by Ben Mapp
Everyone knows that making a film based on a video game is not easy. Hollywood has proven itself incapable, but with companies like Ubisoft and Insomniac Games now taking the reins with developing their own movie-based studios, who knows what the future could hold? With gaming picking up more steam each and every year, commercially, and with the more popular franchises already leaking out into the cinematic medium (Halo: Nightfall, Dead Rising: Watchtower, etc...), it's getting more and more likely that - one day - the world might actually produce a game-inspired movie worth seeing.
Everyone knows that making a film based on a video game is not easy. Hollywood has proven itself incapable, but with companies like Ubisoft and Insomniac Games now taking the reins with developing their own movie-based studios, who knows what the future could hold? With gaming picking up more steam each and every year, commercially, and with the more popular franchises already leaking out into the cinematic medium (Halo: Nightfall, Dead Rising: Watchtower, etc...), it's getting more and more likely that - one day - the world might actually produce a game-inspired movie worth seeing.
But first, it'd be wrong not to remember some of Hollywood's worst examples of movies they've made which were sourced straight from the gaming industry. One thing's for certain. It takes extra special talent to take something reasonably good and then make it terrible. Below you'll find just some instances of some of the worst game movies ever produced.
Doom
Directed by Andrzel Bartkowiak
(2005)
Stylistically, Doom is directed more like a music video than it is a full feature and even includes a brief sequence shot entirely from a traditional first-person perspective, as seen in various FPS games across the last twenty five years. Starring Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, a very youthful looking Karl Urban and Bond Girl Rosamund Pike in the lead roles, Doom sees a squad of marines sent to a science facility on Mars to do battle with an outbreak of genetically engineered monsters now residing there. Steering clear of the story in the original Doom game, which was about a portal to Hell being torn open on the Red Planet instead, this film received such a backlash from fans after its release that even The Rock has distanced himself from it in the years since.
Check out gameplay from the original Doom here, and tell us how similar you think the movie was to the game;
Check out gameplay from the original Doom here, and tell us how similar you think the movie was to the game;
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
Directed by Hironobu Sakaguchi
(2001)
The most expensive video game film of all time and with so much riding on its shoulders after the huge success of the Final Fantasy game series, The Spirits Within had so much promise. Its downfall came from an unexpected desire from the production team to put together as science fiction film instead of a fantasy film, much to the dismay of the fans of the source material. The film's plot sees two groups of humans clashing over how to solve an alien invasion which has forced humanity underground, having reduced the surface of the Earth into smouldering ruins. Whilst the storyline was certainly intriguing enough and the characters were equally interesting enough, ultimately the film could not justify holding up as a Final Fantasy adaptation as it contained little to no connection (aside from some minor easter eggs) to the series on which it was based.
Square Enix later redeemed themselves with Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children in 2005, which featured as a direct sequel to the iconic PlayStation RPG Final Fantasy VII. One can't help but wonder if that sort of movie production ought to have been a priority five years prior when Hollywood was interested...
Here's some gameplay footage from Final Fantasy X, which was released at roughly the same time as The Spirits Within. You can see that there is practically no similarity between them:
Square Enix later redeemed themselves with Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children in 2005, which featured as a direct sequel to the iconic PlayStation RPG Final Fantasy VII. One can't help but wonder if that sort of movie production ought to have been a priority five years prior when Hollywood was interested...
Here's some gameplay footage from Final Fantasy X, which was released at roughly the same time as The Spirits Within. You can see that there is practically no similarity between them:
Hitman
Directed by Xavier Gens
(2007)
This project was destined to fail when Xavier Gens decided to cast Timothy Olyphant in the lead role. Olyphant later admitted that he only accepted the job as he needed to pay off some debts. The production also had no help from screenwriter Skip Woods, who manages to turn anything he touches into garbage (X-Men, The A-Team, Die Hard, etc...) The film revolves around Agent 47 has he works to protect a witness of a crime (played by another Bond Girl in the form of Olga Kurylenko) from the various assassins out to get her. Although the film was hated on by most critics, it was actually a financial success and a sequel was pushed into development - only to be cancelled to make way for the upcoming reboot starring Rupert Friend.
