Looking to mine any potentially lucrative sources, Hollywood gazed upon the video game industry for inspiration. The customer is always right; consequently, studios started scouring through Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft's catalog to determine the industry's most conceivably-fruitful brands. If we build it, they will come!
Unfortunately, movies based on video games seldom showcase sound craftsmanship. Every gamer shudders at the thought of an adaptation based on their favorite property, and their fears are hardly unfounded. Film studios have proven unwilling or incapable of adequately translating an interactive adventure to a cinematic experience. While these elements can essentially be ignored by games, films depend heavily on character development and storylines. Super Mario Bros.' protagonist is fluent in Italian cliché, but such a depiction would not fly in theaters. If this were the case, why not simply stick to plot-driven properties? At the end of the day, Hollywood is a money-printing machine and studios will only invest in licenses likely to fetch a hefty profit. The Lego Movie and The Emoji Movie sprang out from comparable roots, but the latter lacked any of the former's passion or sincerity, while gaming has yet to birth its equivalent to The Lego Movie.
Burned numerous times over the last three decades, video game movies have worked around the clock to ensure audiences keep their expectations in check. Anticipate nothing, and frustration might be averted. Here are 20 video game adaptations that were too embarrassing (and 10 that were actually appreciable)!
30 Embarrassing: Assassin’s Creed
Directed by the filmmaker behind The Snowtown Murders and Macbeth, Assassin's Creed wasted a $125 million budget on a barely decipherable storyline and uninspired action set-pieces. Casting Michael Fassbender as the titular assassin, 20th Century Fox pulled a solid cast and clearly strived to create a substantial product, but this CGI-fest is an overly long slog to sit through. Considering the last handful of games have all but ignored the present day storyline, Assassin's Creed might have been better off following suit. Unfortunately, fans were treated to a soulless adaptation that lacked any of the source's charm or sense of discovery.
29 Embarrassing: Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
Regularly cited among the worst films of the 1990s, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation squandered any of its predecessor's residual goodwill. Back and cheaper looking than ever, Shao-Kahn has a cunning plan to open a portal between Earth and the Outerworld. Loud and incredibly boring, Annihilation incorporates the worst elements associated with video game movies. Dated at the time of release, the film's special effects have reached almost comical lows, while the characters and fights are memorable for all the wrong reasons. Annihilation fails to even qualify as a guilty pleasure.
28 Great: Mortal Kombat
Paul W. S. Anderson's stamp can be found throughout this unremarkable subgenre, but the director's Mortal Kombat continues to be among the more fondly remembered examples. Only the fourth international live-action film of its ilk, audiences were won over by the film's infectious energy. Mortal Kombat cannot be classified as a good film, but the cheesy visuals and amateurish acting are delightful in their own way. Steaks are delicious, but once in a while, nothing hits the spot like a greasy hamburger with a side of fries.
27 Embarrassing: House Of The Dead
Standing shoulder to shoulder with Paul W. S. Anderson, Uwe Boll is the subgenre's other superstar. Obviously, this term is employed rather lightly. Boll's filmography reads like a collection of mean-spirited dares, but the director continuously manages to finance his projects. Based on the first-person arcade game, House of the Dead was the director's third film and instantly established Boll as the king of poor B-movies. Bearing barely any resemblance to the classic shooter, House of the Dead is a gobbled together mess that demands viewers to turn off their brains before embarking on this decaying adventure.
26 Embarrassing: Doom
Nowadays, Dwayne Johnson's biceps are enough to make any film watchable, but in 2005, this was yet to be the case. Putting aside a fanservice-heavy FPS section, Doom comes closer to capturing the feel of a horror shooter over the influential run-and-gun franchise. Centering around a military unit tasked with investigating a research colony on Mars, 95% of the movie takes place within dimly-lit hallways and the action arrives in frustratingly short bursts. The special effects might actually be somewhat decent, but Doom's refusal to turn on a light reduces most scenes to a blurry mess of greys and shadows.
