The best cinematic video game adaptations


There’s nothing better than hearing you’ll get to relive your favorite game through a movie, whether it’s good or bad it’s another version you will get to enjoy. Gaming adaptations aren’t always amazing, but they do make their mark, whether as a seriously well-done adaptation or a cheesy do-over you’ll get to claim as a guilty pleasure. However, there have been some adaptations that have definitely been better than others, so here are some of the best video game adaptations made for the big screen.

Mortal Kombat

The 1995 Mortal Kombat adaptation was a great success with gaming fans, and not because it was a well-polished movie that would stand the test of time. Instead, we’re looking at an awesome, cheesy movie delicacy filled with 90s craziness. Mortal Kombat was an excellent game, everyone who played it was intrigued to see how they would pull off some of the crazy stunts the video-game characters are known so well for. It also doesn’t seem to take itself too seriously, which is probably the secret ingredient to its success, fans get to enjoy some crazy laugh-out-loud moments.

The best cinematic video game adaptations

Assassin’s Creed

The Assassin’s Creed story had a real chance to bring everything together for both fans of the video game and people who had no idea where the idea had come from. However, it doesn’t seem that it made it big where the box office was concerned. However, that being said, it was still a pretty decent adaptation, taking the animus precedent very seriously and starring big names such as Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard. It was a good film, but it was a better game.

Detective Pikachu

You could hear Pokemon fans everywhere squealing in delight when they found out that Detective Pikachu would be coming out. There’s nothing quite like a modern-day adaptation with all the latest CGI to bring some of the best characters to life. While there had already been Pokemon movies in the past, they were nothing compared to the modern ingenuity of this movie. Of course, since ‘Deadpool’ no one can get enough of Ryan Reynolds, and no doubt this raked in non-Pokemon fans who just wanted to get a piece of the action.

Tomb Raider

It’s essential to separate Angelina Jolie’s Lara Croft when you’re watching this 2018 adaptation of the iconic game. This is the kind of movie that anyone can enjoy, with a slow-build to an epic adventure, at a believable pace. Not to mention that the acting was superb and the movie itself was a standalone epic tale, perhaps if it had not been associated with Tomb Raider, it would have been better received since people tend to hold on to well-beloved sentiment. That didn’t stop this adaptation from stunning some fans, and raking in non-fans to notice this incredible story and appreciate game adaptations.

The best cinematic video game adaptations

Resident Evil

It’s probably well under-appreciated just how good this adaptation was, no movie will ever have the time to bring home some of the all-immersive experience and time that games have to relay an incredible story. However, Resident Evil is an action movie worth many re-watches. While the movie franchise may have gone downhill after maybe the third, or the sixth movie, the first will always remain an incredible leap in game-to-movie adaptations. It was intriguing, dicey, terrifying, and downright insane; but what it may have lacked in portraying typical Resident Evil gaming lore, it made up in terrifying and breathtaking action sequences.

It’s a tough business, turning games into movies, and while some may be akin to a terrible flop while others seem to be insanely captivating, we love them all the same.

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