Sometimes money just can’t buy quality when it comes to films. Hollywood has tried over and over again to produce video game-based movies and even with the best cast and biggest budget, they turn into a hot mess.
The Angry Birds and every Resident Evil after the second release are clear signs of failure and let me not even mention the Street Fighter movie. I will not even speak about Postal.
Despite the negative stereotype, there are some great films out there that managed to captivate its audience and while they are not perfect they are still decent.
Warcraft
Based on the hugely successful MMO. World of Warcraft is simply eye candy to watch. Superb CG and fantastic realization of the series is brought to life on screen that truly managed to capture the essence of what makes the game so great. It was in production for way too long but the result is a stunning film that even though it does not have a decent story and some plot holes here and there it delivered on its promise. It remained faithful to its core and I hope we see more of them in the years to come.
Hitman
It might not be better than the game but Timothy Olyphant’s portrayal of Agent 47 made for an action film that was fun to sit through. The movie had all the over-the-top violence we love from the video game series and not to mention all the stealth action too. The movie was set across Russia and Eastern Europe which delivered a fine location for the film’s representation of the game series. Fans of the series enjoyed it but critics not so much. This led to a reboot in 2015 that was just a disaster.
Assassin’s Creed
One of my favourite video game movies has to be Assassin’s Creed. No, it is not perfect in anyway and it is more an action movie than an Assassin’s Creed movie but its portrayal of the series was somewhat enjoyable. Sure, the Animus was a giant crane attached to Michael Fassbender’s back and the Templar Order was only truly shown in their glory at the end but the little hints throughout the movie pointed to things we all love about the series and that is why we watched the film in the first place. Assassin’s Creed was not a bad movie by any means but I do hope if there is a sequel that the just stick to the game a bit more.
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
We all knew Angelina Jolie as the face of Lara Croft back in 2001 and for the years ahead she was the embodiment of the movie series. She killed it by simply being sexy and rocking those dual pistols and all the famous outfits we know Lara loved. The film’s plot might have fallen off the wagon somewhere but the movie had the game’s core at heart and that was the most important. Tombs, treasure and explosions.
Silent Hill
I loved the first Silent Hill movie and it was without a doubt the best horror-to-game adaption to date. Everything from the creatures to the story and even the ambience you feel while playing the game came to life in the film which is rare. While the second film was a trainwreck the first one managed to bring the game series to life with its fantastic setting that played true to the series’ story and uncomfortable energy it gives off. Its story was also very dark, another series staple. We also got to see pyramid head which was the main attraction.
Resident Evil
I absolutely hate the Resident Evil movie series besides one of them, the original one. The rest were just farfetched and ridiculous. The first game, however, managed to deliver an experience that was true to the series by incorporating the zombies, monsters and the characters we knew from the first few games. Sure, some of the action was a bit too much and they over sexified Alice, played by Mila Jovovich, way too much but if you have to compare the movies this one was the best of them all, not taking into account the CG films that are in a league of their own.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Taking influence from The Two Thrones, Warrior Within, and of course Sands of Time the Prince of Persia movie was a great adaption of the trilogy. It managed to deliver everything we loved about the games while keeping the essence of the saga intact. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Prince Dastan, the movie revolved around the Dagger of Time and an evil plot to end the world by using it to control time itself. all the twists and turns from the game series were in the film including the dramatic ending that flipped the tables on death itself. It was a fantastic attempt to bring the game series to life.
Mortal Kombat
To think that in 1995 without fancy CG and high-budget rendering tools, Paul W. S. Anderson managed to direct and deliver a movie based on a video game that was awesome to watch. Mortal Kombat was every 90s kid’s favourite fighting movie and it had the character roster that we all loved too. You see, in the 90s we all believed we were one of the fighters from Mortal Kombat but no matter who we were we all could to the “get over here” pose and pretend to pull our friends to us. Maybe it was just that the world was Mortal Kombat crazy but the film was great. Even going back to watch it today will trigger some nostalgic memory.
What movies based on video games do you think are the best? Let us know in the comments and forum.
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