25 Great: Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time
A great adaptation does not equal a great movie, and the reverse also holds true. Dropping any traces of the supernatural, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time fails as an adaptation of Ubisoft's iconic platforming series. Disregarding the source material, Disney produced a harmless adventure story capable of entertaining the whole family. As the titular prince, Jake Gyllenhaal charmingly skips through the streets of Persia, while the rest of the cast deliver acceptable performances. Viewed solely as a summer blockbuster, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time holds just enough thrills to be worth watching.
24 Embarrassing: Wing Commander
Does anyone remember this 1999 flop? Honestly, ignorance might be for the best. A space combat simulator, Wing Commander made quite a splash in 1990, spawning numerous sequels and spin-offs. After producing ten games in the span of seven years, the next logical step was Hollywood, but a limited budget and a boring script ruined any of the adaptation's potential. A notorious box office failure, Wing Commander prioritized the human element above the special effects, but the paper-thin characters lacked the necessary depth to carry such a film. As a franchise, Wing Commander never really survived the '90s.
23 Embarrassing: Hitman: Agent 47
Why does this exist? 2007's Hitman squandered Timothy Olyphant on a trite action thriller that should have had the foresight to put a hit out on its screenplay. Produced almost a decade later, Hitman: Agent 47 failed to hop over the low bar set by its predecessor. 47's distant personality compliments the franchise's core gameplay, but the agent's cinematic counterpart is a charisma black hole. Hitman's appeal lies in the freedom presented to the players, but the film boils down to a series of hollow set-pieces laced with product placement.
22 Great: Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
The first feature-length animated project constructed solely out of CGI, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within wooed audiences due to its technological achievements. Produced by Square Pictures, the visuals were unquestionably the film's main selling point, but the computer-generated acting was an improvement over many similar releases. A stand-alone story with practically no connection to any of the Final Fantasy JRPGs, The Spirits Within's plot served as merely a backdrop to the visuals. Sadly, The Spirits Within struggled to find an audience, forcing Square Pictures to close its doors in 2001.
21 Embarrassing: Max Payne
Driven by a personal and engrossing narrative, Max Payne seems like a natural candidate for a Hollywood production. Casting Mark Wahlberg as the gloomy anti-hero, 2008's Max Payne springs to life whenever an action scene is staged, but 20th Century Fox completely butchered the plot. Hitting many of the same notes as the source material, Max Payne haphazardly recreates Max's traumatic story, but forgets to inject even a sliver of humanity. Wahlberg gives a disappointingly wooden performance, but the actor was probably just as lost as the rest of us.
20 Embarrassing: Alone In The Dark
Undeterred by House of the Dead's critical reception, Uwe Boll dedicated the next decade to cornering this moldy niche. Alone in the Dark is the director's worst film, and such a claim is not made lightly. Ignoring the source material, Boll's project flunks on even the most fundamental levels. Alone in the Dark might be classified as a thriller, but any attempt to build suspense is thwarted by senselessly violent action scenes and a hilariously inappropriate metal-themed soundtrack. Surprising absolutely nobody, the plot makes about as much sense as the average Atari game.
19 Great: Warcraft
Reviled by critics, but appreciated by fans, Warcraft presents convincing arguments for warranting a spot on either side of this article. Based on Blizzard Entertainment's best-selling franchise, Warcraft works almost in spite of itself. Viewed solely as a visual spectacle, Warcraft boasts epic battle sequences that capture the license's sense of scale. Issues begin to arise when it comes to the storyline, as those unfamiliar with the source material might feel like they are watching a foreign film without subtitles. Whether intentional or not, Warcraft is one for the fans.
18 Embarrassing: Tekken
Sitting with an impressive 0% on Rotten Tomatoes, Tekken is not the worst video game movie to ever grace the silver screen, but that has more to do with the competition than the product itself. Earnestly striving to replicate Bandai Namco's aesthetic, Tekken looks the part and does an admirable job adapting Jin Kazama's revenge-fueled arc. Filmed with a nauseating shaky camera, the fights are more reminiscent of UFC events than Tekken. Considering this is an adaptation of a popular fighting game series, Tekken cannot be forgiven for failing so spectacularly to accurately portray the franchise's reason for being.
