The Metal Gear series has had a ton of games so far, starting all the way back in 1987 with Metal Gear and has continued up until this day. The franchise has become known for its immersive and complex story and stealth gameplay – but especially for its number of cutscenes, especially in some of the later Solid games. It seemed like it, at times, desperately wanted to be a movie.
Here are some movies you might enjoy if you like the Metal Gear games.
Apocalypse Now
A man is tasked with assassinating a rogue Special Forces commander in a jungle, and during the mission their lives will be irreversibly altered? Am I describing a Metal Gear Solid game or Apocalypse Now? The movie doesn’t feel especially Metal Gear-y, but you can feel the influences it had on the third game in the franchise, particularly from an aesthetic aspect.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
The first half of Captain America: The Winter Soldier feels a lot like the second Metal Gear Solid game. There’s stealth, an evil group, CQC, and even the moral dilemma about sacrificing one’s personal liberties for the feeling of security. It gets more like a superhero movie in its second half, but the first half or so feels like probably the closest movie adaptation we’ve gotten to Metal Gear Solid 2.
Die Hard
Die Hard features a man in an enclosed space having to avoid and take out enemies who are looking for him. If that doesn’t feel like a Metal Gear Solid mission to you, then you haven’t played the games. It’s a bit more explosion-filled than most of the games – especially if you’re playing them right – but there’s still a lot of stealthy tension while following the protagonist try to avoid the villains. And it has a similar sense of humor.
Escape From New York
Escape From New York has the character on which Snake – in whichever incarnation he’s currently in – was based. Its protagonist is Snake Plissken, played by Kurt Russell, and he’s tasked with breaking into a dystopic New York – which has effectively been turned into a prison – in order to rescue the president. the character is a Special Forces operative who wears an eye patch. And is named “Snake.” You should be able to see the resemblance.
The Great Escape
Based on real events, The Great Escape follows a group of captured Allied prisoners in World War II who make a plan to escape from a German camp. The importance placed upon stealth and sneaking is unlike many other movies, and its war setting and themes will also remind many of Metal Gear.
James Bond (Franchise)
The James Bond movies are probably the most famous spy films we have. And while some of them are pretty lean on the “spy” aspect, serving instead more as action movies or poker movies, many of them put it front and center and involve our hero sneaking around enemy bases in order to get a person or information out – or eliminate some that are inside.
Lockout
Lockout is basically Escape From New York in space. The protagonist has to go into a space station that’s been occupied by baddies, and he has to sneak in and rescue a prisoner. It’s so similar to Escape From New York that its director, John Carpenter, sued the filmmakers of Lockout for copying him. And he won.
Mission: Impossible (Franchise)
If the James Bond movies are the world’s most famous spy film franchise, the Mission: Impossible series has to be a close second. The first one is probably the closest to a Metal Gear game, as it sees its protagonist think up a plan to break into a very secure building in order to steal something very important for the government. They get more action-heavy later on
Predator
The later Metal Gear Solid games have used camouflage as a way to help their protagonists avoid detection by enemies. Predator is a film that also puts an importance on it. Its enemies try to locate the protagonists and in order to avoid being seen, camouflage is used. The jungle setting also feels a lot like Metal Gear Solid 3.
The Rock
A couple of people have to break into Alcatraz, which has been overtaken by rogue soldiers, in order to stop a chemical weapon from being unleashed upon an unsuspecting populace – in addition to rescuing hostages that have been captured by the soldiers. The only thing that stops The Rock from feeling fully like a Metal Gear game is that it stars two people, not just a lone protagonist. Outside of that? It’s right there.
