Tabletop role-playing games used to be Hollywood shorthand for nerd nonsense. Those geeks with their maps and dice were seen as the final boss of the niche-interest food chain. Today, Dungeons & Dragons has become one of the most powerful brands in the world. Warhammer 40,000 seems prepped to follow a similar cultural trajectory, and films like Mutant Chronicles could pave the way for their entertainment invasion.
Warhammer has been the most popular miniature wargame in the world since its debut in 1987. With almost 40 years of success and worldwide notoriety under its belt, it's surprising that the franchise hasn't been properly adapted to the big screen. It's all over game store shelves, it's had a long relationship with the world of gaming, and the novels are frequently cited as the best aspect of the franchise. But, though Warhammer is the most popular game, it's far from the only one.
What is Mutant Chronicles About?
In the year 2707, humanity has completely depleted the Earth's natural resources. Most technology runs off steam engines, and most of the planet is ruled over by four inestimably powerful corporations. The Mishima, Bauhaus, Capitol, and Imperial financial conglomerates are in constant corporate warfare for land and money. During a pitched battle, soldiers accidentally break open an ancient seal. That seal unleashes The Machine, an alien device that changes humans into dangerous mutants. The Earth is doomed, leaving a small portion of the population to flee to Mars. Most people are left behind to fend off the endless hordes of mutants. Those on Earth must put together a plan to save their home.
Enter Brother Samuel, a pious man of the cloth who seeks a crack team of warriors. Samuel knows the Bible but also studies an esoteric text called the Chronicles. Samuel approaches an all-powerful leader named Constantine to request a single airplane and a crew of twenty warriors. He brings in skilled military men and women, led by Major Mitch Hunter. He also brings in a silent monk named Severian. Samuel plots a suicide mission to drop a bomb onto The Machine and end the mutant plague. They're Earth's last hope, and every remaining human life is on the line. It's a grim world in which faith or willing sacrifice are the only reprieves from suffering. Though the circumstances are different, fans will certainly remember the tone.
What is Mutant Chronicles Based On?
Mutant Chronicles was originally a pen-and-paper role-playing game released in 1993 by a Swedish company called Target Games. The game is set in a post-apocalyptic world as a spin-off to their long-running series of Mutant games. Like the film, the world of the game is sad and desolate. Humans have spread across the solar system after fleeing the Earth they destroyed. Massive corporations still own everything and fight to the death in never-ending struggles over profit. The game was considered an improvement over many of its competitors, especially in how it interlinks its many spin-offs. Mutant Chronicles has since inspired card games, comic books, board games, a SNES game, and a miniature wargame in the style of Warhammer 40,000.
How is Mutant Chronicles Related to Warhammer 40,000?
The idea of soldiers fighting an endless swarm of mutants for the fate of an already-ruined Earth feels very at home in the grim darkness of the far future. There are plenty of mutants in the world of Warhammer, though they come from more unpleasant roots. The Earth was destroyed thousands of years before most of the events of the game. There's a lot more going on in Warhammer than in the Mutant Chronicles film, but the movie feels like a singular story that could fit into the universe. It's fair to call the film a loose adaptation of the game, but the game borrows several elements from the franchise. All the characters are gruff soldiers or zealous maniacs. All the civilians either beg for mercy or suffer a violent death. There is constant war, but it's always between all-powerful corporations instead of planetary governments or slavering abominations. The details are all wrong, but the tone and presentation feel right at home with the Warhammer crowd.
Mutant Chronicles isn't a perfect film. It's a bit of a mess, its understanding of religion is bizarre, and its special effects do not hold up very well today. Its cast is solid, but they don't get a lot to do. Despite the simple weaknesses of the film, there's a willingness to delve into the darkness that makes the film interesting. It's so miserable and vicious that it comes back around to being funny. Nobody is having any fun except for the audience cheering at every ridiculous gunfight. Mutant Chronicles should get another shot at the big screen, but Warhammer 40,000 has a lot to learn before it invades the multiplex.