Video games offer vast universes, endless plotlines, a range of characters, and plenty of action and adventure. With all these elements in play, itโs easy to understand why filmmakers are eager to bring this grand orchestration of story, plot, characters and multiple settings to the big screen.
The adaptation history has been shaky so far. Although generally performing well at the box office, these films tend to bomb with critics and (even worse) with fans of the original games.
Nevertheless, when it comes to the movies itโs never game over. Filmmakers continue to plough through the endless games available for never-been-done-before adaptations, or rebooting the ones that worked, didnโt work or kind of worked.ย
We take a look at ten of them below.
1. Street Fighter (1994)
Starring actor and martial artist Jean-Claude Van Damme, Street Fighterโs legacy was to go from game to movie to game. Based on the fighting game franchise, the movie adaptation was released in 1994 and led to a creation of arcade games based on the movie.ย However, this was not the first cinematic outing for some of the franchiseโs characters. In 1993, several of them appeared in a Jackie Chan film called City Hunter. In later years, characters would also appear on Family Guy and in Disneyโs Wreck-It Ralph.
2. Mortal Kombat (1995)
Paul W.S. Anderson must be a major video game fanatic, because heโs been a key player (awful pun, we know) in adapting the Resident Evil games since the first film, producing all six and directing four. However, he started on the video game path back in 1995 with an adaptation of the fighting game franchise, Mortal Kombat, with a sequel subtitled Annihilation released just two years later. A reboot has been bandied about since 2011, but whether or not it will ever be (re)made remains a mystery.
3. Final Fantasy (2001, 2005, 2016)
Created by video game designer Hironobu Sakaguchi in 1987, the first feature film of this vast franchise was released in 2001, and subtitled The Spirits Within. Even though some praised its technical innovation, it was mostly snubbed by critics, and fans of the game. Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, released four years later, fared only slightly better. Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV is the latest attempt and will be released this year. Reuniting Game of Thronesโ stars Sean Bean and Lena Headey, it will be interesting to see whether this film raises the bar on its predecessors.
4. Tomb Raider (2001, 2003)
First appearing in 1996, in the video game Tomb Raider, it was a mere six years before Lara Croft got her own feature film. The quick-thinking, fast-moving character was perfectly embodied by Angelina Jolie in two feature films, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life. Plans for a reboot have been announced, with Swedish actress Alicia Vikander cast as Croft.
5. Resident Evil (2002 โ 2017)
Another woman packing a powerful punch in a video-game adaptation is Milla Jovovich. As the main character, Alice, she has appeared in five films: Resident Evil and its sequels Apocalypse, Extinction, Afterlife and Retribution. A sixth movie, purportedly the last in the series, is due for release in 2017. Subtitled The Final Chapter, it was shot in Cape Town and Hartbeespoort Dam.
6. Silent Hill (2006, 2012)
Originally a Japanese survival horror video game, Silent Hill centers on cults and other elements of creep. This creepiness is exactly what the movie focuses on with its eerie atmosphere and even eerier cult members. The sequel, subtitled Revelation, has virtually disappeared into the pastโs murky fog, thanks to its poor reception.
7. Hitman (2007, 2015)
Focusing on Agent 47, a genetically engineered assassin, the Danish video game was first adapted for the screen in 2007. Timothy Olyphant was cast in the eponymous role, with Rupert Friend taking over in the 2015 reboot.
Watch Hitman: Agent 47ย on M-Net Movies Premiere this July.
8. The Angry Birds Movie (2016)
Itโs not all guns and gore. This year saw the release of the movie about furious feathered flutterers, based on the popular game. Backed by a voice cast that includes Peter Dinklage, Blake Shelton and Sean Penn, and focusing on the less violent plot of stolen eggs, it is one of the more successful video game adaptations.
9. Warcraft (2016)
The other big adaptation for 2016 is this epic fantasy film based on the novels based on the video games. Directed by Duncan Jones, who has already caused a (good) stirย with his excellent sci-fi features Moon and Source Code, it stars Vikingsโ Travis Fimmel as Sir Anduin Lothar.
10 Assassinโs Creed (2016)
This seems to be the year for movie adaptations of major gaming franchises, as 2016 will also see the release of Assassinโs Creed. Taking on the lead role is a rather unexpected choice: Michael Fassbender, hot off the heels of his Oscar nomination for Steve Jobs. Considering heโs appeared in graphic novel and comic book adaptations, maybe itโs not such a surprise after all. It also sees him reuniting with hisย Macbeth co-star and director, Marion Cotillard and Justin Kurzel, respectively.
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