There’s a perception among audiences that movies based on video games are mostly trash… and you know what? They’re right. I’m sorry, but it’s true. That said, just because a movie isn’t the best doesn’t mean it can’t also be entertaining.
I am not a huge video game guy. I’ll play occasionally, but in a typical year, I may only fire up the console a handful of times. Because of that, I’m not really judging these movies based on how faithfully they adapt the games, whether they nailed the lore, or how many easter eggs they managed to cram in. My metric is much simpler: was it fun? With that in mind, here are five of the best video game movie adaptations out there.
While some people prefer The Cradle of Life, I’ve always had a soft spot for Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Is it a good movie? Not really. But it stars Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft, and in 2001, that was enough. More importantly, it taps into that old-fashioned globe-trotting adventure spirit, basically playing like a flashy, treasure-hunt movie with robots, secret societies, and ridiculous action set pieces. Toss in Iain Glen as the villain and a pre-Bond Daniel Craig as Lara’s love interest, and you’ve got a movie that’s never boring and often a lot of fun.
I’ve been rewatching the Resident Evil franchise for the first time since these movies were released, and it’s remarkable how restrained the first installment feels compared to the total insanity of the sequels. It’s still stylish, lean, and exciting, with that laser-room sequence remaining one of the series’ most memorable moments. It may not be high art, but it absolutely delivers. And honestly, I could watch Milla Jovovich kick zombie dogs mid-air all day long.
This is the only film on the list that I watched without realizing it was based on a video game. In my defence, the VR game that inspired it doesn’t exactly have the same name recognition as the others here, so I’m giving myself a pass. With its “who’s the werewolf?” premise, I actually went in thinking of The Beast Must Die, the 1974 Amicus movie. That’s not a great film, although it does have Peter Cushing, and the infamous “werewolf break” is pretty hilarious. Werewolves Within, however, makes much better use of the setup, blending comedy, mystery, and horror in a way that feels genuinely fresh.
The atmosphere and setting do the heavy lifting here, with director Christophe Gans bringing the world of Silent Hill to life through eerie imagery and some truly grotesque creature design. More than anything, this one actually felt legitimately scary the first time I saw it, and that alone sets it apart from most entries in the genre. The follow-up, Silent Hill: Revelation, was a letdown, and even when Gans returned to the franchise with Return to Silent Hill, it just didn’t hit the same as the original.
Paul W.S. Anderson is back with his second film on this list, which deserves some kind of recognition. Two gold stars. One of the OG video game movies, Mortal Kombat, was both a critical and commercial success and helped set the stage, for better or worse, for the wave of game adaptations that followed. More importantly, it’s just a blast of pure ’90s craziness. And compared to its sequel, Mortal Kombat Annihilation, it looks like f***ing Citizen Kane.
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There’s been a lot of video game movies over the years, and I’m sure I’ve pissed off someone for not including Sonic the Hedgehog 3 or any of the others. So, I throw it over to you: what’s your favourite video game movie adaptation? Let us know in the comments.