It used to be extremely rare for film companies to spend money on making films based on games. In this collection we will talk about titles that have succeeded in this.
Mortal Kombat
Perhaps the most famous franchise that later moved to the big screen was the Mortal Kombat series of fighting games. Even now, decades after the appearance of the original first part, the title is constantly evolving and receiving fresh releases.
The canonical story told how the Earth (in the MK universe it is called the Earthrealm) was attacked by representatives of another reality, the Outer World. Since ancient times, disputes between worlds have been resolved by holding a tournament in which the strongest fighters and representatives of their people competed. But then the insidious sorcerer Shang Tsung broke the rules, which put the existence of humanity in jeopardy.
In the restarted universe of 2023, everything has changed dramatically, but the general concept of the confrontation remains the same. And the film… Well, the first part is still, for your humble servant personally, a benchmark in terms of the quality of live-action adaptations.
Dune
Not long ago, Denis Villeneuve also released a good film, based on which the director took a story told in the Dune universe. It talks about how humanity in the distant future is in a state of war, the cause of which was a planet called Arrakis.
It is on it that deposits of spices are located – a resource necessary for intergalactic flights. Whoever controls the resource veins essentially rules the great empire. Several powerful Houses are constantly conflicting over the right to extract Spice, and against this background a conflict on a universal scale is gradually unfolding.
Initially, Dune was a strategy that became, for many, if not the first, then one of the first games in principle. The film’s release was met with rave reviews from fans (who are now well over 30), as well as those who simply love good science fiction.
Warcraft
But, in the case of Warcraft, which is not science fiction, but fantasy, it did not succeed in breaking the huge box office. Despite this, I consider this title worthy of being in this collection, since I personally really like both the film and the game itself.
So, the rich land of the continent of Azeroth became a battlefield between the Alliance and the Horde. Two powerful factions are trying to seize enemy lands and oust their neighbors, resorting not only to brute force, but also to other methods of influence: blackmail, espionage and other “joys”. Several brave heroes are trying to negotiate peace between nations, but some very powerful people are clearly not interested in this.
The Warcraft movie turned out to be very colorful and, I would say, even epic. The acting was a bit let down, and the unique plot turned out to be very mediocre. As for the original source in the form of the World of Warcraft game universe, there are so many intricacies there that you can break your brain. But, whatever one may say, the game is worthy of mention, since it has a huge fan base several decades after its release.
And fans don’t play bad games, right?
Mario Bros.
Well, and Mario Bros. – This is, in general, a legend. The legendary “Super Mario Brothers”, released in 1993, bore little resemblance to the main game. Only one concept remained in the film, which had a very sad effect on the possible success of the film.
As with Warcraft, I don’t consider this movie a failure. Yes, it was unfortunate that the creators did not bother to familiarize themselves with the source material before getting to work (how can film adaptations like this be made in general?), but as a comedy, the film turned out quite well. True, it didn’t make much money, and according to reviews it was a complete failure, but we have what we have, as they say.
Doom
Listen, I understand that many of us were also unhappy with the film adaptation of the Doom universe. But for me, all the flaws of the film were redeemed by a slightly clumsily made, but serviceable scene that imitates a first-person shooter, which the original game, in fact, is.
So, humanity is colonizing Mars with all its might, but at some point something goes wrong. The personnel of the Martian base are under attack, and a special forces team urgently needs to resolve this matter. Armed, the fighters are sent using a special transport device to the Red Planet, not fully knowing what awaits them there.
The film Doom featured iconic stars such as Dwayne Johnson and Karl Urban. Participation in the filming of these guys is already a sufficient argument for me to at least evaluate the project.
Silent Hill
The first part of Silent Hill came out quite unexpectedly, primarily for fans. In addition, the picture turned out to be of quite high quality and interesting; in many ways, the project corresponded to the plot of the original source.
The main concept of the universe tells how the heroes find themselves in the town of Silent Hill, which is shrouded in dense fog during the day. When the sun sets, the gates to hell seem to open in the settlement, from which nightmarish monsters crawl out. Those who remain in the city among the residents are saved in the church, and the newcomers… Well, one can only sympathize with them.
The released sequel to the film turned out to be much worse, and there are plenty of downright bad games in the gaming universe. But the Silent Hill brand itself is quite famous and popular, so it’s not surprising that it was shown on big screens.
Resident Evil
Resident Evil is another game franchise that has transitioned into feature-length films. There are also animated films based on the game, so “Resident Evil” is a fairly popular and well-promoted brand.
Meanwhile, the original film was very different from the game. It had a new heroine (played by Milla Jovovich), as well as a unique plot. In the movie, a certain Alice finds herself at the epicenter of a disaster unfolding in the fictional city of Raccoon City. The Umbrella Corporation, whose laboratories are located under the metropolis, conducted inhumane experiments on people. As a result of the experiments, a virus was invented that turned a person into a monster, and very soon the epidemic captured the entire city, and then the rest of the world.
Many criticized “Resident Evil” and its creators for the gag, but in terms of budget and filming, the films are doing fine. There are also plenty of games based on the franchise, so you can evaluate them at any time if you wish.
Prince of Persia
“The Sands of Time” is an adventure tale starring Hollywood actor Jake Gyllenhaal. He played Prince Dastan, who gets his hands on a magical weapon that can turn back time.
Having been deprived of his inheritance in the form of the family throne, Dastan meets the sorceress and tries to protect her and return what is rightfully his. In general, the picture has become a banal story about a brave hero and a seductive beauty who defeat everyone and peace, tranquility and grace come.
In the games it was somehow similar, but the game plot was much deeper and more elaborate. Now the Ubisoft studio is developing the franchise, but somehow it’s not doing very well with this matter.
Tomb Raider
The original “Tomb Raider” became famous and popular, primarily due to the participation of Angelina Jolie in the filming. Then in 2018 there was a reboot starring Alicia Vikander, who played a younger version of Lara Croft.
The main point of the films was the heroine’s travels in search of ancient artifacts of mystical value. In the games, almost the same thing awaited us, but with an abundance of puzzles, mysteries and secrets on a global scale.
Overall, it’s beautiful.
The Last of Us
Well, from fresh. True, here we are talking not about a full-length film, but about a series, but, nevertheless, both the original source and its film adaptation turned out to be quite suitable.
The Last of Us tells an alternative history of our world, which was covered by an epidemic of a terrible virus. Almost all of humanity died out in a matter of days, and those who remained had to fight for survival. A typical apocalypse story, but, unlike other games, the authors of TLOU were able to bring something special to the genre and setting.
The most attractive thing about this universe is its plot, as well as the stories of the characters. The heroes turned out to be very lively, and the horrors they experienced made the players’ hearts skip a beat at certain moments. Of course, the series was not released without complaints, but it stands out among the host of other film adaptations in terms of quality and compliance with the digital original.
This is our selection of games based on which films were released. We hope you enjoyed it!
