Picturing a standard Coen brothers film as a video game brings to mind some gruesome and unpleasant experiences. Think "No Country for Old Men" as a gritty PS3 title capable of giving The Last of Us a run for its money, or "Raising Arizona" as a twisted take on a crime-oriented sandbox game...but with a baby involved.
However, the folks over at CineFix, the YouTube channel known for its 8-bit retellings of classic films as if they were retro games, decided on the cult classic, "The Big Lebowski," as the next installment in its 8-Bit Cinema series.
The result is an experience we only wish we'd had back in the '90s.
It's important to note that CineFix doesn't actually make video games. Rather, the team -- in this case David Dutton of Dutton Films with music from his brother Henry Dutton -- animate short films that operate much like a mashup of a video game trailer and a film highlight reel. Recent gems in the CineFix catalog include a "Pulp Fiction" beat 'em up and "The Hunger Games" repurposed as an NES-era role-playing game.
With regard to "The Big Lebowski," the YouTube video, encapsulating the entire plot of the 117-minute movie, runs only 3.5 minutes long and manages to hit all the high points in a style akin to EarthBound meets River City Ransom. There's the infamous rug scene, Walter's showdown with Jesus, a bowling minigame, and the epic brawl with the nihilists.
If this were made into a free browser game, it would be hard to imagine who wouldn't want to relive, and play firsthand through, the absurd escapades of the world's most leisurely philosopher. Check out the full video below: