A History Of Failure – Why Video Game Movies Suck

VGM-Payne.jpgOften when I think about the topic of Video Game movies, the theme song from the classic Disney film “Beauty and the Beast” comes to mind

Ever just the same
Ever a surprise
Ever as before
Ever just as sure
As the sun will rise

Tale as old as time
Tune as old as song
Bittersweet and strange
Finding you can change
Learning you were wrong
Certain as the sun
Rising in the east
Tale as old as time
Song as old as rhyme
Beauty and the Beast Video Game movies suck

Ok, I may have taken some liberties with the rhyming aspect of the song, but you get the point. It has become an inevitability, a sure thing, a guarantee… if a video game based movie comes to a theater near you, it will suck. There isn’t a lot of wiggle room here and not much compromise to be found. In the league of making crapy movies, video game movies are currently batting 1000.

And as I once said: : “What is equally predictable, is that no matter how many times that proverb is proved correct, every time a new video game adaptation is announced, the lovers of that particular game pronouce “THIS TIME IT WILL BE DIFFERENT!”, but it never ever ever ever is. The old chorus of “All video game movies suck” continues to be true.”

With all of the excitement of Max Payne coming out soon, I thought we’d take a short stroll down memory lane and remember just why we should never get our hopes up:

VGM-Mario.jpgSUPER MARIO BROTHERS
Ahhh… often the first thing is a taste of what is to come. The very first major picture based on a video game… and the stench is still lingering. Even Dennis Hopper, John Leguizamo and Bob Hoskins couldn’t save it
VGM-Double-Dragon.jpgDOUBLE DRAGON
With the flood gates opened, Double Dragon was the next live action Video game movie on the scene just beating Street Fighter to theaters by like a month. Only cool thing to say about this flick is that it’s hard to believe Robert Patrick was in it just after his T-2 days
VGM-Street-Fighter.jpgSTREET FIGHTER
I don’t know whose brilliant idea it was to make this movie in the first place let alone make the lead character in it Guile instead of Ryu or Ken… and THEN to make Jean Claude Van Damme the American solider. I can’t prove it, but I think the term “epic fail” may have been created just for this movie.
VGM-Mortal-Kombat.jpgMORTAL KOMBAT
I don’t which was stranger. Casting Christopher Lambert (who I love) as Rayden or Bridgette Wilson as Soyna Blade. Confession time… I LOVE this movie. But even I can’t deny its complete awfulness. Dear heavens they even made sequels.
VGM-Kombat-Anialation.jpgMORTAL KOMBAT: ANNIHILATION
So let’s take the really bad first movie, scrape together the few decent elements… throw them out the window and make a sequel! Yay!
VGM-Pokemon.jpgPOKEMON: THE FIRST MOVIE
Pokemon is more a card game, but they said they based it on the video game, so we’ll include it here. This whole movie was like some deranged acid trip that you just couldn’t come down from. Nasty terrible movie.
VGM-Wing-Commander.jpgWING COMMANDER
This was the first Video Game movie that pissed me off because I actually thought this one had a chance at being decent. Instead we were served with 3 servings of ass awful with a plate of boring on the side. And to think.. Freddie Prinze Jr was a hot commodity.
VGM-Tomb-Raider.jpgTOMB RAIDER
All my friends called this one “Boob Raider” for obvious reasons. The first “blockbuster” attempt at a video game movie and to this day still probably the one that came closest to actually being ok. It didn’t quite get there, but almost.
VGM-Final-Fantasy.jpgFINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN
At the time the single most stunning and beautiful example of 3D animation ever created. Unfortunately also one of the most incoherent and pathetic movies ever made. It almost felt like they took 18 vodka shots and then just made the movie up as they went along.
VGM-Resident-Evil.jpgRESIDENT EVIL
Putting hot chicks in tight and skimpy clothes armed with big guns and blades going around killing zombies sounds like a hard formula to screw up… and yet they found a way.
VGM-Tomb-Raider-2.jpgTOMB RAIDER: THE CRADLE OF LIFE
The first one was ALMOST an ok movie. Add Gerard Butler and Djimon Hounsou and you’d think that would push it into decent territory right? Ug. Wrong. The franchise turned south and never recovered.
VGM-House-Dead.jpgHOUSE OF THE DEAD
All hail Uwe Boll!!! You’d think a movie about showing up on an Island for a party only to find it infested with Zombies would jsut be a fun little easy flick right? HAHAHA!! Guess not.
VGM-Resident-Apocalypse.jpgRESIDENT EVIL: APOCALYPSE
Studio Head: “Hey we really screwed up the first on and we still made money! Dress her hup in even less clothes this time, put in half the effort, make it even worse and let’s see if we can still make profit”. Turns out he could.
VGM-ALone-In-Dark.jpgALONE IN THE DARK
Another entry into the Uwe Boll files. But really… did you even have to see the name Uwe Boll to know this was going to be horrible? For heavens sake the name Tara Reid appears on the poster. What more did you need to know?
VGM-Doom.jpgDOOM
Karl Urban and The Rock were solid cast decisions… and boy did the fan boys swear up and down that THIS was the video game movie that would rule and change the tide. Turns out it was one of the worst ever. Do you remember that ridiculous first person shooter view scene? Yikes.
VGM-BloodRayne.jpgBLOODRAYNE
You know, this one had some potential. Not a bad mythology behind the main character, a cast lead by Oscar winner Ben Kingsley, and a drunk Michael Madsen running around set swinging a sword haphazardly. However, it blew and becomes the third Uwe Boll film on this list.
VGM-Silent-Hill.jpgSILENT HILL
Horror video game movies seem to be all the rage. This is another one that had some potential and even started off ok, but then quickly spiraled downwards and ended up just completely nonsensical. For a “horror” movie it was dreadfully non-frightening or even eerie.
VGM-DOA.jpgDOA: DEAD OR ALIVE
This one had people talking about while it was still in production. The hyper sexy images and clips being released turned the atmosphere of the project into one of soft-core porn instead of an action video game movie. Nothing wrong with tits and ass and hot babes kicking copious amounts of it (except for the tits part), but it would be nice if it didn’t suck.
VGM-Resident-Extinction.jpgRESIDENT EVIL: EXTINCTION
Trailers are funny things. Even though the first two Resident Evil films sucked, the trailer for this one convinced me there may be a chance it would be ok. Oh those evil deceptive trailers.
VGM-Hitman.jpgHITMAN
Another video game movie where the fans of the game swore up and down that THIS movie would be awesome. Certainly cast a good lead and as many others it certainly had potential… but it failed miserably. The one good thing I can say is that it introduced us to a very naked Olga Kurylenko, possibly one of the hottest women alive and the new James Bond girl.
VGM-Dungeon-Siege.jpgIN THE NAME OF THE KING: A DUNGEON SIEGE TALE
It certainly had a decent amount of names in the cast. Jason Statham, Ron Perlman, John Rhys-Davies, Claire Forlani, Ray Liotta, Matthew Lillard (who was actually pretty funny in it), Burt Reynolds (yes, THE Burt Reynolds). You know what, it came close. A few key changes here and there and it might have been a passable fantasy flick. Did a few things right, but too many things wrong.

