eons. The main character certainly led the double/triple life of a shadowrunner and did dirty deeds which would range between Pink Mohawk and Ice Cold depending on the make up of the team she would get stuck with/pick.

The only things I can think it was missing from Shadowrun and who knows, it was probably on purpose so they weren't sued, was dragons and other awakened creatures and the NAN rise to power. Instead there was a Biotech/UGE rise to power, which we didn't get to see because as usual, something good comes along and Fox can't fight its compulsion to cancel it.

[LurkerOutThere]

Ok i take it all back, the 80's were awesome.

[nezumi]

Ok i take it all back, the 80's were awesome.

Hah, I read this while listening to "In Love with the 80s" on Rhapsody*. Yeah, the 80s rock.

*This isn't quite as huge a coincidence as all that. Most of my playlist is from or about the 80s. But I still thought it was pretty funny.

[JanessaVR]

As no one's mentioned it, I'll list Gunhed (1989). The first part of the movie especially, witnessing the team interaction, struck me as pure Shadowrun. I watched it thinking "This is a runner crew, no question about it."

[HunterHerne]

For more recent movies, especially the pink mohawk crowd, although not really distopian future, it does have a corporation (CIA, but still counts in my book) influence, as well as the runner group dynamic, The Expendables.

[CanRay]

Hey, the CIA is basically a Non-Cartel Aztechnology in the making. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

[Traul]

Has anyone seen the Lincoln Lawyer? Nice example of leveraging on the contacts to pass messages in jail, get some muscle, guns, hack the police tracking system,... with a great line when he passes his order to a biker gang:

"Remember: I said hospital, not morgue."

[Infornography]

Cyberpunk: Blade Runner, Strange Days, Brazil

Anime: Akira, Armitage III, Bubblegum Crisis, Serial Experiments Lain

Shadowrun: Johnny Mnemonic, Super Mario Bros

Even though it's not a bad movie I have to disagree with Ronin.
Not cyberpunk-ish and certainly not shadowrun-ish at all.

[LurkerOutThere]

Errrr if you don't think Ronin is Shadowrunish at all we're really not playing the same game:

They have their initial meet in a bar after being sent their by a nebulous fixer.
They are given the job and must suss out each others skills and attitudes, conflict occurs.
Edit: They also negotiate price.
They must get gear, perform recon, and do some hacking.
They perform the job, gunfire and explosions ensue.
There is a betrayal.
There is a visit to a street doc.
There is dealing with contacts and legwork.
There is an end resolution that deals with, but goes beyond basic wealth.

With the exception of the lack of magic and no full VR computer related scenes that's a Shadowrun.

[Archaic]

One movie... would be Split Second (1992). In the grim future of the year 2008, Rutger Hauer works as gung-ho police, hunting a mystical killer...

Honorable mention goes to Alien:Resurrection. Just set it on earth and switch the aliens to insect spirits...

And for my own, upcoming street-level barrens-hellhole campaign, our group watched the documentary The Vice guide to Liberia.
Drugs, check.
Guns, check.
Corruption, check.
A former cannibal warlord, called General Butt-naked who now works as a preacher, check.
...Yes, Butt-naked, that's how he fought. He's also friends with General Rambo and General Bin Laden (not the Osama dude, though...).

[Infornography]

Errrr if you don't think Ronin is Shadowrunish at all we're really not playing the same game.

I blame my group. :P
I have to admit I don't remember it like you described. Maybe I'll watch it again sometime.
But to be honest, Sneakers and Mission Impossible felt more shadowrunny, but even those not that much.

It's probably because Shadowrun is way too cheesy to take seriously. At least that's the case for me.
I'd rather imagine the Turtles live action movie than Ronin when thinking of Shadowrun.

One movie... would be Split Second (1992). In the grim future of the year 2008, Rutger Hauer works as gung-ho police, hunting a mystical killer...

Yeah, forgot that. Great 80s cheese.

And for my own, upcoming street-level barrens-hellhole campaign, our group watched the documentary The Vice guide to Liberia.
Drugs, check.
Guns, check.
Corruption, check.
A former cannibal warlord, called General Butt-naked who now works as a preacher, check.
...Yes, Butt-naked, that's how he fought. He's also friends with General Rambo and General Bin Laden (not the Osama dude, though...).

Oh god!



And I totally forgot Black Rain. Feels a little cyberpunkish too.

[Infornography]

Streets of Fire and The Warriors for old-school feel.

Burst City, too. It's kinda exhausting to watch, though.

