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Watching a film called "Priest" right now and I'm struck by the setting:

Hive cities run by a dystopian theocracy

Huge retro sci fi elements - jet powered motorbikes, armoured trains

Hive cities producing so much pollution they blot out the sun

Outpost mining settlements

A religiously sanctioned body of Priests with supernaturally enhanced martial prowess

"Vampires" that look suspiciously like Purestrain Genestealers and "familiars" that resemble hybrids...

The setting is far more interesting than the story, but it's not hard to imagine this story being set on an imperial world menaced by a Genestealer cult. Definitely shades of the 40k Compendiums Genestealer cult list.

You mean that 2011 movie? Damn that movie was terrible. Saw it at the cinemas and seem to have succeeded in wiping any memory of what it was actually about from my mind

Well it definitely looks and sounds really neat. Too bad I don't really do movies most of the time.

I gotta agree with ASS: It was a terrible movie.

That being said, there are definitely similarities which, if altered to the 40K universe and done right, would yield a good film.

I remember seeing a amazing animated thing for Priest. But when the live action trailer came out I knew it would suck. This was before I go into 40k and looking back I can't see many similarities between the 2

The film itself is pretty meh, but the setting just clicked for me- could be a good template of how to do s 40k movie with an inquisitor uncovering a mutant cult that turns out to be Genestealsrs and Tyranids

Loved it. Terrible movie but enjoyed it all the same.

It definitely has a 40k feel about it with out a doubt. Dust also has some feels about it although i do believe inspiration came somewhat from that film. Books better.

If you want a good 40k movie, watch Dredd.

40k took some inspiration from Judge Dredd, therefore you feel at home immediately. And that movie is a fething jewel in itself.

If you want a movie that is so obviously based on the Warp/Gellar Fields, watch EVENT HORIZON. It's amazing.

Pacific Rim made me think of 40k at times, Titans vs Nids. Event Horizon could almost be the first warp travel ever and the results of it.

Priest was pretty crap. I wouldn't hesitate to try it again on something like Netflix for free though. I don't remember much besides being rather underwhelmed.

Yeah, Dredd and Event Horizon are classics - I loved the look of MegaCity One, they actually made it look believable!

Priest was a terrible movie, and it's setting wasn't very well explored at all which is a shame.

I'd say for comparison use the visual and props from Judge Dredd (just try to ignore the horrifically bad plot and acting and ridiculously annoying token sidekick), combined Karl Urban's Dredd for the character and cool factor. Some of the bigger starship battles from Battlestar Galactica were good fits I think; damage could get brutal and flak screens are awesome. It also portrayed some of 40k society pretty nicely actually with the various isolated communities on each ship of the fleet, certain labourers working in terrible conditions and religion creating headaches for governance.


I dunno, without getting an actual 40k movie I think you're only going to be disappointed looking for things that are similar as nothing even approaches the sheer scale of brutality, religious zealotry and chaotic futility of the 40k universe. Which is why we need GW to invest money in a decent film, rather than Ultramarines, which I hope they didn't pay anything for because at least that way they'd have gotten what they put into it. Okay, maybe the money for the soundtrack and John Hurt's intro were well spent, but yeah, didn't like the rest at all.

As has been said, Dredd is a good place to look (Dredd with Karl Urban, not Judge Dred with Sly. The later was horrible despite being entertaining on a silly level).

Event Horizon is, as also previously mentioned, a good place to look, but for me it was one of those movies where the good bits were equally weighed by (if not out-weighed by) the bad bits and the poorly done bits. It was still a decent enough move that had those 40K elements in there.

Another 40k-ish movie that I feel gets overlooked is Pandorum. It kind of feels like being trapped on a space hulk.