I've witnessed a dozen threads about good (and not so good) movies or TV shows that may be inspirational for the Shadowrun settings, but they typically focus on the cyberpunk hyper-technology, or the grim and gritty urban action. I've yet to witness something focusing on which IMO it's the most original and interesting apsct of the game: powerful high-fantasy magic in a technologically advanced society. Therefore, I've decided to create one.

Which movies and TV shows do you think are good inspirations for the fantasy/magic part of Shadowrun ? Since it's about SR, it needs to be powerful/flashy magic in a modern or sci-fi setting. No pseudo-medieval societies, no subtle magic.

Hellboy (all; live-action and animated)?

The Dresden Files, a show that was Sci-Fi for a while before getting cancelled. The magic in that is very SR and it is a great show. Detective Noir meets magic in a modern setting.

The Technomancers from Babylon 5 and B5: Crusade? Powerful, not entirely subtle, and in a sci-fi setting.

Force Users in Star Wars? Powerful, but subtle for the most part.

Comic Books? While superhero powers are often mechanically similar to many spells, this really isn't the best fit either, as you hardly ever see a single character who can represent the range of what a magic user is capable of, not to mention that comic books come with their own set of genre conventions that don't really apply to Shadowrun magic.

The use of magic in the Buffyverse?

None of these are really what's needed, I think.

Frank Herbert's Dune series had a nice blend of powerful arcane characters and high technology...
House Atreides ftw

Technomages from B5 don't actually do magic; they just use sufficiently advanced technology.
There are many magicians in comic books, the most prominent of them doctors. Dr. Strange, Dr. Fate, all that good stuff.

I'm going to say Supernatural, one of the few series that I'd call better than Buffy. It's low magic rather than high magic and mostly deals with the attempts of mundanes to deal with the depredations of magical beings.
It also has great classic rock.

Carry on my wayward son
There'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry no more


Seriously, Supernatural is the best Shadowrun magic series I'm aware of, even though neither of the principal characters are magicians they know just enough to help them deal with the powerful spirits that they face.

There aren't many movies or tv shows that depict the casual use of magic so common in SR and D&D.

"Big Trouble in Little China" has some pretty slick fantasy elements - especially for adepts and mages.

-Siege

I would say that Sanctuary (for all) very much fits the bill of magic in Shadowrun.

Of course then there is the comic Hellblazer.

Except Dresden was a fraggin' wimp. Honestly, that slot only had a Magic of 2 or 3... maybe. He was getting his ass handed to him from everybody. I would like to think that the hero in a story isn't getting bitch slapped like a unwanted red-headed step child.

And hence even more like SR, because the most common levels of magic in your average mage is only going to be 2 or 3.

Also, Dresden was never supposed to be a badass, he is a thinker, a detective, not some uber mage that everyone seems to think all mages are.

Yes I know he wasn't suppose to be Super-Uber Mage, but damn it he was getting his ass kicked by EVERYBODY! He's the hero in the story, he should be able to open up a little bit of whoop ass every once in a while.

I never saw the show, but I did read a couple of books - Dresden was quite capable of opening the occasional can of magical stomp; he got the snot beaten out of him so often because he was fighting things bigger and nastier than he was.

-Siege

Edit: Mages are called 'glass cannons' for a reason.

You should read the books, Harry is more than capable of delivering ass kickking to bad guys.
Or even get your hand on the audio book versions read by James Marster(Spike from Buffy the vampire slayer), he should have been playing Harry in the tv version he would have been so much mor bad ass

James Marster is seriously badass and he would have made a great Harry.

Here's a couple of older movies that I liked when I saw them a few years ago. While not exactly modern, they depict magic in 1940's Hollywood, as experienced by Detective H. Philipp Lovecraft.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101550/ "Cast a Deadly Spell"
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111730/ "Witch Hunt"
Creepy magic use mostly, pretty flashy and not at all subtle.

Silent Moebius. Hell, half of Japan's anime output would fit the bill.