WHY DO VIDEO GAME MOVIES SUCK?

Many game fans will often put forth ideas and theories about why all the video game movies up till this point have been poor. The theories usually revolve around the writers or the studios… but when you have a pattern like this (video game movies sucking) you have to look for the common denominator. In this case… they’re all video game movies.

With that simple logic, I propose (as I have many times in the past, but never in its own dedicated post) that there in an inherent weakness with the genre itself that almost condemns these projects to certain death the moment they’re born in a studio office. So why do Video Game movies suck? Well…

#1 – Video Games are made for gameplay, not narrative story telling
When a game developer is putting their game together, their first priority (or at least it should be) is gameplay. How well does this play, how enjoyable, creative and easy is this game to operate and what will the user experience be like. Their first priority is not to tell a 90 minute narrative story. Yes, story plays a part of any good game, but it’s only a side element to the over all game experience. And really, when you break it all down there is about 10 minutes of narrative story in any given game.

People will often mistake a great “premise” with a great “story”. They’re two different things. The premise of Bioshock is fantastic, but the actual amount of narrative in the game is completely minimal.

It’s not like adapting a comic or a novel that already have massive amounts of narrative laid out that can be adapted. Making a video game movie is basically starting from scratch with nothing but an idea for a story rather than a story itself.

#2 – Gamers imaginations fill in the gaps
Because video games are so sparse when it comes to narrative (and there’s nothing wrong with that since they’re designed for gameplay in the first place) each fan of the game has a different notion in their minds about what would fill in the narrative gaps. It’s fine to make a Halo game and say Master Chief has a meeting with some Captain who has vital information… but there is no reference for that meeting, what is said in it, how it impacts the rest of the narrative or anything else for that matter. To the game player that’s not an issue and their own imaginations can fill in those gaps… the problem is what a movie actually DOES flesh those elements out, there is a 99% if won’t match what was in the game player’s imagination. Now I’m talking in generalities here, but the principle is that because the game lacks pre-existing narrative, what the fan’s CONCEPT of what the narrative may look like is probably not what is going to manifest, thus leaving the audience wanting.

#3 – Everyone has a different idea of what “respect the source material” means
This one is a common lamentation I hear from game fans when their favorite games turn out to be horrible movies. “They didn’t respect the source material”. The problem with that assertion is that… what do they mean by “source material”? This goes back again to the first point about lack of real narrative. Since the game doesn’t have it, each person will have a different idea about which elements constitute “source material” to them. So what do they mean? Do they mean the atmosphere of the game? Do they mean the characters present in the game? Do they mean the premise of the game? Again, each person will have a different idea simply because the game itself doesn’t provide it.

So there you have it. Does all the preceding mean that there will never be a good video game movie? Not at all. The law of averages dictates that eventually lighting will strike a monkey in the forest that no one will here fall (or am I mixing metaphors?). At some point one has to come along to break the streak… and then maybe that movie will provide a new paradigm for the entire genre that others can then follow to continued success. But until that day folks… assume the worst of video game movies. Keep your expectations low and caution high. Those that forget the past are doomed to repeat it (in the care of Resident Evil, repeat it twice).

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109 thoughts on “A History Of Failure – Why Video Game Movies Suck

  1. Hello there, just become alert to your weblog through Google, and found that it’s really informative. I?m gonna watch out for brussels. I will appreciate in the event you continue this in future. A lot of people will probably be benefited out of your writing. Cheers!

  2. I have to disagree with pokemon. Being a fan of the thing itself I find it good enough. But I believe others just saw it as nothing more then piss because if you done some research on the thing,well all I have to say that the Americans are such pussys. The completle removed any referance of god and etc. Obviously so not to offend the Pope himself. If you get him to go on a crusade on your ass I can safely say you are doomed.

  3. To me one game that really felt like you were taking part in a movie was God of War.
    I would love to see God of War made into a movie.

    It starts off with the main character attempting to commit suicide. Then shows the events that led to him getting to that point. I think the way the story gradually evolved, giving you bits and pieces of his past would work on screen.
    Just leave out a lot of the puzzle solving which doesen’t really work onscreen that well.
    of course, getting the chains to work like real weapons would be a major obstacle and could kill that movie.
    of course they would probably put Keanu Reaves in as Kratos.
    I can see it now…
    …. Dude Ares… that was totally not cool what you did to my family.

    On second thought … please don’t make god of war into a movie

  4. I kinda like Resident Evil, scratch that, I like it a lot. Compared to other vidgame-based movies, the writers managed to create a solid story. A bit disappointment with the sequel, though. And unfortunately, the third movie didn’t do any better either :(

    As for Mortal Kombat, albeit they could’ve done a better job with the casting, was quite an entertaining movie–much better than Street Fighter for sure. But they did a pretty good job at wrecking the sequel.

  5. Studio execs make the decision to make video game movies, rarely creatives (if any). The reasoning is that video games already have a target market and are cheap to market to that core. At the same time, they want it to appeal to as many people in general with a 2-minute trailer. (the “If you loved that movie, you’ll love this movie” thinking). It’s not about making a good movie, it’s about hedging your bets, because execs are so busy covering their asses, they don’t have time to actually do any work.

    Ultimately, the (Hollywood) studio execs don’t care about anything that can’t be sold to people who don’t speak English. It’s all about international audiences nowadays so the trailer’s got to say everything about this movie. “It’s got to look cool, it’s got to be loud, it’s got to have explosions!”.

    Now, that may work for games, where flashy graphics and awesome gameplay are more important than strong unique stories — and that’s fine because games have the ‘challenge factor’. you’ve got to beat the bad-ass difficult mutha (boss battles) to keep progressing. Movies don’t whup the audiences’ ass until you have to go online for a walkthrough / cheat.

    Creatives on the other hand aren’t invested in the material (source or otherwise) to imbue the movie with stuff that makes movies good — a relatable protagonist that grows from strength to strength. Even in games, your character can pick up new skills as you progress through the game, but most vid game adaptations have the character being able to do everything from the beginning (flying through the air while eating a cheese sandwich) without showing the struggle in developing that skill / themselves. Even in comic book movies you have characters who discover and develop their powers over the course of the first movie. In video games? Everyone and their mothers know how to shoot a gun… everyone’s born with a gun in each hand (and unlimited ammo).

    But there’s hope. Currently most movie creatives are comic book fans (and cartoon fans), not necessarily video game fans. Fast forward a generation — maybe 10 years or so, and the people who grew up on Xbox’s and PS2’s instead of Saturday Morning Cartoons and X-Men will be in the industry — and might well care enough to write / direct that great video game movie. Or we could just have “Madden 2019: The Movie”

  6. Why do people always mix up “good movie” with “movie i liked”?
    Or even better “good movie” with “good content/content i liked in the movie”??
    You talked about Postal a little while ago… and said many people say it was a “good movie”. No, it wasn’t.
    Perhaps the people liked it because it was “oh so” anti and “brave” or anything (not that it was, but ya). But just because you liked the content of the movie doesn’t make it a good one, you know?
    Bolls movies don’t “improve”, his first was just as bad as his last one. So no, he doesn’t improve.
    And I’m not talking about the subjective stuff (like i said, the content, if you liked the movie or not etc).