17 Embarrassing: DOA
Packed with beautiful girls capable of ruining anyone's day, DOA's roster draws in the audience, but the sound combat mechanics ensure people come back for more. Released in 2007, DOA's film adaptation endeavored to replicate this feat, but the scantily-dressed cast masks a tired storyline and hilariously bad acting. Compared to Alone in the Dark and Doom, DOA passes as a “so bad, it's good” experience, but any brain should be firmly left at the door. In these parts, thinking only leads to pain!
16 Great?: Super Mario Bros.
No, this entry's title is not a typo. Among the first to break the hearts of countless gamers, Super Mario Bros. turned Nintendo's colorful platformer into a dystopian wasteland starring John Leguizamo as Luigi. Critiqued as an adaptation, Super Mario Bros. misses the mark in almost every conceivable way. As a movie? There are worse out there. Cast as Mario – sigh – Mario, Bob Hoskins was an inspired pick, while the set and special effects have aged surprisingly well. Examined as a twisted fantasy film, Super Mario Bros. is a wild ride through a nightmarish dystopia packed with weird lizard creatures and Dennis Hopper.
15 Embarrassing: Double Dragon
Movies based on existing licenses run the risk of coming across as expensive cosplay sessions. Games are designed to be immersive, and rather than watching Link's quest unfold, we are Link. Unless the casting is spot-on, a movie will not convince its fans that an actor deserves to be deemed the “definitive” version. Double Dragon tried to circumvent this dilemma by casting unknown actors in the lead roles, but we would be hard-pressed to find anyone who views Mark Dacascos or Scott Wolf as Jimmy or Billy Lee.
14 Embarrassing: Silent Hill: Revelation
Do not be fooled by the above image, Silent Hill: Revelations would struggle to startle a toddler. Developed on a little more than a shoestring budget, horror is a safe bet for studios seeking to earn a quick buck; frankly, it is surprising that Hollywood has not ruined more beloved horror games. Indecipherable for even knowledgeable fans, Silent Hill: Revelations replaces the franchise's trademark dense atmosphere with jump scares and ugly visuals. While the special effects are intermittently creative, the lack of a cohesive story eviscerates any tension.
13 Great: Silent Hill
Compared to its incompetent sequel, Silent Hill is nothing short of a masterpiece! Analyzed in a vacuum, 2006's film suffers from many of the same issues that ran rampant throughout the subgenre. Overstaying its welcome by around 20 minutes, the plot trudges along without paying much attention to character development or structure. As a horror flick, Silent Hill delivers only a handful of mild frights, but the acting and visuals are consistently engaging. Radha Mitchell and Laurie Holden deliver more than respectable performances as Rose and Cybil.
12 Embarrassing: BloodRayne
What does Uwe Boll have on Michael Madsen, Ben Kingsley, and Michelle Rodriguez that they would agree to appear in BloodRayne? Unless these films are far more enjoyable to create than watch, we have to assume these distinguished performers simply needed the paycheck. At the end of the day, BloodRayne money pays the bills and puts food on the table. Produced in 2006, Boll's stubborn unwillingness to learn from his previous mistakes is almost admirable. A sword-and-sorcery epic edited to mask the non-existent choreography and abysmal stunt work, BloodRayne is not even an amusing train wreck. If these films were entertainingly bad, Boll's brand of cinematic cheese would be a welcome change of pace, but BloodRayne is likely to trigger a bad case of diarrhea.
11 Embarrassing: Ratchet & Clank
Coinciding with the release of Insomniac Games' gorgeous reboot, Ratchet & Clank should have been an easy slam dunk. The PlayStation 4 game boasts graphics comparable to the biggest animation studios in the world, but the visuals falter when presented on a larger screen. Even though the reboot's gameplay cannot be criticized, Ratchet & Clank rushed through the plot. Without the fun interactive sections, the adaptation is reduced to a shallow but colorful adventure about an anthropomorphic Lombax and a likable robot. Focusing on the game's worst component and coming across as a series of cutscenes, Ratchet & Clank has no reason to exist.