Films based on video games
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Films based on video games make up a fairly new genre, mainly gaining popularity (to some extent) in the late 1990s and 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), and an even fewer number have also been critical successes (notably Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children). Deviation from the source material is always inevitable as a strict adaptation of a game to the silver screen will often work against the film. Nevertheless, 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.
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[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.
"Final Fantasy", whilst based on an ever-changing line of alternate universe RPG games, did not emphasise on the basics and concepts repeated in some of the games that were familiar to players. "Doom" traded in the religious elements of the videogames for a more science-oriented plot and parodied the games first person shooter gameplay for one particular scene, and "Mario Bros" was significantly changed from a light, cartoonish feel to a darker edged, radically redesigned Blade Runner influenced sci-fi thriller.
[edit] See also
- List of films based on video games
- List of television shows based on video games
- Lists of movie source material