  7. Have you played these video games before watching their respective movies? I didn’t and I thought Resident Evil 2 & 3 were alright movies. Hitman was the best attempt yet in my opinion, though I didn’t even know it was a video game until it came up in your list. I wonder, does knowing a movie is an adaption of a game affect your opinion?

  8. Hold on here…now we all but know that all video game movies suck. HOWEVER, has anyone thought of The Prince of Persia being a canadite to break the curse? It has an excellent storyline first of all. Next, it has a grat cast and is being made by the guys who put together Pirates of the Carribean. This one will be good.

  9. I think that even tough Pirates of the Caribbean wasn’t actually based on a videogame, they did manage to make a cool movie out of a theme-ride game, with just a few visual references and a vague story to get them started, so I see no reason why the same couldn’t be done for a videogame. I think Prince of Persia could be fun. And to be fair, most videogames based on movies suck too.

  10. I agree that at this point, the only hope we have is Gore Verbinski’s Bioshock. Partly because that even as narrative-driven as the game was, it’ll be a winner as long as you preserve the setting and a few key points about the storyline (Andrew Ryan and Jack’s relationship, the identity of Atlas, some stuff about what the Little Sisters and Big Daddies were for). I think the stuff about characters like Dr.s Tenenbaum and Suchong aren’t all that important, and Sander Cohen will be the Tom Bombadil of the film.

    As long as Verbinski keeps the main themes about the libertarian dystopia and the nature of Andrew Ryan, Atlas, and Jack, it should be good enough imho.

    Prince of the Persia seems to me like Jake Gyllenhaal’s version of Christian Bale’s Terminator 4- both are actors are just slumming in a popcorn fest.

  11. i think you have the wrong idea of why video game movies suck. i will admit though, history has tended to repeat itself.

    accomplished movie makers tend to ignore video game movies as a whole. look at who created the Super Mario Bros. movie.

    now if you tell me that you have talent like say Guillermo Del Torro behind something like Halo or Peter Jackson and it’d be a much better job than anyone else could do.

    it’s much like the comic book movie franchise. it was dead and never taken seriously for close to 10 years and now it’s arguably the biggest money-making movie franchise around.

  12. The games are bad because they change the core elements. Having
    the same characters is only part of the formula. Take the Dragon Ball
    movie for instance. The director said he changed it to feel more, modern,
    and took the fantasy, alien world aspect out of it. Yes, it has Goku,
    Bulma, and Piccolo, but Dragon Ball Z is set in the distant future.
    Bulma makes hover cars for godsakes, and they have Goku driving
    around in a car? It doesnt make sense to use the characters but
    not have them in context of the game. Piccolo kung fu fighting in
    a night club? What do they think the movie is going to turn out like.
    Resident Evil 2 and Mortal Kombat were good because they GOT the
    story. Jill is trapped in a city with Nemesis..That is resident evil. Lui
    Kang has to fight in a tournament of souls…that is Mortal Kombat.
    Goku learning Kung Fu in New York, and has a biker girlfriend
    named Bulma, and is stalked by a trenchoat wearing mutant named
    Piccolo is not Dragon Ball. Silent Hill is also a good one, whether u
    liked it or not, it was Silent Hill, with themes and characters.

  13. Actually many video games are made for storytelling, most rpgs for instance, many of which are not only fascinating but completely captivating. I am a huge rpg fan and the only reason I play them is for the story. It’s just too difficult to condense 60 hours of gameplay into a one and a half hour movie.

  14. Because of the requirement for interactive material, no video game is going to have the narrative or the structure that is required for a good screenplay. In a game, they can’t tell you everything the character does because you have choices, and they can only have a loose structure because otherwise the game would feel like Legend of Dragoon, where you’re forced from one point to the next with no exploration. For a good screenplay, you need a good structure, you need compelling characters, you need pace and you need balance. Those who said that movies based on video games failed because they didn’t stick to the source material are misleading yourselves. Sticking to the source material — that gameplay elements, the spare plot, the cliche and one dimensional characters — is what makes these movies bad.

    That said, those of you who said that the movies don’t have to be bad are right. Many good movies have been made out of novels, and structurally novels really aren’t good for movie adaptations. They aren’t limited enough in time and space, they aren’t as cohesive as a movie needs to be, and they are too long with too many characters. So if screenplay writers can overcome the limitations in novels, they can overcome the limitations in video game adaptation.

    Sad to say, but the limitation right now appears to me to be that they adapt these games with the original game audience in mind, thinking that they have a built in audience, and so they try to make the movie in some way like a video game. There’s also a lot of impatience, and they don’t wait to get the right people in the project and the right script. In order to make the movie good, though, they have to betray the source material. I think, though, as video game technology improved and continues to improve, they should be able to borrow visual styles, and perhaps the feeling of the movie.

    Those who said that it was a problem that the film makers don’t play the games may be right. Can you imagine Lord of the Rings if Peter Jackson hadn’t been a fan of the book? In adapting something, I think the wisdom is that it’s best to get the spirit of the thing and not worry too much about getting in all the characters or plot points. How can you get the spirit of a movie you haven’t watched, a book you haven’t read, or a game you haven’t played? That said, only one question remains for me. How many games truly have a spirit to them?

  15. HA! in my first comment i was about to say “i better not hear anyone say they want a bioshock movie or a god of war movie” but i didnt

    but i didnt think it was necessary to put it but a couple of people said it xD

    haha…well im saying it now for you guys that said it…no god of war…no bioshock…halo has a horrible story…im looking forward to prince of persia but i was also looking forward to hitman

  16. a little too much debate for a subject that has already been concluded by everyone thats human (80 comments?)

    i thought humanity already agreed to agree on the “these movies suck” subject…

    and it died after hitman when everyone agreed to say “video game movies suck” this has alredy been established but of course, john had to remind the few of us that have hope for max payne about the very consistantly shitty record video game movies have been keeping

    old news, but this is johns way of reminding us that max payne WILL suck (and it will)

    NEXT!

  17. While I respect what you are trying to say John, It really isn’t complicated. There are two major factors why there has yet to be a really stellar video game movie, neither of which you named in your original post.

    #1 Choosing the wrong IP or franchise.

    This is easily the most common mistake made when turning a video game into a movie. Just because something makes a great game and sells well does not mean it translates into a good premise for a movie, just like all movies good movies do not easily lend themselves to being made into a compelling game. Just looking at that list of movies, I see five movies based on a fighting game. The games these movies are based on barely have a plot, so is it really smart to try to manufacture a movie from such a limited premise? The same applies to Super Mario Brothers. I mean, you can’t get any more basic than the plot of SMB and yet someone decided that was the game to try to stretch into a 90 minute movie. That’s just not smart.