In any case, you can see from the example below that this adaptation is a far cry from Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, which is arguably the best of the Hitman games to date.
In any case, you can see from the example below that this adaptation is a far cry from Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, which is arguably the best of the Hitman games to date.
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
Directed by Simon West
(2001)
From the director of classic 90's action film Con Air comes the first big screen adventure for sexy tanktop-wearing archeologist Lara Croft. portrayed not-horribly by Hollywood sweetheart Angelina Jolie. The film was also the first feature film role for Chris Barrie, co-star of Red Dwarf, playing the part of Lara's hapless butler Hillary, as well as Daniel Craig as new character Alex West. The antagonist role was given to Iain Glen, who would later go on to play Sir Mormont in HBO's Game of Thrones. Whilst the overly convoluted plot of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is about as easy to navigate as a mother's shopping list, featuring some sort of ancient device with the power to change history and resurrect dead people but can also send the user into limbo (see what I mean?), the performances aren't actually that bad. It's more watchable than any of the above, but that's not saying much.
The film was at least a commercial success and led to a revived interest in the Tomb Raider gaming series for a while, until Angel of Darkness came out and forced the developers into a series of shoddy reboots before ultimately getting it right in 2013. The film spawned a single sequel called Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, which was actually seen as an improvement over the first - but failed commercially and rendered the film series dormant. Rumor has it that there is a reboot in the works.
To see Lara Croft in her greatest incarnation thus far, check out the clip below:
The film was at least a commercial success and led to a revived interest in the Tomb Raider gaming series for a while, until Angel of Darkness came out and forced the developers into a series of shoddy reboots before ultimately getting it right in 2013. The film spawned a single sequel called Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, which was actually seen as an improvement over the first - but failed commercially and rendered the film series dormant. Rumor has it that there is a reboot in the works.
To see Lara Croft in her greatest incarnation thus far, check out the clip below:
Max Payne
Directed by John Moore
(2009)
Although visually, this interpretation of Max Payne doesn't stray too far from the original noir tale that made the original PlayStation 2 game so unforgettable, the film's cast was headlined by Mark Wahlberg who - let's just face the facts - can't play a role as deadly or as seriously as this one requires. The story revolves around a police officer's journey into the criminal underworld of New York in pursuit of the men responsible for his family's murder, and Mila Kunis also stars opposite Wahlberg. The film found an audience but was hated on by its critics upon its release, although Mark and Mila would later work together opposite each other years later in Seth McFarlane's comedy Ted, where both could really embrace their real strengths as actors. Like Hitman, Max Payne also featured Olga Kurylenko but in a minor role (as Mila's on-screen sister). The director John Moore would go on to join forces with Hitman's screenwriter Skip Woods afterwards and, together, they would work to tarnish the reputation of the Die Hard franchise with its fifth and final installment in 2013.
Compare the above trailer to the 2001 game of the same name, which you can see below:
Compare the above trailer to the 2001 game of the same name, which you can see below:
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
Directed by John R. Leonetti
(1997)
No one is saying that the original Mortal Kombat film adaptation was good, but at least it still had an awesome soundtrack and was actually - in a roundabout way - loyal to the original game on which it was based. Annihilation however would need more than a catchy theme song in order to make us forget about its terrible acting, horrible script and insultingly developed characters and setting. This could well be the worst addition to this line up. Again, like its predecessor, Annihilation was sort of loyal to its source material (being mostly inspired by Mortal Kombat 3), and was a direct sequel. However, perhaps knowing that this ship was doomed to sink shortly after it left port, all but two of the main cast from the original reprised their roles. If you've seen the film you'll understand why. But if you're lucky enough to have avoided it thus far, consider yourself extremely lucky.
