Top 10 Video Game Movies

In continuing my movie lists, I have decided to do a list for my favorite video game inspired movies. Just to get this straight, I don't think there has ever been a completely successful video game turned into a movie. I think they've all been okay to terrible. That being said, here is still a list of my top ten favorite video game movies. This is only my opinion.

#10 Street Fighter (1994) - I remember when me and every other boy around my age couldn't wait to see this movie. Street Fighter II was at the height of its popularity in America and a movie with Jean-Claude seemed like a dream come true. Little did we know how very wrong we were. We should have known better when Guile was to be played by a Belgian actor.

#9 Doom (2005) - From the start, I knew this movie would be a disaster. First off, it has The Rock. Second, Andrzej Bartkowiak was helming the project who brought us so many of those great Jet Li/DMX movies. However, there is one thing that the movie does right, and that's the first-person camera view near the end. I thought that part was pretty fun to watch and well-done. Other than that, this movie is 23 shades of poo.

#8 Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) - I never understood the appeal of the Tomb Raider games. Big-chested female version of Indiana Jones with guns looking for treasure? So, I wasn't really looking forward to the theatrical version. I'll admit that Angelina Jolie is a good fit as Lara Croft, and some of the action sequences were entertaining, but the movie suffers from poor character development and an uninteresting story.

#7 Super Mario Bros. (1993) - There are so many ways this movie is nothing like the video game, but that wasn't necessarily such a bad thing. Afterall, who can take two plumbers fighting a giant turtle seriously? An entirely different world is crafted for the film and some of it is interesting. Still, it's your typical video game to movie massacre.

#6 Silent Hill (2006) - I could never finish a Silent Hill game. Not even the first one. They creep me out way too much. I think it is the best survival horror video game franchise. However, I was skeptical when they decided to make a movie based on the game. I don't think it was a wise decision to stray from the games so much. The original could be a movie in itself; there's no need to change much. Still, what the film adaptation did bring was the eerie feel of the town of Silent Hill and some pretty good scares.

#5 Pokémon: The First Movie (1999) - Pokémon is a pretty simple RPG, so it translates well into film. I think a really important thing for video game movies to do is to consider going with animation. Games are fantasy and fiction and sometimes when you take it to live-action and make it more serious, it doesn't quite work. Imagine a serious live-action version of Pokémon. It would be terrible no matter who directed it. So, the anime movie of Pokémon is successful for that reason alone.

#4 Clannad (2007) - You probably haven't heard of Clannad unless you dug deep into my review on the second Bleach movie. It's a Japanese graphic novel that was released on gaming platforms. The gameplay in Clannad follows a linear plot line, which offers pre-determined scenarios and courses of interaction. One of those plot lines follows a girl named Nagisa Furukawa who wants to restart the drama club at school. What makes Clannad successful as a movie is the great story already written for the video game. The animation is also top notch for anime. However, I don't think the movie picks up until the last 30 minutes. It does tell Nagisa's story better than the TV show though.

#3 Mortal Kombat (1995) - Luckily, the Street Fighter movie in 1994 brought down our expectations for any possibly good fighter genre video game turned movie. When MK came out, I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the movie mainly for its fight scenes. However, the uninspiring good-versus-evil plot and simple-minded dialogue didn't go too well with it.

#2 Final Fantasy VII - Advent Children (2005) - Advent Children is not based on any Final Fantasy game, but is a spin-off CGI movie based off of Square's arguably most successful game. The story is really confusing and kind of slapped together just as an excuse for the movie's intensely awesome and quick action sequences. It's really the only reason to watch the movie, including the great CGI animation.

Here it is, the moment you've all been waiting for...





#1 - Alone in the Dark - Sike!


#1 Resident Evil (2002) - When I first saw the trailer for Resident Evil, I expected it to suck big time. I was forced to screen it and I ended up liking the movie quite a bit. Although I've never played the video games, I've heard that it captures the Resident Evil environment pretty well. However, I've heard that it doesn't really follow any of the games' storylines. Still, I think that is for the better because I found Paul W.S. Anderson's story to be fantastic. I really enjoyed the twist near the end and some of the action. But, I do think the sequels were really lame.


Here's a quick look at some forthcoming video game films (in chronological order):

Far Cry - The Germans have apologized for Uwe Boll over and over again. His fascination of turning ever video game to a terrible film is annoying. He's done it again with Far Cry, which follows an ex-Special Forces operator who is stranded on a mysterious archipelago in Micronesia.
Release date: October 2, 2008 (Germany)

Max Payne - Max Payne (played by Marky Mark) is a cop whose family and partner are brutally murdered. He embarks on a maverick path, venturing into the underworld to find those responsible for the murders. I've played the first game and liked it, but the trailer for the movie doesn't look like it stays true to the game. It's a shame too because the original story is pretty good.
Release date: October 17, 2008

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li - It looks like Andrzej Bartkowia (Doom) didn't learn his lesson the first time he tried to make a video game into a movie and is trying his luck at Street Fighter. As you can tell by the title, this movie will focus more on the life of Chun-Li (played by Kristin Kreuk, ex-cast member of Smallville).
Release date: February 27, 2009

Tekken - Another fighter being turned into a motion picture. The film follows Jin Kazama who wants to rid himself of the devil which plagues his soul by confronting his father and grandfather. I'm almost certain it'll be a huge failure.
Release date: TBA 2009

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time - Prince of Persia is a good game that I never had the chance of playing. It sounds like the movie can be taken any direction, which is good for the story. Also, Mike Newell (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Four Weddings and a Funeral) is directing which isn't such a bad thing. Jake Gyllenhaal seems like a good fit as Dastan, a 6th century prince of Persia who teams up with Princess Tamina (played be Gemma Arterton, who we'll see in the next Bond movie) to rescue the Sands of Time, a gift from the gods that controls time, from the hands of the villainous nobleman, Nizam.
Release date: May 28, 2010