My favorite has to be Tenjou Tenge, which is the greatest source for what physads and mystic adepts are capable of. Personally I'd reccomend the comics over the show since the show only covered like, two volumes of the manga, but it's a badass series all around.

I will warn that it's written and drawn by a guy who primarily does porn, so expect way more than just random panty shots.

I'm gonna disagree with that... not gangly enough for Dresden, and WWWAAAYYY too short. However his read of the audio books is awesome.

I think KCKitsune just misses thep oint of the Noir genre altogether; Dresden fits into that mold, and the hero needs his ass handed to him from time to time and should always fall into that morally ambiguous "grey area".

Actually though, not having read any of it.. does the Hammilton series have mages, or is it just a bunch of emo vamps?

The cartoon series "Gargoyles" kind of works. It's modern era, but has high tech, cyborgs, combat drones, paracritters, nanotech, ruthless corporate shadow-warfare and magic from a wide variety of traditions. Hell, it even has a cyberzombie. (Coldstone.)

If you want a closer match, there's one episode that takes place in a dystopian future and involves a rogue AI (who owns his own megacorp) attempting to take over the world.

Yeah, I know it's a fraggin Disney cartoon, but screw it--so's The Nightmare Before Christmas, technically.

Hammilton has magic, but it's mostly emo vamps. The magic is a lot more Zombie/Necro stuff. There is some blood magic and what not. I personally love both of her series, but I wouldn't recommend it to everyone since it's pretty much a trashy romance novel (Meredith Gentry a lot more so than Anita Blake). Fast reads, but she repeats herself constantly both throughout the book and subsequent books in the series. The magic parts don't feature quite so much to be able to strongly suggest it for this though. Of course, I'm not 100% up to date on the Anita Blake series, so there may be more to it.

It would have been nice for Dresden to only sometimes have his ass handed to him. The story was having Dresden getting the shit kicked out of him every episode. I mean he's suppose to be the hero. If I want to watch main characters getting shit on every episode, the I would watch NGE*.




*= Shinji Ikari is the Avatar of Suck and Fail. He is also the Avatar of Emo-Bitches.

Reminds me of the book "Deal With The Devil" by Rober DiChiara.

I recommended it to a friend of mine, and after she read it she complained that the whole story revolved around the main character continually getting the crap beat out of him while trying to solve a mystery.

Unfortunately mine were already mentioned but:

Dresden Files (TV is OK but read the books for a better take on Harry)

Supernatural

Gargoyles (really)

I know, it's perfect when you think about it...

Also some old sci-fi schlock like Brimstone (a series about a cop who goes to hell for killing his wife's murderer, then makes a deal with Satan to hunt down 100 escaped demons in exchange for another life on earth--if he doesn't get fragged in the process) or Forever Knight, which delt with a reluctant, centuries-old vampire living as a cop in Toronto Canada, trying to find a cure with the help of the a local coroner who knew his secret.

As a bonus, the sociopathic vampire who turned him runs a midnight radio program in the area under the dj name of "The Night Crawler"

May not be exactly shadowrun's style, but both have a good take on the "detective + city + supernatural" formula. Come to think of it, Gargoyles fit's that too, on account of Maza.

Also, it may not have magic but Total Recall: 2070 was a great series that brilliantly covered the issues of corrupt corps, simsense, high tech crimes, and android/AI rights. Damn I miss Farv and his frankenstien haircut. XD

"Outlaw Star". Flashy Magic, high tech, cybernetics etc.

There are several animes that fit the bill. As Fuchs mentioned, Outlaw Star is a good one. (Heck, it's the normal quote when people start talking about attaching spells to bullets.) Hellsing is another one in the Awakened department. Doesn't have much of the Shadowrun tech, but occasionally characters come along (like Paladin Alexander) who don't have much Essence left.

Supernatural, as several people have already mentioned. (Want to emphasize this one though. Really good, very World of Darkness: Hunters. I use it as inspiration in one of my campaigns.)

