The Best – and Worst – Movies based on Video Games
From Lara Croft to Super Mario Bros - we size up the very best and the very worst movies based on video games...
There are two movies based on video games in cinemas already this month – Ratchet & Clank and The Angry Birds Movie – with the highly anticipated Warcraft: The Beginning to follow on May 30.
And there’s more to come – Assassin’s Creed, starring Michael Fassbender, opens in December, and in 2017 look out for movies based on Uncharted and Sly Cooper. There are also Minecraft and Sonic The Hedgehog movies in development, while games producer Nintendo has announced they are looking to partner with movie studios to turn some of their games into films.
None of the makers of these movies seem to be put off by the fact that, historically, most films based on video games are pretty awful (yes, we mean you, Super Mario Bros). Below, we take a look at some of the best and worst of the family friendly games movies (we’ve omitted the 18 certificate movies based on games like Resident Evil, Doom, Silent Hill, Hitman and Max Payne) you can catch up with while you are counting down the days to the release of Warcraft: The Beginning…(check below for a new clip from the movie, too).
-
The Best
-
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (PG)
Angelina Jolie is Lara Croft, complete with plummy accent in this Indiana Jones-lite adventure. Look out for 007 himself, Daniel Craig, as her hunky rival.
-
The Angry Birds Movie
(PG)Only Red is really angry, but the rest of the birds get reasonably steamed up when green piggies arrive on their island in this fun animation.
Read the Review -
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (PG)
Visually stunning, this 2001 sci-fi adventure was one of the first to feature photo-realistic digital characters. The plot’s pretty okay, too.
-
Prince Of Persia (PG)
Yes, Jake Gyllenhaal is horrendously miscast as the Persian warrior running around with the Dagger of Time, but the effects are impressive and has some really fun bits, too.
-
Ratchet & Clank
(U)A wombat-looking creature and a defective robot may have to save the galaxy in this animated adventure based on the platform game.
Read the Review -
The Worst
-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtMZKYnLg5cSuper Mario Bros (PG)
So bad it is almost legendary, this live action 1993 movie has Bob Hoskins as plumber Mario and John Leguizamo as Luigi rescuing the Princess from evil King Koopa (Dennis Hopper).
-
Street Fighter (U)
The street fighting game was translated to the screen in 1994 with Jean-Claude Van Damme and Kylie Minogue. Yes, really.
-
Mortal Kombat (15)
Christopher Lambert starred in this 1995 action fantasy about martial artists competing in a tournament that will decide the fate of the world if we can all stay awake long enough.
-
Wing Commander (PG)
We like Freddie Prinze Jr, but how on earth thought he could lead a sci-fi movie about a group of pilots trying to stop the destruction of the universe?