The Elden Ring Movie Must Focus On One Key Character To Be Great

By TeeJay Small
| Published 46 seconds ago

For as long as video games have been around, studio execs have been pouring money into bad video game adaptations. Films like Uncharted, Mortal Kombat, and 1993’s Super Mario Bros are known far and wide for tarnishing the reputation of their source material, leaving fans wary of the entire genre. Do you remember when Assassin’s Creed got a film adaptation back in 2016? Me neither. So, when it was announced that an Elden Ring movie was in the works, I immediately became skeptical.

I’m not saying that an Elden Ring movie is doomed to failure. My concern is that the source material is so large, sprawling, and overwhelming that it couldn’t possibly be contained in a 2-3 hour film. The Lands Between can barely be explored in 160 hours for most players, especially if you take the DLC into consideration. Luckily, I think there’s one way to condense the material into the size of a single movie, and still manage to please fans far and wide.

Focus On General Radahn

For starters, the Elden Ring movie should focus on General Radahn as the main protagonist. He’s already a fan-favorite boss from the original game, and his backstory is arguably the most interesting part of the lore. In case you’re not familiar with the source material, Radahn is a demigod, a decorated wartime leader, and a scholar responsible for studying gravitational magic. Before the events of the video game kick off, he becomes aware of an existential threat in the stars and utilizes his gravitational skills to single-handedly hold back an onslaught of meteorites and Lovecraftian alien invaders.

During the shattering, the inciting incident that kicks off the narrative of Elden Ring, Radahn was challenged by his sister Malenia. The two met in an open field, where they and their respective armies engaged in a gruesome battle for the family throne. When it became clear that their fight had reached a standstill, Malenia effectively set off a nuclear warhead, spreading a debilitating status effect known as scarlet rot to the entire region.

When the player character enters the Lands Between, Radahn is hanging on by a thread. His mind and body are infected with scarlet rot, causing him to shuffle around the battlefield as a shadow of his former self, feasting on the corpses of those claimed by the war. The player character then joins an event known as the Radahn Festival, where champions attempt to put the demigod out of his misery, and give him a proper warrior’s death. The boss fight against General Radahn is one of the best parts of the whole game, and it often requires the player to summon multiple NPC spawns in order to complete.

Once Radahn finally perishes, the meteors descend upon the Lands Between, revealing that he was still holding them back even in his weakened state, and doing so while fighting off hordes of tenured enemies. For my money, the story can end right there, and I’ll walk out of the theater grinning ear to ear. I’m obviously leaving a lot of key lore points out, but those are the broad strokes.

Radahn’s life story also has a perfect three-act structure. The Elden Ring film can open with his studies in the Sellia school of sorcery, then transition into his fight with his sister, and climax with the Radahn festival. The final moments of the film can serve as a bittersweet reflection on his legacy and set up a sequel as the remaining warriors in the Lands Between continue their fight in the wars to come.

Currently, very little is known about the Elden Ring movie. I’m hoping they don’t try to tackle the entire game and relegate Radahn to a footnote, but that is sort of my expectation. I do know that Nick Offerman is confirmed to be in the cast, and that he would make an ideal candidate to bring the Scarscourge general to life on the big screen. As the production progresses, we’re sure to get some key updates.