I'm suprised though that no one has mentioned Constantine. I think it's a good movie source. (And Papa Midnight is just cool.)

(Incidently, Dresden is a character with a high magic rating. It's stated many times that he has ALOT of brute magical force. He also happen to have fairly low trained skills though. At least where Sorcery is concerned.)

Dark City.

Lord of Illusions. Hellraiser. Candyman. Demon City Shinjuku. Any urban super-natural horror flick is going to give you the feel.

Kolchak the night stalker
d20 modern Shadow Chasers campaign
Bulletproof Monk - adepts
Final Fantasy VIII

Sgt Kabukiman
Toxic Avenger

I just watched "the Ruins". Talk about an awakened plant. Not only is it blood hungry but can mimic sounds and voices. Not to mention its parasitic qualities. Any other awakened plant movies out there other than the Little Shop of Horrors?

That's because Constantine sucks, particularly compared to the comic which, being the exact opposite of suck, is awesome.
Snarky baddass Brit who can cheat the devil at his own game -> Sucktastic Californian wuss. Check.
Semi-unique Black & Black kitchen sink cosmology based loosely on traditional Gnostic and modern occult writings + every other mythology on the planet and some made up -> Black & White Hollywood Christian cosmology. Check.
Stupid looking gun. Oh Quetzalcoatl why would you allow Hollywood to visit this horrifically stupid looking gun upon us? Check.

Papa Midnight was cool. But, seriously, just read the comic.

That said, comics 20-60 (the FEAR Machine) was also pretty sucky. That almost turned me off to the series altogether.

But yes, a second vote for reading the comic.

Third vote for the comic.

Despite the fact that in the Hellblazerverse anyone can learn magic the diversity of magical skills and the fact that Constantine rather subtly casts his magic befits the Shadowrun magic best methinks.

The dresden files is probably the best example. he wasn't a wizard who played detective. he was a pi who was a wizard. I'm splitting hairs here but that really was the important outlook of the show and thebooks are witten that way too. liek the ealry Anita Blake books, Hajrry is going to be more at home with Sam Spade, Philo Vance, Spenser and Nick Charles than he would be with Gandalf and Dumbledor

you know I'm surprised it's not been borught up, but "Willow" in the last cvouple of season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Willow is definatly a mage, and buffy a psy-ad.

Unfortunately, he was kissing Captain Jack's arse in Torchwood...
...So probably couldn't be doing both

The thing about kickin' arse is there's almost always someone who can kick yours...
...In the case of Mr Dresden, he does face some seriously powerful enemies.

EDIT: why do I still jump into a reply before reading the rest of a thread <sigh>

There are 10 books, and they show how cooler the world is when you are not limited to a 1hr show.
I also notice that no one mentioned that Dresden is a gamer as well.
The vampire concept of White/Red/Black Courts and their own "species" was a nice touch and the Faerie Courts makes me wish they were in Shadowrun proper.

There is a Dresden Files RPG in development hell as well.
I was actually trying to write my own magic rules that would work well with it until I realised SR4 ruleset is almost perfect.

right, Dresden is a film noir type detective who also happens to be a mage and deals with magical problems but he's more in the line of Spenser, Sam Spade and Nick Charles than Gandalf and Dumbledore, and in that he ,the detective, needs to get his but handed to him. The scheme is that the detective is not stronger but strives against more powerful oppenents because it's the right thing to do, not the smart thing, but the right thing. "Spike" does a good job on the recordings, though his voice is slower and deeper than I Imagined Dresden, I think the actor on the TV show was wonderful.

The first 9 books of the Anita Blake serries were very good. Mainly vamps and were's but some necromancy and other stuff. Since book 10 htough it's become bad porn, not even erotica but repetative porn.

Not sure if it has been mentioned already, but I recently saw Elektra, which really isn't a great film, but it does have some interesting displays of what could be called magical powers. I especially liked one of the bad guys who could let his animal tattoos come to life. I'm planning on using that as a conjurer in my next game, for certain.