Hardware Mark 13 and Gunhed for more late 80s / early 90s cheese.

[Mistakil]

I agree that there are lots of movies that have Shadowrun elements to them. As has been pointed out nothing hits REAL close, certainly nothing with high production values, not that I've seen.

I have been hoping, almost since I discovered and started playing Shadowrun several years ago, that someone would make a movie from one of the novels or write an original screenplay that truly is Shadowrun - and make it edgy and R-rated and have All of the SR elements to it. Skip the big names unless deemed absolutely necessary to draw a wider audience.

If it looked like it was NOT going to suck I would venture out to the theater. If it was in fact good or great (like Matrix, LOTR, V for Vendetta, Blade Runner...) I would go multiple times. I would buy the the DVD/BD unless it was horrible.

That means that I would risk my "sanity" (or at least relaxation) by virtually guarantying my exposure to rude ignorant self-centered morons that talk during movies, text in dark theaters, kick the seats in front of them, etc. Understand that I would prefer to never set foot in another movie theater ever and that I only break down to support the most promising and awesome of movies every 2-3 years or so.

I look forward to researching and watching a number of the flicks mentioned above.

[Krojar]

At least the way I run SR (lots of underworld organizations rather than megacorps, paranoia, and Game of Thrones level backstabs and double crosses) The Usual Suspects is a great movie. A top notch criminal teeth-clenched team is brought together by a mysterious and powerful man (Keyser Soze) through his Johnson (Kobayashi) through a mix of bribery, blackmail, and force. Each have their expertise, quirks, and they have to navigate an increasingly complex maze of twists and turns as they are lied to, betrayed, and set up. I actually hadn't seen this movie until one of my players, who acted like Benicio Del Toro from that movie IC btw, suggested I watch it after playing a few of my games. My game then ratchetedup a notch or two in the paranoia department after that.

[Method]

Its funny to me how these threads always degenerate into the same sprawling list of movies, but they keep popping up every few months.

And for what its worth: Ronin. blah blah blah. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Kingboy]

I would posit that Robocop is a vital SR movie experience for numerous reasons: the clash of urban decay and futuristic chrome in one city, entertainment aimed at the lowest common denominator crafted by corporate interests, a police force that has been privatized but still thinks of themselves as police first and foremost, super-criminals run amok, and an honest to god Cyberzombie.

I personally recommend a strong Max Headroom chaser (at least the original British movie), but that's just me perhaps.

New Syfy series Alphas.

I was prepared to make some snarky comment about the Magicrun bellyaching that occurs on occasion, and that if you want to watch the adventures of a plucky band of Adepts of various Ways and their pet Technomancer you should give this series a look, but I suppose there's no way it wouldn't have been mentioned 4-5 pages into the thread.

But if plucky adventures, yada yadda appeal to you, it's not half bad for a SciFi original series...

[Saint Hallow]

Parts of the movie, The Town. Blade Runner. Beowulf (with Chris Lambert). Ronin. Nemesis. Equilibrium.

[Neurosis]

roninroninroninronin

(I know the guy who wrote it, kind of.)

[Infornography]

Once at a con a gm ripped off ronin.
I was playing a rigger and he left out the car chases.
Worst session ever.

[CanRay]

Once at a con a gm ripped off ronin.
I was playing a rigger and he left out the car chases.
Worst session ever.

Worst GM ever.

The car chase scenes where part of what made that movie!

[Neurosis]

They are pretty legendary. Why would you leave them out?

Still if the session had even anything close to the tone/tension/mood of Ronin, the GM didn't do that badly. (Of course, I kind of doubt it did. That tone is mighty hard to accomplish even at a home setting, let alone at a con table with six to eight strangers to wrangle.)

[Mile High Dwarf]

Has no one mentioned "The Losers" at this point? I know the grit isn't there (it's such a goofy film) but the team dynamic is perfect. Everyone has a basic archetype from the game...

And I'm seconding Strange Days and Ghost in the Shell.

EDIT: Now that I think of it I have a little anecdote that might interest the "Ronin" crowd. My prof. in college wrote that film and was discussing to us a movie he wanted to write called "Privateers". He started off his explanation with, "Okay, so, it's in the future, and megacorps rule the world... and they need to hire criminals, called privateers, to perform corporate espionage...". I had to raise my hand at that point and ask him if he'd heard of Shadowrun. He wrote it down and said he'd check it out (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

This post has been edited by Mile High Dwarf: Aug 29 2011, 07:04 PM