    #2 Video game publishers not being discerning in who the sell movie rights to, and Hollywood not investing the talent or money to make a quality product.

    Even in the few instances when Hollywood chooses a to make a movie from a video game franchise that lends itself to the silver screen, they have never taken the proper steps to make sure the end result is a quality movie. Whether it’s going with a hack director (you know who I mean) or some kid just out of film school that directed a couple cool looking music videos, or hiring a second-rate writer to adapt the script, or cheaping out on the on-screen talent, there has never been a movie based on a video game to date that has been given a fair shot at being a GOOD movie. Look at the few movies based on video games that are at least decent (Tomb Raider, Silent Hill). They at least had some combination at least two of the following: a fitting budget, a quality screenwriter and director, or decent actors. That alone should prove that if a video game movie is ever given all three, it could easily be as good as a movie based off any other medium.

    I’m really hoping that the Bioshock movie and rumored MGS movie get the type of support they deserve and we can disprove once and for all that it’s impossible to make a good video game movie.

  18. I don’t understand one of your main conceits.

    You say a good premise doesn’t mean a good story you say.

    Well it does if you take the premise and then spend the time to make a good story from it.

    Transformers john is a great case. They come from something that had no narrative whatsoever. A paragraph “premise” blurb on the back of a toy packet. the tv show the movie everything all comes from an inanimate toy.

    If you got decent talent on board one of these things you could make a good film but they always load them up with hack writers and directors.

  19. I’ve started writing a script for PacMan and can’t stop writing. I think it can actually be a great date movie (Pac and Pepper (Ms Pac Man) with their cute round yellow heads and healthy-shaped bodies), but I think big movie studios would give me a hard time when they make the connection between Power Pills and illegal drug use, and I don’t think I’d ever get the rights from Namco-Bandai to make it as an independent studio either (too risky for them), and with the wide appeal of interest it’s destined to draw too much conflicting attention and end up in development hell.

  20. Good post. I was just wondering, have you ever played Metal Gear Solid? Thats a game I think disproves all your theories. There’s an intense narrative because it was designed to be have a movie story telling. It’s awesome. If you get the PS3 you should pick up the 1st one.

  21. @Padthai

    “The one movies that does follow the games well is Mortal Kombat, and it’s basically a kung-fu movie. It totally works”

    MK had its moments, I’ll give you that. But as much I loved techno in the 90’s, it did get on my nerves in that film…and as for the plot of MK? Repeat after me:

    Enter.
    The.
    Dragon.

    *************

    I agree with John for the most part on his listing here. Looks like he got ’em all. However, I liked Res Evil 3 a hell of a lot better that the first two films. I also still stand behind my thoughts on Silent Hill, which I could not disagree with John Campea more on.

    That said, I do agree that some of the fanbase for most of these things-including Silent Hill- put toouch stock into the films. In fact, when the charge comes out regarding Hill “You must play the game to really get it and understand”…well, to this freaking day I haven’t played the darned game, probably never will, and I still liked the film, and I got it. But whatever love I had for the film has slided over these past few years, partially because of the fanbase turning me off…but also because I would up enjoying John Carpenter’s In The Mouth Of Madness even more. (I dare anyone to make a comparison to that film with the Silent Hill film)

    Tomb Raider came the closest, although if that’s as good as it gets, then, yes, until the Earthworm Jim film gets made, all video game movies for the most part stink.

  22. Hopefully video game movies will get better…unlikely though. The only good “video-game” movies are those made by the developers themselves
    (except FF: Sprits Within). Look at FF: Advent Children, Dead Space (animated), or the upcoming Resident Evil: Degeneration. Video games shouldn’t be made into movies unless they have enough decent source material e.g. MGS. I hope Gore Verbinski of “Pirates” fame doesn’t screw up Bioshock…that game was trill.

  23. Lol, I love how everyone is telling me that the Max Payne movie will be good but I now have an article with facts to prove that there has NEVER been a great or even good video game movie adaption. I believe Tomb Raider came the closest but still failed miserably.
    I agree, video games in general are more gameplay-driven than plot-driven. But I think the major problem with video game to film adaptions is that most video game concepts work well as VIDEO GAMES, not films. Most video game plots are far too unreaslistic and this is done to make the gameplay more interesting. When this is put onto a big screen it just becomes ridiculous.

  24. A good point is made about the amount of narrative in Videogames vs movies, where part of the “narrative” of a good story based videogame should be the play experience, which you can’t really convey in a film. As well it seems too many of these filmmakers try to make a “videogame movie” rather than just a movie… though we have yet to see truly A-List directorial and writing talent take up a movie based on a Videogame, I guess it all comes down to how Bioshock and Prince of Persia turn out, since both have actual talent behind them.

  25. Advent Children was a fan-service sequel to the game “Final Fantasy VII” itself and had nothing to do with “The Spirits Within.” It’s not exactly the best example of a video game movie since the story is absolutely retarded if you’ve never played the game before.

    Still, the action sequences alone overshadow the bad script. It’s hard to concentrate on character development when you’ve got people racing through a tunnel at 500 mph throwing exploding motorcycles at each other and a sword fight that destroys half a city. I like to think FF7AC is what inspired the style of animated action movies like “TMNT” and “Kung Fu Panda.”

  26. I have fond memories of Resident Evil since I saw that on my best friend’s birthday. About twenty of us went to the movies to see this and we were alone in the theater. The laser room sequence was cool, but other than that, it’s shit. You can “feel” the budget throughout that film, if you get what I mean.

    Fun fact: the zombie dog effect was accomplished by dumping pasta on the dogs, and the dogs kept eating it:)

  27. AZA,
    What sequel to The Spirits Within? If you meant Advent Children, it was not a sequel (to The Spirits Within). Advent Children was good, but take into account it had a very specific target base, and it’s not a live-action film. Video game movies work better so far as animations, because there is more suspension of disbelief, and you can think more about the character than the actor portraying it.

  28. It’s funny John doesn’t have Final fantasy Advent Children on there. That was a pretty damn good movie.

    As far video games being made into movies. I want to see max payne it looks like it has mad potential to be good.

    Secondly a Rachet and Clank movie would be awesome. For those of you who haven’t played any from the Ratchet and Clank series you all are missing out.

  29. I still think That BioShock will be a great Movie. BUt one that could be real good, using the universe and creating a side story is from the Mass Effect game.

  30. FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN
    “Unfortunately also one of the most incoherent and pathetic movies ever made.”

    That is the way of a lot of Anime flicks. This was not a turn off the brain and look at the pretty CGI flick. You had to think and if you could follow it you it was pretty damn good.

