'God of War' Creator Slams TV Show: 'So Bad in So Many Ways'
Last week, Amazon revealed the first image of the upcoming TV adaptation of the God of War video game series, which will eventually stream on Prime Video. The image shows the protagonist Kratos (Ryan Hurst) and his young son, Atreus (Callum Vinson), hunting in the forest. It's just one still image, but not everybody is a fan of this initial look at the series. One of the haters? The guy who created the God of War video game series in the first place.
“I’m sure everybody’s trying real hard, but it’s so dumb," David Jaffe said on his YouTube channel in a video posted on Saturday. Jaffee, the video game designer being the God of War franchise, didn't hold back.
“It is so bad in so many ways,” Jaffe ranted, having special ire for the awkward pose that Kratos is adopting as he stands behind his son. “He just looks stupid. If you are going to reveal to most people a brand-new character that you hope is going to carry your series for the first time, and they’ve never really seen him before, and this is the way you introduce them?
God of War, which began with the 2005 PlayStation 2 game, is a famously violent series that does have a real plot beneath the action. Later installments have focused on the relationship between Kratos and his boy, Atreus. Jaffe said he understood wanting to lead with a more human, less epic image, but this particular still wasn't it.
"Maybe [Prime Video’s team was] like, ‘We really want to focus on the father-son story, and if we focus on him being, like, Spartan rage, maybe people are like, I don’t want to watch that show.'" he said. "But could you find a picture that doesn’t look like he’s s—ing in the woods? Because that’s what the picture looks like."
Jaffee also had notes about Atreus' appearance ("He looks like he’s kind of a very confused little boy with way too much product in his hair”) and a rock in the background of the picture ("This looks like what you would go into a hobby store and buy for your f—ing train set.")
Jaffe Had Some Nice Things to Say About the Upcoming Show
It wasn't all bad. Jaffe slammed the image, but he remains optimistic about the actors and the talent behind the camera. While some fans have complained that Hurst, who plays Kratos, doesn't look exactly like the Spartan warrior of the games, Jaffee doesn't think that's a problem.
"A good actor is a good actor, and that’s all you need," he said. "I’d much rather have a great actor who embodies the essence of the character and makes the character endearing or memorable or iconic than looks just like the person in the video game.”
Jaffe also praised Ronald D. Moore, the showrunner of the God of War series who is known for the Battlestar Galactica reboot and other hit genre series.
"Ron Moore is awesome," Jaffee said “The guy is a juggernaut of a talented fellow. I have absolutely no doubt it is going to be a good show. I’m not worried about the show.”
Still, despite his confidence in the series, Jaffe really has it out for this first look picture.
"Two things can be true," he said. "This can be a terrible image, and it is."