List of films based on video games

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Films based on video games is a fairly new genre, mainly gaining popularity (to some extent) in the 2000s. Movies closely related to the computer and video game industries have been done previously (such as Tron and The Wizard) but only after the release of several movies based on well-known brands has this genre become well known in its own right.

Films based on video games tend to carry with them a reputation of being lower budgeted b-movies and rarely receive the appreciation of either critics or the fans of the games on which they are based. However, a number of films have become successful with general audiences (such as in the case of Mortal Kombat and Resident Evil). Deviations from the source material is always inevitable as a strict adaptation of a game to the silver screen will often work against the film. However, drastic deviation from the source material has also been known to cause a failure of a video game movie (such as with Super Mario Bros and Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within).

In Japan, however, video game movies are already much more common due to the popularity of animation, which allows certain games to be adapted more cheaply and faithfully than in live action. Many films and anime OVAs (Original Video Animations) based on popular games such as Final Fantasy, Sonic the Hedgehog and Pokémon have been released this way. The anime adaptations of Street Fighter II are considered by fans to be vastly superior to the live action movie.

Contents

[edit] Theater releases

(Please note the list below only consist of films that have already been released or are currently running theatrically)

[edit] Direct to Video

[edit] Movies with plots centered on video games

[edit] Documentaries on Video Games

  • The Video Game Revolution (TV) (2004) - PBS TV Documentary
  • Game Over: Gender, Race & Violence in video games (2000) - Media Education Foundation
  • History of Video Games - Discovery Channel Asia, available on Google Video

[edit] Currently in production

(Please note that the following list consists of titles currently in production. However, the projects are subject to change and may not reflect latest developments. Some titles may be on-hold for the time being and will resume progression on a later date. If you would like further information regarding a title, please request for citation[s].)

Development hell

(Please note that the following list consists of film adaptations that are currently either on an unknown or cancelled status. It is cautioned that some of the projects may still be in production; however, lack of recent updates may lead some to challenge a project's state of progression. If you would like further details regarding a project, please request for citation[s].)

[edit] Comparison of success of video game film adaptations

  • Super Mario Bros. - Failed at the box office and considered by many to be a mediocre movie, though it does have a cult following. A complaint is deviation from the source in conjunction with an excessively dark tone to the film.
U.S. Box Office Gross: $20,915,465
  • Street Fighter - Movie failed on one level to find a market amongst more general audiences while having enough deviations from the games to anger fans. This was the final film of actor Raul Julia.
U.S. Box Office Gross: $33,423,521
  • Double Dragon - Another box office bomb, it has been largely forgotten by audiences.
U.S. Box Office Gross: $2,341,309
  • Mortal Kombat - The first movie was well received by fans and was very successful at the box-office. Many felt that the first film embodied the storyline of the first two games perfectly. However, the second movie (which was to tell the tale of the second and third games, with references to the fourth game) only did half as well, and is very much hated by fans of both the game and original film; especially when it messed around with character backstory.
U.S. Box Office Gross: $70,454,098 (Mortal Kombat), $35,927,406 (Mortal Kombat: Annihilation)
  • Pokémon - Supported by the successful anime series, the first Pokémon movie is still the highest grossing anime film at the United States Box Office as of 2005.
U.S. Box Office Gross: $85,744,662 (Pokémon: The First Movie), $43,758,684 (Pokémon: The Movie 2000), $1,727,447 (Pokémon 4ever), $746,381 (Pokémon Heroes)
  • Wing Commander - Made with a low budget, the film was reviled by fans and was unsuccessful at the box office.
U.S. Box Office Gross: $11,578,059
  • Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within - A flop receiving mixed reactions. It failed, primarily, to appeal to western audiences and thus a let down in expectations was also seen as factor. However, much of the Final Fantasy fandom agree that if the title "Final Fantasy" wasn't put in the title, the film could've done better as a stand alone movie by Square Studios.
U.S. Box Office Gross: $32,131,830
U.S. Box Office Gross: $40,119,709 (Resident Evil), $51,201,453 (Resident Evil: Apocalypse)
  • House of the Dead - Intentionally created by Uwe Boll as an attempt at a cult film, it garnered hostile reaction by fans though it did make money through video sales.
U.S. Box Office Gross: $10,249,719
  • Tomb Raider - The first movie was a financial success, with the second film receiving mixed reaction and modest box office returns. Regardless a third movie is now planned, though it originally appeared that the planned trilogy ended prematurely.
U.S. Box Office Gross: $131,168,070 (Lara Croft: Tomb Raider), $65,660,196 (Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life)
  • Alone in the Dark - Also directed by Uwe Boll, massive pre-release negative resenment by fans made it one of the worse performing films of 2005.
U.S. Box Office Gross: $5,178,569
  • Doom - Received mediocre reaction from fans and even worse reaction from critics. Debuted #1 at the box office but did not recoup its $70 million budget. A sequel has been planned, currently its fate depends on the DVD sales of the first movie.
U.S. Box Office Gross: $28,212,337
  • Bloodrayne - Also directed by Boll, this film was poorly received by critics, and achieved similarly poor results at the US box office. The film performed fairly well in Russia. Despite being a box office bomb, a sequel has been confirmed for 2008.
U.S. Box Office Gross: $2,405,420
  • Silent Hill - Directed by acclaimed director Christophe Gans and screenwriter Roger Avary, the film was highly anticipated as possibly becoming the next best video game adaptation, though it received generally mixed responses from critics upon release. Although the title has been well received amongst fans, who felt this movie kept much of the game's story intact thus far. The film was quite successful and has already been greenlighted for a sequel.
U.S. Box Office Gross: $56,982,632

[edit] Criticism

Many films based on video games have drawn intense criticism from fans because of their drastic deviations from their source material. Most notably, Doom, Final Fantasy and Super Mario Bros have had movie adaptations with substantial tradeoffs that diverted audiences away.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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