  31. you are so wrong…
    final fantasy : the spirits within was awful, but the sequel was super-cool !
    sure , it was a direct to dvd release, but it had the best fight scene i seen in a a movie (animated or no)

  32. Don’t forget point 4 John; they can never get a reputable and talented big name director to make them (I guess Gore Verbinski would be the first but he’s on thin ice with a lot of us right now because of those Pirates sequels). After all, you said Del Toro would be in a ‘no win’ situation directing Halo and so he didn’t.

    I think your point 3 is the best one sir. A lot of the time what kills these video game projects is the collaboration between the studio that wants to make the film and the company that made the game, both having a completely different idea how to make a great movie, but only one of those parties being qualified to do so.

    I read a book called ‘Tales from Development Hell’ which gives a great insight into the painful development of the Tomb Raider movie and how several potentiall great versions of the first movie kept getting stalled by conflict between the producers and EIDOS who made the games. It’s a damn shame becase Tomb Raider was a game inspired by a movie so it seemed to have the best chance of working (and I don’t agree that the first one was even close to ok – it was an abomination imo).

  33. ok so the reason that the movies suck is the writers plain n simple…for the uneducated comments on the street fighter movie just bieng wierd characters kicking the shit out of each other…well there is actually a long and large story line with ryu and akuma…..every one has its own story that has been written by actual writers but never made it in america…..and to say halo would be the only one that would make a good story is just xbox fanboy chitchat…are you telling me ithat the first 3 resident evil games wouldnt have worked if they where done like games? what about bioshock…Max Payne movie sucked cause they deviated from the original source….gow about castlevania…i mean the story line of the belmonts could be massive series with cool sequals…again comics and books have been made allready but instead hollywood would rather higher a shitty your writer to write the script for it…..ok and if those dont work the fuck it make a river city ransom movie and then have a real movie about just kicking the shit out of people…..making educated comments isnt just for scientific or mathmatical problems they are also great for fiction…and video games have a huge story board for many many venues….like you said about the kevin smith comment on giant fucking spiders….they are just getting the wrong people to make these films.

  34. The most all-inclusive point that explains why all these movies fail as films is simply because NO ONE directing ANY of these films are real fans of the material, let alone gamers. In theory video games should not be difficult to translate into film, considering all the material is all laid out in front of you. Sure there are pacing differences, but it’s still a story. If all parties involved truly understood what it it is about something that makes it special AND are there from the beginning to guide others in the right direction, then we would see some drastic improvements.
    Unfortunately it is true that most companies stick to a more “tried and true” formula and most directors and execs are too old or too out of touch with the game culture to begin with, which contributes heavily to the life-less echoes they continue to churn out from truly inspired material. But we will have to wait a couple more years until that generation of kids (like myself) that grew up playing games like Resident Evil, have the chance to adapt the games they are so in tuned with, to films (like a Zack Snyder-type for instance). Just give them some time to get recognized. It’ll happen sooner than later.
    I already predict an entire reboot of the Resident Evil franchise in 10 to 15 years. I’m sure there will be no objection.

  35. KANTHAN

    “Pirates of the carrbian is a ride and has no story at all but they still made a great film”

    Yeah, but it only worked as a silly inspiration for the universe. With video games, you’ve got to keep the original universe in mind all the time. Old games like Street Fighter don’t really have any innovative universes, so you’ve got to improvise (with good and – no bad and bad success). But as the technology and resources nowadays give loose, we now have more and more chances to experience bigger, deeper and more realistic game universes than ever (like, more realistic than Super Mario Bros), which can be used in film making business.

    I believe it’s only a matter of time before some film maker hits the jackpot.
    I believe

  36. I fully agree, many of these movies just tried to be other movies, so they felt like predictable cliches, especially the ones that take themselves too seriously. Plus, games with rich story and source material will alienate the fanboys if they change the material, and disappoint them if they don’t introduce anything new. What we need to do is take simple games that leave things to the imagination, and present them in a whole new light, without trying to look like something else. Examples:

    Pac Man: Pac Man could be be a supernatural thriller about Pac Man and Ms Pac Man (who look like people with ‘Pac’ heads), who stroll around the maze-like city looking for groceries, are terrorized by ghosts until they hit their emotional breaking point (swallow pills?), investigate the hauntings, and hunt down the ghosts. We may finally get some backstory on how Inky, Blinky, Pinky, Clyde/Sue died, and why they attack people. It’s a small main cast, calls for little destruction, and I think a budget of only $50K-$100K has the potential to make this a starkly original and emotionally gripping film.

    Katamari Damacy: Forget what you think you know about astronomy, and logic. Nicholas Cage stars as the Prince (according to an April Fool’s Game Informer). Here is fertile soil for a timeless tale of the bond between a son and his stern (but loving at heart) alcohol-loving father. We learn about their cosmic race, how they steward the heavens, strive to pursue true beauty, and their fascination with the variety and diversity of things on earth. Set up the stage for the Prince to prove his worth to his father (a few 5-minute rolling episodes in several locales can pad the time. It might be interesting to see how he chooses which way to go to roll things up). Throw in some rivalry with his cousins. For more depth, the Prince talks to the people inside his katamari and receives advice. It all leads up to the task of rebuilding the moon. The following 10-15 minute scene will cost $10,000,000,000 as he geometrically rolls up an entire Japanese city, and moves on to roll all over the world! At the end what happens to all the people and animals in the katamari? They’ll “Shine down on us in beauty forever!” The people wave smiling and teary-eyed up at the Prince and the beautiful new stars in the sky. Keep it upbeat, quirky, and kawaii!

  37. I do agree that pretty much all movies based on games have sucked but i gotta defend games somewhat because i believe there are games out there that do have great narratives like MGS series, Half Lifes, Grim Fandango and my personnel favourite Final Fantasy VII. Anyone whose played FFVII will tell you that over half that game is filled with narritive, dialogue and cut scenes hell it’s more of a story book than a game imo.

    I also agree with the people saying it’s the genre/type of game that is being translated thats one of the problems, FPS, RTS, Beat’em Up’s wont really work but a meaty RPG would be better.

  38. @Lesterf1020

    Adventure games would make great movies. In those ones, the gameplay is all about making narrative choices, not working on your reflexes. They’re practically finished movies the way they are. Unfortunately, those went out of style in the early 90’s when games like Doom started taking over, so box office can’t really rely on the fans for them.

    I intend to see a Gabriel Knight movie before I die, even if I have to film it myself. If graphic novels can step out of obscurity long enough to get all their epic stories out in the open, adventure games can do the same.

  39. I think the problem is also about the money. Execs see potential and want to cash money but they completely forget about doing the screenplay and adaptation right.

    Japanese did “Final Fantasy 7 Advent Children” and it was great and was done by japanese. I think Hollywood always do things the wrong way when adapting a game for the big screen.

    I want to give some credit that they are trying very hard in some cases, but I think it is not enough.

  40. I think one of the big problems with video game movies is the genre. All video game movies seem to come from the action or First person Shooter genres. These games were designed primarily for action gameplay with just enough plot and dialogue to keep the story moving and make the gameplay less monotonous. I submit that real time strategy games are similar. However, these are the popular games that everyone has heard of.

