Try as they might those Hollywood guys just can’t get this whole “Video Game Movie” thing right, well that’s only if you’re one of those people that doesn’t know how to have fun. While it’s true there hasn’t been a video game movie that’s Oscar worthy, that doesn’t mean they’re all terrible. Don’t get me wrong, most of them are complete garbage, but every now and then one will come along that exceeds expectations. With that in mind, here are 5 Great movies based on video games.
Tomb Raider (2001)
Lara Croft is a badass, treasure hunting, take no prisoners boss with a penchant for dinocide and a much larger disregard for human life so Tomb Raider being turned into a movie was inevitable. Okay the plot is absurd, the illuminati are trying to use trigonometry to control Time & Space but I think we left realism in the rear-view mirror when we started gunning down T-Rexs in the first game. And yes the CGI has aged about as well as cheese in an old sock, but never the less it is a stupidly fun action movie with a great performance from Angelina Jolie.
Street Fighter
I’ll probably take a fair amount of shit for this entry but I stand behind it 100%! I agree that the premise is utterly ridiculous, but to be fair a plot about a mad dictator gathering together the world’s strongest fighters to create a super soldier in order to conquer the world was never going to win best screenplay. And while it may be one of the most miss cast movies ever, I have two words for you… Raul Julia! Raul Julia delivers one of the best over the top performances ever, it’s like he knew how bad this movie was and decided he would steer into it and give us a fantastically manic Saturday morning cartoon villain. This movie deserves to be on this list, if for no other reason than to stand as testament to Raul Julia’s immense talent as an actor.
Ratchet & Clank
Despite what Rotten Tomatoes would have you believe Ratchet & Clank is a good movie that suffered from one major issue, it came out around the same time and shared the same plot as the Ratchet & Clank PS4 game. The creators shot themselves in the foot because the established audience are gamers and will likely prefer to experience the identical story as a video game first, meaning they already know what’s going to happen. But despite that balls-up; it’s a well written and charming story that is both funny and heart-warming. Not to mention, it’s 100% true to the source material, which almost never happens.
Mortal Kombat
I’m sure there isn’t one among you that is shocked to see Mortal Kombat on this list, for me it perfectly encapsulates the video game – movie genre. A ludicrous plot that doesn’t quite translate to the big screen, larger than life goofy characters and some of the cheesiest performances ever recorded. But despite all that it is still a fun action movie with some genuinely funny moments and some of the most “so bad it’s good” fight scenes in movie history.
FF VII: Advent Children
Don’t look at me like that; you all knew this was coming. This one may be a bit contentious as it’s not so much based off of a game as it is a sequel to one. But I maintain that it belongs on this list because a) its original subject matter is based on an interactive media and b) because it’s Final Fantasy and I said so. Set 2 years after Final Fantasy VII the game, Advent Children finds itself in a privileged position amongst its peers as it already has a canonical story and established characters to flesh it out. This affords it a little wiggle room when it comes to story structure; however that only goes so far as if you haven’t played the game, chances are you will need to play catch up. However this isn’t an issue for long as there is enough context and story for anyone to follow.
But let’s leave the story behind for now, because we all know why we’re here, it’s to watch two grown men twat each other with swords the size of a blue whales knob. The selling point of Advent children is the awesome action, which it delivers and then some. And if the idea of several people coming together to throw one guy into the air to kill his dead clone mortal enemy doesn’t do it for you, well I think one of us is doing life wrong.
Well, those are 5 Great Movies Based On Video Games, can you think of any that should’ve made the list or just disagree? Let us know in the comments below, don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel and if you’re feeling generous feel free to donate to our Patreon, thanks for reading.
