Metal Gear Forums

So as the topic title says I thought it’d be fun to get a list of the forum’s recommendations for other games, films, or shows that you think fans of Metal Gear might also enjoy and why.

If you like MGS you’ll like…

Twin Peaks (1990) dir. David Lynch | TV

Perhaps not a very obvious one but I think MGS and Twin Peaks have a lot in common.
Both are experimental and avant-garde pieces of media that directly engage with and play with their respective forms (video games and the soap opera).
Both intersperse dark themes and plotlines with sincere yet stilted writing and both have an undeniable sense of playfulness.
Both have been perceived as both “so bad it’s good” and as high art depending on who you ask.
The same way that Kojima is clearly very enthused by military aesthetics while being hypercritical of war, Lynch’s love of classic small town American aesthetics and way of life are accompanied by an understanding of the evil that all these places often have hiding beneath the surface.
Both balance the severity of their critiques with an inclusion of the supernatural and bizarre phenomenon that the characters take in their stride-as in many ways the existence of such things is more believable than the real horrors these pieces of media are concerned with.
Both are anti-nuke.

---

Looking forward to reading some of yours!

If you like MGS you'll like...

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983) dir. Nagisa Ōshima


Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence follows British prisoners of war at a camp in Japanese-occupied Java. The commander of the camp is Captain Yonoi who strictly follows the way of the samurai. At Yonoi's side is the gruff Sergeant Hara, who does the lion's share of interacting with the prisoners. Among the prisoners are Lieutenant-Colonel John Lawrence, the only British soldier who speaks Japanese and tries to keep the peace, and feisty Major Jack Celliers, who continuously defies the orders of his captors.
The film focuses on the relationship between these characters, and how despite their difference in ideology and homeland they can grow to understand each other as men.
The relationships are complex and the lines between respecting a worthy opponent and a deeper adoration are blurred. The men are shown to be victims of their past, and even those who are free are prisoners of the times. It looks beneath the aesthetics and circumstances of war and finds within something very human. Maybe love can bloom on the battlefield, platonic or otherwise?

The film's cast is incredibly strong: Of the accomplished actors we have Takeshi Kitano who plays Hara and Tom Conti who plays Lawrence, their stifled chemistry works perfectly and both give stellar performances. Ryuichi Sakomoto and David Bowie play Yonoi and Celliers-of the two musicians-turned-actors Sakomoto is definitely the strongest. He imbues Yonoi with a trembling sternness that really holds up the film. Bowie...isn't great, but he has spirit and for a film like this it works fine-his visual distinctiveness and star power do some work towards making Celliers feel extraordinary, at the very least.

Sakomoto also scored the film and once again we find him doing some heavy lifting. The score elevates the film and makes it so much more emotional than if it had more typical backing music. The titular theme especially is brilliant, and perfectly captures the poignant feel of the story:


The mixture of modern Western military and more traditional Japanese aesthetics, the themes of acceptance that transcends borders and ideologies, the strong respect between enemy soldiers, the tragic interpersonal relationships between men on opposite sides, and the killer soundtrack all make me think that the MGS comparison is apt. I hope some of you that read this check it out over Christmas and hopefully agree with me!