    They should be making movies of Adventure games. Those games are made for their narrative and many are essentially long interactive books. So I think if Hollywood wants to make a non sucky video game movie they need to look at the great Adventure Games. The problem with that is that Adventure games are not popular.

    I mean most people know “tomb raider” and “doom’ but who ever heard of “Grim Fandango” or “The Longest Journey”?

  41. IN THE NAME OF THE KING: A DUNGEON SIEGE TALE

    All I recall from this movie is a battle scene where the orcs or whatever the hell they were, started firing their catapults and such. They were firing fireballs or something; fine, I could accept that.

    Then came this scene:

    Orc A decides to sit down on the business end of a catapult.
    Orc B decides to set Orc A on fire.
    Orc C fires said catapult hurling Orc A into a distant tree.

    I think I sat there for a good 5 or 10 minutes or so trying to figure out how in the hell a scene like that is spared from is rightful place on the cutting room floor.

    1. That’s Uwe Boll for you.

      He had a fightscene with two hot chicks in water…. and made it boring.
      He made Ben Kingsley look like a bad actor.
      If you watch Bloodrayne … and I don’t recommend it.. you can actually find the point where Michael Madsen quits trying.

  42. The two best adaptations I’ve ever seen are the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy and “Pirates of the Caribbean.” And considering their success, I consider this proof enough that anything that falls between a novel and a boat ride can be turned into a great movie. Video games should be a no-brainer.

    There are plenty that have both great stories and premises. Often, I find the gameplay acts like filler in more modern games. And if there isn’t a great story, just make one up that fits within the context of the premise. Don’t dig up recycled formulas to fill in the gaps.

    And “Spirits Within” – not a video game movie. They just slapped the label onto an Aliens clone for some reason. Unless the movie features guns, swords, magic, machines, monsters, and a spikey-headed hero, it isn’t Final Fantasy.

  43. the problem, as many have mentioned before, is two-fold. sometimes, the most popular games (super mario bros, mortal kombat, street fighter, doom, etc) don’t really have stories to begin with. so making a movie based on them is nothing more than a cash-grab.

    second, the games that do have great, compelling stories (resident evil, wing commander, silent hill, max payne) get screwed with so much that they’re unrecognizable afterward. again, cash grab. if game adaptations actually stuck to the source material (john, none of the video-game movies you listed above do that at even the most basic level.) if paul w.s. anderson had made a resident evil movie with the characters from the first game (chirs, jill, barry, WESKER) and stuck to the original plot, it would have been an infinitely better film. but no, we need milo jovovich is a little red dress. the same goes for any number of videogame adaptations.

    i also have to vehemently disagree with john regarding the stories (or supposed lack thereof) in video games. many have rich, engaging plots that make the game what it is (mgs, ff, resident evil, half-life, resistance, etc). you clearly haven’t been playing the right games, or any games at all.

  44. I actually enjoy Mortal Kombat and the RE movies, more or less as guilty pleasures.

    The real question shouldn’t be how come all movies based on games suck, but instead why do all games based on movies suck?

  45. I like resident evil and Mortal Kombat may be one of the best movies of all time….yeah.
    Anyway video games movies suck, probably because Uwe Bull does half of them, does anyone see any of this guys movies. I rented dungeon siege not know it was done by him, after an hour of awfulness I checked and sure enough it was made by Uwe. He should give up.
    I really just wanted ot rant on DOOM. I had such high expectations for that one, the premise was just so awesome–Aliens who portrayed themselves as our own ideology of hell, perfect. Although they should have just dropped Doom 1 and went straight for the hell on earth phase. Just a massive attack of demons verse our military. Cant fuck that up.
    …DAMN!!

  46. i liked silent hill quite a bit.

    imo – the medium continues to a evolve. i think it is unfair to compare the story from double dragon or mario to the story of FF3 or Bioshock.

    as time goes on, big budget games in certain genres continue to become more cinematic and the narrative skill continues to develop.

    i think that video games are becoming much more then products for children, and in time some movies based on them will begin to reflect that.

    also – max payne is going to suck balls.

  47. Without having the argument on if they are good or not, I just want to state that of the list about, I like and own the following:
    Mortal Kombat
    Tomb Raider 1 & 2
    Resident Evil 1, 2 & 3
    Silent Hill

    I also own Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, but I haven’t watched it in so long, I don’t remember the story. I thought I liked it, but I would need to see it again to see if i still do.

  48. I honestly just think that time after time BAD filmmakers are involved. There was no reason that Hitman had to be bad, and there’s no reason that Max Payne has to be bad.

    I’m going to see Max Payne hopefully sometime this weekend and I am hoping it breaks the chain. But just like Resident Evil, which I think is a fairly decent trilogy, I think it will be one only liked by a few including myself.

  49. Padthai.
    What would a Street Fighter movie be about?
    What is the core concept or “story” of SF other than wacky looking characters kicking the shit out of each other?

  50. I agree with ADOX that Final Fantasy wasn’t actually based on any of the FF games per se. So really it shouldn’t be in this list. It was a flop but you can’t call it a video game movie when the only thing it shares with a game is the title.

  51. I’d bet on Bioshock maybe breaking the trend (never played it by the way so no preconceptions) just because of Gore Verbinski – I mean he turned a RIDE into one of the most successful franchises ever. So it would seem visionaries rather than Uwe Boll’s need to be taking charge – would anyone doubt a Crash Bandicoot movie for example? Yes they would how about Christopher Nolan’s Crash Bandicoot? Just saying great directors can make good movies out of manure.

  52. Mortal Kombat is pretty damn good for a video game movie. It’s not easy to make a logical plot out of a tournament format type game with mutants, but they pulled it off well.

    And the soundtrack is fucking awesome. I had the cd as a kid.

  53. John,

    do you think Metal Gear Solid has any chance of being a good video game adaptation? A hell of a lot of effort is put into the storyline in that game (the cut scenes in total probably last longer than the gameplay does:P). It just struck me as one of the few that has potential (along with Prince of Persia, which they are doing). What do you think?

  54. I totally disagree ‘Video Games are made for gameplay, not narrative story telling’ this may be true that videogames first prority is gameplay but that doesnt mean that they dont also have a good narrative. John you obviously haven’t played Pheonix wright, Mass effect, Grim fandango and MGS all these games have better narratives then any film i ve seen this year.

    Pirates of the carrbian is a ride and has no story at all but they still made a great film

  55. A few people have already drawn the first comparisson I thought of when I read this article: comic book movies. Until a few years ago, it was pretty much a rule that all comic inspired movies would suck (however a few exceptions did exist). But now we’ve seen that while they can indeed suck, if done well they can be great as well.

    Video game inspired movies are really no different. There is no reason why they have to be bad, simply due to what inspired them. If you look at the actual reason why the films suck as films (and forget what they’re inspired by), it’s bad stories and bad directing, often bad acting as well. The genre’s of the films (martial arts, action, zombies) have had some successful, great films made. But the video game inspired films fail to measure up.