This is the perfect example of how making a film out of a fighting game is, and always should be considered, a terrible idea. You can check out the trailer for the upcoming reboot, Mortal Kombat X, here:
This is the perfect example of how making a film out of a fighting game is, and always should be considered, a terrible idea. You can check out the trailer for the upcoming reboot, Mortal Kombat X, here:
Street Fighter
Directed by Stephen E. de Souza
(1994)
There's more cheese here than in a Joel Schumacher flick. You'd be forgiven for thinking that this entire film was trailer for a new set of G.I. Joe toys. But, unfortunately, it's all real and done in the name of cinema. There had been some hope that this game would translate well onto the big screen. But once Hollywood got their hands on the Street Fighter license it was all over. Despite being an absolute car crash from beginning to end, Street Fighter is notable for being the final big screen performance of Raul Julia, playing M. Bison, before his death in October 1994. Unlike his fellow co-stars, Julia's acting was largely praised in the film and even earned him a nomination in the Saturn Awards for Best Supporting Actor. The film also featured Kylie Minogue as Sergeant Cammy opposite Jean Claude Van Damme, at the peak of his film career, as Colonel Guile.
Here's an example of some classic Street Fighter II gameplay and whilst, aesthetically, there are similarities to the movie, you can bet that Capcom had a little more depth in mind during its development period. Check it out:
Here's an example of some classic Street Fighter II gameplay and whilst, aesthetically, there are similarities to the movie, you can bet that Capcom had a little more depth in mind during its development period. Check it out:
Super Mario Bros.
Directed by Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel
(1993)
Starring the late Bob Hoskins as Mario and John Leguizamo as Luigi, this terrible adaptation adds an unwelcome science fiction/post apocalyptic flare to Mushroom Kingdom and introduces Dennis Hopper as King Koopa who, in this world, is a corrupt businessman who has evolved from reptilian lineage. Allegedly Tom Hanks was originally attached to the role of Mario, but Hoskins was later hired as he was considered more 'profitable', whereas Danny Devito, Michael Keaton and Arnold Schwarzenegger were each approached to star as the antagonist, and each understandably turned it down. Hoskins and Leguizamo later trashed the film and knew it would turn out bad whilst working on it, sometimes getting drunk between takes in order to get themselves through it. Hopper also later expressed dismay with the production, blaming the husband and wife directing team for not consulting each other on decisions and such. Yoshi appeared in the film as an actual dinosaur whereas Koopa's final form in the film's climax was that of a T-Rex. It was as if the directors, Morton and Jankel, recognised aspects of the game and chose to incorporate them in name only.
Interestingly, Leguizamo and Hopper would face off against each other in another post apocalyptic film later in their careers with George A. Romero's Land of the Dead, although this time their cinematic rivalry was much better received (and featured no dinosaurs...)
To make us feel better, here's a reminder of how Mario should look on any format and why Nintendo should keep tight control over their licenses from here on out.
Interestingly, Leguizamo and Hopper would face off against each other in another post apocalyptic film later in their careers with George A. Romero's Land of the Dead, although this time their cinematic rivalry was much better received (and featured no dinosaurs...)
To make us feel better, here's a reminder of how Mario should look on any format and why Nintendo should keep tight control over their licenses from here on out.
Some Honorable Mentions...
BloodRayne and Alone in the Dark were both directed by Uwe Boll, a director who we would have mentioned more if his work didn't make us feel so sickened with disgust. He also more recently directed a film version of Far Cry. You can guess how that went down. There were that terrible Tekken version as well as its prequel, and Double Dragons from the early nineties which could not have gotten more wrong. Whether or not gaming studios learn from these mistakes or not remains to be seen. Hopefully, Ubisoft and Insomniac will have better luck adapting their licenses onto the cinematic medium themselves.
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