Summary
Video game movies are going through a renaissance with game adaptations happening both in movie theaters and on streaming services. Shows likeCyberpunk: EdgerunnersandArcanetake a world and adapt character-driven stories with fantastic animation. Meanwhile, big-budget movies such as The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Sonic, and Detective Pikachu prove that the curse can be broken.
So what about the films that fall in line with the video game movie curse? Are they really as bad as people make them out to be or is there still something to appreciate about the choices made when filming? These are ten of the most underrated video game movie adaptations that secretly have some good moments.
10Resident Evil And Resident Evil Apocalypse
Raccoon City In Live-Action
The Resident Evil film franchise had a safe start by only loosely adapting the workings of Umbrella. There were zombies, undead dogs, and plenty of action involving a brand-new character named Alice whose importance often outshone the characters brought in from the game.
Resident Evil Apocalypse, however, adapts the Raccoon City outbreak better than expected. It includes the best live-action Nemesis, cool slow-motion fights, and even recreates the intro from Resident Evil 3 perfectly. It’s a fun watch and by far the best Resident Evil movie in the series.
9Resident Evil Extinction And Beyond
Enjoyable Nonsense
After Resident Evil Apocalypse, every other sequel would deviate from the games drastically save for the characters that would show up. In one film, the world is now a Mad Max desert only for the concept to be dropped in the next film.
An army of clones is promised only for them all to die in the next opening and all the characters unite on top of the White House, only for the epic battle to be skipped. Despite this, it’s a chaotic good time with cool action, iconic monsters, and amazing set pieces.
Brainless Action
The House of the Dead isan arcade franchisethat has you shooting zombies and bosses based on tarot cards. There are two film adaptations that do very little to work in the plot of the games. However, as campy zombie movies, they are surprisingly fun.
The first film has a group of partygoers attacked by zombies on a creepy island with tombstones and everything. The House of the Dead 2 has agents trying to find the origins of a zombie virus. This means working their way through an undead college campus. They are not the deepest films, but the zombies look great.
7Super Mario Bros. Movie
A Cult Classic
The original Super Mario Bros movie attempted toadapt the iconic characters into live-action. Once considered the worst adaptation, it eventually gained a cult following. While the Mushroom Kingdom is colorful and vivid, Dinohattan is cold and dystopian.
The Mario Brothers movie is a wild ride with humans devolved into chimps, rocket boots that launch the heroes into the air, and a cliffhanger that kind of makes you wish you could see what would happen next. It’s a great choice for a campy movie night.
6Silent Hill And Silent Hill Revelations
Adapting The Monsters Right
The Silent Hill movie franchise may not be as extensive as the Resident Evil one, however, it does give horror fans something tasty to chew. With a creepy atmosphere and plenty of easter eggs for gamers to play I Spy with, the films capture the atmosphere of the games perfectly.
Another bonus is that monsters from the game not only make an appearance but look fantastic in live-action. This includesthe most iconic Silent Hill monster, Pyramid Head. Watch these films if you love cool creature design.
5Doom
One Majestic Sequence
Adapting a game like Doom seems like a tough task. While the final product may not have been as polished as it could be, it does contain one of the coolest sequences in any video game movie. This is a full sequence that shifts the camera work to be in first person, just like the games.
This is the closest you will ever get to a live-action Doom, as Reaper fully embraces the role of Doom Slayer. There are brains, guts, and bloody good action that will leave any Doom fan satisfied. The monster makeup is also on point.
4Angry Birds Movie
An Underrated Comedy
For a film based on a silly mobile game, Angry Birds is surprisingly entertaining with its fast-paced comedy and out-of-pocket moments. It uses the game as a template to tell its own story while also expanding on the basic personalities of the angry birds.
The art style is bright and colorful, while the character animation allows for plenty of comedic expressions and movements. While not the deepest animated film, there is also nothing to get angry over either. It doesn’t tarnish any long-standing legacies but creates its own.
3Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time
A Swashbuckling Adventure
One film that is forgotten is the adaptation of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. However, was it truly so bad that it deserved its fate? Riding the hype of Pirates of the Caribbean, the film is a swash-buckling adventure through Persia to unlock the secrets of the dagger.
The film follows the core concepts of the game much better than other adaptations of the time. It borrows elements from Prince of Persia: Warrior Within and The Two Thrones. The coolest scenes are when Dastan uses the iconic dagger and the Sands of Time to turn back the clock.
2Street Fighter: The Movie
One Great Performance
The original Street Fighter movie is a campy film from the 90s that tried to capture the magic ofthe most iconic fighting game. It could be cheesy and not make a lot of sense in the long run. However, the saving grace of the film is actor Raul Julia, who portrays M. Bison.
Being talked into the role by his kids who were massive Street Fighter fans, Raul puts his heart and soul into the film, resulting in a fantastic performance. He also coins plenty of iconic phrases, such as the memorable “Of Course” and the sinister line, “For me it was Tuesday.”
1Assassin’s Creed
Make You Want To Play
The Assassin’s Creed movie is a video game movie adaptation that often falls between the cracks. The film is a bit heavy on the plot, but the moments where it truly shines are the action sequences and the use of the Animus.
The moments in the Animus are the best parts of the film that adapt the look and feel of an Assassin’s Creed game perfectly. This includes assassinations and even the act of jumping from a high point and descending into the hay barrels below. It really puts you in the mood to play the games.