    I think the problem is just that the films aren’t made for any artistic merit. The directors and actors have no love for the material, it’s just a studio decision to do a tie-in that they think will make money. Street Fighter should have been a fantastic martial arts film. Instead clearly whoever made that movie wanted to make a military based action film. The film lacks a propper direction, and ends up not being a good martial arts OR military action film. The end results are usually films that fans of the game don’t like, but neither do average film goers with no previous knowledge of what to expect. That tells me they’re just bad movies all round, and the fact they’re based on video games really doesn’t come into why they’re bad.

    If you can have great martial arts films, then why could Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat not potentially be just as good? If you can have great zombie films, why couldn’t Doom or Resident Evil have been fantastic? If you can have so many great action films made each year, why couldn’t characters from a video game be slotted into a similarly well made film? Simply, there is no reason why the MUST suck; it’s just been a “history of failure” to date.

    Give it time, and good films will come from video games eventually. They’re a relatively new medium. Only in the last few years have games had more story added to them. Back when Mario Brother was made, it was based on a game only a step above Pac Man in terms of dramatic elements.

    There are a lot of positives as to why a video game film could lead to something really good. Usually a video game provides great visuals, interesting characters, great action sequences and a simple plot. A clever writer and director should be able to take that and build a fantastic film around those elements. It’s actually pretty disgraceful that nobody has managed to make something worthwhile from a video game tie-in yet, it should be very easy to do really. They only need to come up with a great story for some interesting characters. How can that not be done??

  56. hello international friends,

    video games movies suck. and my guess is that fact wouldn’t change anytime soon.

    however, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is a bit different to me. it isn’t 100% good per se, but it is not that bad either. i.e. the antagonists are the same as prince Nuada: believing what they’re doing is right.

    but all in all, so far, no video games movie is good. all of it sucks. sure there are some moments and characters that you love but, it’s not enough to cover the ugliness of these movies. but as long as you look at it as an entertainment / fun genre and not as a masterpiece in storytelling, you should be okay.

    by the way, john, I’ve been waiting for this sort of article to come up in this site. and thanks for the in-depth analysis!

    THANK YOU!

  57. Just because there is alot of dialoge in a v-game or lots of back story doesnt mean you can make an hour or two and a half from that. If you but all of the cut scenes from MGS that may come up to an hour or more but its so incoheriant because cut-scenes or scripted dialoge are only made to keep the player ingaged in the game. Without them the gameplay would get very dull to most players. Just try to imagine MGS without cut scenes and the game would be an absolute bore. Same goes for movies, but in a must diffrent way. A bad story with bad dialoge and boring action will make a 2 hour film seem like six hours. In any case we all agree that hollywood will get one right at some point.

  58. I stand by Dead or Alive as a brilliant “bad” movie that deserves everybody’s attention.

    At the time of release, Snakes on a Plane was getting all the attention. While that film had some entertaining nods to the Internet crowd, I still feel it took itself far too seriously for a b-movie.

    In DOA, it’s clear everybody is in on the joke. It’s terrible, but knowingly so, and with the ADD-inspired pacing, it’s certainly never dull. At times it makes Charlie’s Angels 2 look tastefully understated.

    Some friends and I trialled Dead or Alive drinking games, but several minutes in, all rules go out the window. Only one directive really applies:
    “When it feels appropriate, take a drink. You will know.”
    Such is the insane level of self-parody.

  59. There are a few video game IPs that would translate to film though. Knights of the Old Republic, Diablo, Fable, Fallout, Warcraft, The Elder Scrolls, Starcraft, to name a few. The problem is that Hollywood chooses the crap that doesn’t have a narrative. Doom? Double Dragon? Street Fighter?

    I would also say that Mortal Kombat, Hitman and Tomb Raider(1) were not that bad.

    However, Bloodrayne, Dungeon Siege, and DOA were pure garbage.

  60. @John

    Thats basically what I meant by “the reason SF movies suck is because their FREAKING STREET FIGHTER MOVIES!!!!”

    I mean the game has like maybe 4-5 lines of dialoge…

    The ONLY game that I can see being adapted into a decent movie is Metal Gear Solid since the game has a tooooon of dialoge and cut scenes with character development and a complex story (maybe to complex)!

  61. Video game movies suck just as much as any other kind of movies. You can make a movie out of anything with the right writer/director/actors…same works the other way you can fuck up anything with the wrong people.

  62. I knew Max Payne the move will suck at the theater. Video Game movies always will suck. Hollywood needs to stop making video game movies. It just wastes of money and film.

  63. Some of you guys are missing the point. This character or that character being in or out of a movie don’t ultimately make it good or bad. A movie with bad dialog and story will still be a bad movie with bad dialog and story regardless if character 1 or 2 is in it

  64. RYU and KEN DON’T contribute to the story in 2???

    What do you want them to do, become secret agents and go after Bison???

    Their not deep characters at all in 2 just playable ones, at least with chun-li she has some conflict with the antagonist and has a few lines at the end of the game.

  65. you know what though? i think prince of persia has a great story..

    i just think they can make 3 movies out of it its such a great story and there will be alot of action…

    hazmat wants to point out that he thinks that toy movies have done way better then video game movies and book movies all put together

    as for prince of persia….hazmat aproves

  66. HAHA! hazmat aproves of the rhyming song that was funny xD

    and saying that pokemon was bad is just redundant john, and…you watched it!?!?!?

    wwhhyyyy!!

  67. Alex, how can you defend removing Ken and Ryu from a Street Fighter movie? It’s ridiculously stupid to make a Street Fighter movie without them. It’s like removing Liu Kang and Rayden from a Mortal Kombat movie. Also, Guile won’t be in Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li. While they were at it, they also removed E. Honda, Dalhsim, and Blanka.

  68. RYU AND KEN ARE NOT THE MAIN CHARACTERS OF STREET FIGHTER 2!!!!!!!!

    They where the main characters in SF1, but NOT 2!!!

    They contribute nothing to the fight against Bison in 2 or the have ANY story elements so how in the world can you have a movie on them??? Their simply reacuring characters who participate in the tourament, nothing else!

    Guile and Chun-li DO have story elements as Chun-li is ICPO and Guile is seeking revenge against Bison, so they team up in infiltrating Bison’s tournament, which CHUN-LI WINS!!!!

    So quite listing how “No Ryu and Ken as lead” is what kills the SF movies when that has nothing to do with it, the reason SF movies suck is because their FREAKING STREET FIGHTER MOVIES!!!!

  69. The problem isn’t that video games have thin plots, it’s that movie makers seem to abandon everything that works in games. They remove the best parts from games (i.e. Ken, Ryu, Guile, E. Honda from Street Figher). I gave you plenty of examples of films that create whole new things out of the games, and sometimes use nothing from them. It doesn’t work.

  70. well i think your completely wrong about the fact that all video game movies suck…..the problem isnt the video game its the generic style there made….like here make some crap kids ill like and have therte parents take to see. When are the co. going to realise that adults plat video games too.

