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
* 1 Theater releases
* 2 Direct to DVD
* 3 Movies with plots centered on video games
* 4 Documentaries on Video Games
* 5 Cancelled productions
* 6 Currently in production
* 7 Comparison of success of video game film adaptations
* 8 Criticism
* 9 See also
* 10 External links
Theater releases
(Please note the list below only consist of films that have already
been released or are currently running theatrically)
* AIR (2005)
* Alien vs. Predator (2004)
* Alone in the Dark (2005)
* Animal Crossing (2006)
* BloodRayne (2006)
* DOA: Dead or Alive (2006)
* Doom (2005)
* Double Dragon (1994)
* Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture (1994)
* Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001) (Note: The film was not
based on any particular installment in the Final Fantasy game series.)
* House of the Dead (2003)
* Lara Croft / Tomb Raider films:
o Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)
o Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003)
* Mortal Kombat films:
o Mortal Kombat (1995)
o Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997)
* Pokémon films:
o Pokémon: The First Movie (1998)
o Pokémon: The Movie 2000 (1999)
o Pokémon 3: The Movie (2000)
o Pokémon 4Ever (2001)
o Pokémon Heroes (2002)
o Pokémon: Jirachi Wishmaker (2003)
o Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys (2004)
o Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew (2005)
o Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea (2006)
* Resident Evil films:
o Resident Evil (2002)
o Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)
* Sakura Taisen: Katsudou Shashin (2001)
* Street Fighter films:
o Street Fighter (1994)
o Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie (1994)
o Street Fighter Alpha: The Movie (1999)
* Silent Hill (2006)
* Super Mario Bros. (1993)
* Tekken: The Animated Movie (1997)
* Wing Commander (1999)
Direct to DVD
* Art Of Fighting: The Movie (1992)
* Final Fantasy films:
o Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals (1994) - OVA sequel to Final Fantasy V.
o Final Fantasy VII Advent Children (2005) - Sequel to Final Fantasy
VII and part of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII.
o Last Order -Final Fantasy VII- (2005) - OVA released with the Advent
Pieces: Limited DVD edition of Final Fantasy VII Advent Children.
* Fatal Fury films:
o Fatal Fury: Legend of the Hungry Wolf (1992)
o Fatal Fury 2: The New Battle (1993)
* House of the Dead II (2006)
* Kirby: Fright to the Finish! (2005)
* Pokémon: Mewtwo Returns (2000)
* Samurai Showdown (1992)
* SiN: The Movie (2000)
* Sonic The Hedgehog The Animated Movie
* Street Fighter Alpha: Generations (2005)
* Welcome to Pia Carrot -Sayaka no Koi-monogatari- (2002)
Movies with plots centered on video games
* Avalon (2001) - Science fiction film centered around a war-themed,
virtual reality MMO under the same title. Directed by the critically
acclaimed filmmaker Mamoru Oshii.
* Cloak & Dagger (1984) - Cloak & Dagger for Arcade.
* eXistenZ (1999) - plot centred around a virtual reality game, with
themes similar to the The Matrix but released several months before
it.
* Game Over (2003) - Uses footage from five different Digital Pictures games.
* Grandma's Boy (2006)
* The Last Starfighter (1984)
* Stay Alive (2006)
* Tron (1982)
* The Wizard (1989) - Super Mario Bros 3 for Nintendo Entertainment System.
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
Cancelled productions
* Deus Ex (2006, cancelled in May 2004)
* Metroid (2006, date of cancellation is to be determined)
* Duke Nukem (2007, date of cancellation is to be determined)
Currently in production
* Alice (2007)
* Area 51 (TBA)
* BloodRayne II: Deliverance (2008)
* Castlevania (2007)
* Clock Tower (2008)
* Cold Fear (2008)
* Crazy Taxi (TBA)
* Devil May Cry (TBA)
* Doom 2 (TBA)
* Driver (TBA)
* Far Cry (2008)
* Fear Effect (2008)
* God of War (2007)
* Halo (2008)
* Hitman (2007)
* Hunter: The Reckoning (2007)
* In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (2007)
* Kameo (2007)
* Max Payne (2007)
* MechWarrior (TBA)
* Metal Gear Solid (2008)
* Mortal Kombat: Devastation (2007)
* Onimusha (TBA)
* Perfect Dark (TBA)
* Postal (2007)
* Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2008)
* Psi-Ops (TBA)
* Prey (2008)
* Quake (TBA)
* Rainbow Six (2008)
* Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)
* Resident Evil 4 (TBA)
* Return to Castle Wolfenstein (TBA)
* Silent Hill 2 (TBA)
* Siren (2007)
* Soul Calibur (TBA)
* Splinter Cell (2010)
* Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run (2007)
* The Suffering (2007)
* Tekken (2009)
* Tomb Raider III (TBA)
* The Unforgettable (2008)
* WarCraft (2008)
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
* Resident Evil - Although it carried some fan hatred due to the
involvement of Paul W. S. Anderson, it has proven to be a successful
franchise with two sequels released and one more on the way. So far
one of the strongest on-going video game film series.
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
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 and Super Mario Bros have had movie adaptations with
substantial tradeoffs that diverted audiences away.
Labels: nintendo, psp2, psp3, video games, xbox
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