DVD Corner's blog

Top 5 Video Game Based Movies

With 2021’s “Mortal Kombat” around the corner, I thought I’d take a look back at the 5 best video game adaptations. I would have gone for 10, but, let’s be real, there aren’t 10 good ones right now. The filmography of video game movies is pretty rough. Luckily, the future is looking brighter for video game films with some promising titles like “Borderlands” and the Mario animated film on the horizon. Keep in mind, I am not including documentaries about video games or movies about video games like “Tron,” “The King Of Kong” and “Ready Player One” here. That would have been an easier list with some truly great films. Instead, I’m only focusing on theatrical films based on video games. On with the list!

1. Sonic The Hedgehog- After the first trailer with the original ghastly character design of Sonic, it seemed like this movie was doomed. Upon release, however, I think many people (myself included) were shocked to find that this movie was actually fun. Sure, it’s flawed, but Jim Carrey’s performance as Dr. Robotnik alone is enough to make this arguably the best video game movie at this time.

2. Resident Evil (Any)- This six film franchise doesn’t quite get the respect it deserves. The movies may not be good adaptations of the beloved games, but they are consistent guilty pleasure sci-fi/horror flicks. More importantly though, this is one of the rare female led action series out there. Say what you will about the movies themselves, but Milla Jovovich kicked butt in these movies.

3. Detective Pikachu- Much like Sonic, I was not expecting much from this one. A live-action movie with Ryan Reynolds voicing Pikachu just sounded like a bad Hollywood idea on paper. Somehow, this turned out to be a pleasant surprise that was filled with plenty of easter eggs for Pokemon fans. Also, Kathryn Newton owns as Lucy Stevens. 

4. Mortal Kombat (1995)- This cheesy Paul Anderson directed movie doesn’t quite hold up 26 years later but it did prove that making a fairly faithful and entertaining video game movie adaptation was possible. I think we can all agree though that the “Techno Syndrome” track by The Immortals is the best thing about this movie.

5. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within- I could have put “Rampage” or “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” in the fifth spot, but “Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within” edges them out. Flawed as the storytelling may be, this 2001 film was pioneering in that it was the first photorealistic CGI animated feature film. It deserves a spot simply for breaking new ground and paving the way for advancements in animation for the past 20 years. 

April 15, 2021 - Posted by nicklyons1 | List | Detective Pikachu, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, Mortal Kombat 1995, Mortal Kombat 2021, Rampage, Resident Evil Movies, Sonic The Hedgehog, Top 5 Video Game Based Movies