  71. I’ll agree with you that most video game movies suck. Especially when you take a game with paper-thin story elements and try to stretch that out into a 1.5 hour or more movie.

    Nowadays though, more than enough games that have come out that display plenty of backstory to work from and a rich universe to set a story in. Some of these games start out as ideas for movies even, then, through events, ends up a game instead. The creation of other games are inspired by movies themselves and then go on to become entities in their own right. Hideo Kojima is a prime example of this, with “Metal Gear” (inspired by “Escape from New York”, “Rambo”, etc), “Snatcher” (“Blade Runner”), and “Policenauts” (“Lethal Weapon”) to name a few.

    Some of these games, even with those credentials still will make lackluster movies. However, there are a few that are begging to become films, and should be adapted in a screenplay. They’re easy to spot: games that have cinematic queues and and allow their stories to unfold much like a movie themselves.

    BioShock, which of course is being adapted, is ripe for adaptation. The Metal Gear Solid Series is also perfect, since almost everything in those games are plot driven. When Halo first came out, I would have said “meh”, but since then, we’ve been introduced to novels and other supplemental materials that have enriched that universe and has made it three-dimensional (bad pun highly intended).

    There are others but then this will go on longer than it has to. Years ago, many thought that the medium of comics made for a bad transition to movies, but today those folks are eating crow thanks to movies like “Spiderman 2”, “Iron Man” & the Nolan “Batman” films. Although the Ghost of Video Game Movies Past has been rough with it’s audience, it’s still too early to write off it’s potential quite yet.

    Keeping my fingers crossed that Max Payne is actually good ^_^

    Peace and Keep the Faith,
    Soul Bro Ryu
    http://www.Gundamn.net

  72. Yea I have to agree here and there with the comments I hear. Its like the studio writers are given a “I thinking this is what the video game story is” which is so small because as John said “Gamers are not ment for narritive, they are ment for gameplay” Then they have to fill in the gaps which is so huge the movie becomes nothing like the game. With that said its only a matter of time before hollywood makes a hit. After all Final Fantasy Adevnt Children wasnt bad. Hollywood still has properties to go to and are working on like Prince of Persia, Metal Gear Solid, Metroid, God of War, Gears of War. So yea one day we will get gold just as comic movies but, its gonna be awhile….Max Payne, you are the weakest link.

  73. Personally I like the first Resident Evil movie along with Silent Hill. I think that both of those movies did what they set out to do. Resdient Evil may not have been scary as the video games but it was quite the fun ride. Silent Hill on the other hand I think is one of the better modern horror films that has been made in the past 5 years.

    Various reasons for this but Silent Hill each of the monsters had a deeper underlying purpose and reason and In the end the scariest thing about that film weren’t the beasties but the People that were still trapped in the world. Much like the Mist but the Mist did it a little more clearer and is a better movie overall

    I also live about 2 hours from the town Centrila. Pa where they got the idea for the town burning underground so take that for what you will

  74. A huge problem with video game movies is that they fail to follow the games they’re based on. Look at Street Fighter, it doesn’t have any of the special moves from the games. They created a plot that has almost nothing to do with the games. The characters don’t look or feel like game characters. And for the new Street Fighter movie, they basically remove all the coolest characters like Ken, Ryu, Guile, E. Honda, Blanka, Dhalsim. They have a great license but they don’t follow anything from the games.

    Look at Doom, they removed Hell, all the crazy monsters from the games. Instead, they have all this boring ass crap of exploration for the first hour or so. The game isn’t about suspense, it’s about blowing and killing monsters. They tried to make a cheap Aliens clone.

    Look at Super Mario Bros, it looks nothing like the games. Granted it’s probably tough to make a movie that is like the game.

    Double Dragon could basically be about two brothers fighting and beating people up, but they had to fuck it up and add all this mystical bullcrap, car chases, and special effects and explosions. Again, nothing like the games.

    From what i understand, Resident Evil has very little to do with the games. It doesn’t have many of the main characters from the games, and it focuses more on action and explosions than suspense, exploration and dialogue.

    The one movies that does follow the games well is Mortal Kombat, and it’s basically a kung-fu movie. It totally works. It removes lots of the violence and blood from the games, but they captured the characters and special moves from the games onto film.

  75. I would like to take this time to thank you, John, I can not agree more wholeheartedly with your comment in regards to Olga Kurylenko. She is the only saving grace to Hitman, and raises the anticipation for the new James Bond that much more.

  76. I have a confession to make, i actually enjoy the resident evil movies from time to time. I also watched in amazement (kinda like the zombies look at fireworks in land of the dead) at Final Fantasy: Spirits Within…the animation looked absolutely fantastic! Hey…everyone has a guilty pleasure right? I mean I own Masters of the Universe on DVD for christ’s sake; just to relive the pleasure of my carefree youth.

  77. Only video game movie I’ve ever seen that was halfway decent was the ANIMATED Street Fighter movie, which admittedly, has its flaws, but unlike the live action incarnation is actually enjoyable. And yeah, the first MK movie was ok, in spite (or because?) of its ridiculousness. But yeah, the rest of those movies, pardon my french, suck shit.

    Oh yeah, another thing, you mentioned in your post that gamers imaginations fill in the gaps which is mostly true, but one game series that does the complete opposite of that, especially the more recent ones, is Metal Gear Solid. Don’t get me wrong though, I’ve heard they’re trying to make a movie out of it, but the problem now becomes too much narrative in the game rather than not enough, and I’d be confused as to how they could condense all of those lengthy cutscenes and conversations into a 2 hour movie.

    To cut this short, let’s just say, being a fan of video games myself, I never been a big fan of their shitty movie adaptations :-)

  78. Eh, the same can practically be said for comics adapted to movies. Sure the Michael Keaton Batman’s were good, but since then up til last year, blah. Fantastic 4, both of em, sucked. Ghost Rider, Daredevil, Elektra… suck, suck, and more suck. Though most will argue, I would throw all three Spiderman movies into the suck list as well… though mildly entertaining, I found them to be way to cheesy to be considered good. It was not until this last year, though, that comic adaptations really hit the spot. Ironman, The Dark Knight, and I will throw this in just cause I enjoyed it, Wanted. Sure it is a little more of a hit and miss situation with comics, where games are more of a just miss, but there is definitely some comparison that can be there. Now I am not saying that Max Payne is going to do with games what Dark Knight and Ironman have now done with comics in relation to movies… but eventually there just may be a movie adaptation of a game that will so just that. Hope that all made sense.

  79. I still hold out in the belief that video game movies will eventually go the way of superhero movies, where one filmmaker turns out one adaptation that completely changes the formula.

    It’s really not that hard to adapt even the worst of video games – studios just keep trying to imitate movies that already exist, just to cut down on the risks involved. That’s why so many video game movies end up looking like “Enter the Dragon” and “Aliens.” If they focus more on treating it like a movie instead of a video game movie, they’ll probably do better for themselves.

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