25% Of People Agree This Is The Worst Video Game Movie Adaptation
Film studios have been notorious for butchering movies based on video games, and yet they still keep making them — and some of them have grossed a good amount of money. Perhaps fans hold out hope that one day Hollywood will do justice to their favorite games, or maybe gamers are just gluttons for punishment. Either way, the trend likely won't be ending anytime soon.
Late 2020 saw the release of Monster Hunter. The film features action star Milla Jovovich, also known for her role in the oddly inaccurate Resident Evil movies, and was directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, who directed multiple Resident Evil films and 1995's Mortal Kombat. While Monster Hunter was not a big hit with critics, it appears to have maintained a decent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
While there have been many video game adaptations over the years, it's difficult to pin down which one deserves the crown title of being the King of Bad Video Game Movies. SVG put the question to game and movie fans: "What's the worst video game to film adaptation?"
618 people responded, and here's which movie topped the list.
It's-a me, Mario!
Over 25% of survey takers agreed that Super Mario Bros. is the worst video game to movie adaptation. The live action film has a score of 24% on Rotten Tomatoes, and has been torn apart by audiences and critics alike.
The movie stars Bob Hoskins as Mario and John Leguizamo as Luigi, a duo of plumbers who must face the evil King Koopa, played by Dennis Hopper. Reviewers have criticised the movie for many things, including the fact that it barely resembles the source material. Some critics praised the movie for its special effects and production design, but found that the script fell short and the writing was flat. "The movie knocks your eyes out, at the same time it dulls the mind's eye," wrote Michael Wilmington of the Los Angeles Times back in 1993.
Other film adaptations in the survey included Assassin's Creed (16.67%), Hitman (14.72%), and Doom (14.28%), while movies based on popular fighter games, like Mortal Kombat (1995) and Street Fighter trailed with 11.49% and 8.09%. The "Others" category received 9.71% of votes, and the comments featured "honorable" mentions for movies like Resident Evil and Warcraft.