The Tragic History Of Video Game Movies Explained

Very few movie genres consistently fail as much as video game-based films. History dictates that video game properties are just not suited for Hollywood adaptations. That's not to say the topic of video games are taboo. "Tron," "Wreck-It Ralph," and "Free Guy" are just a few successful films that have been inspired by video game culture. It seems that the real issue lies in Hollywood's repeated attempts to adapt video games directly.

There are many underlying factors that cause these types of cinematic disasters, including tone deaf executives, dull storylines, and bizarre design choices, just to name a few. And unfortunately for hardcore fans, it seems as though nothing has been learned from previous terrible experiences. either. In fact, over the long history of video game film adaptations, many of the same mistakes keep being repeated, time after time.

From some of the most important games in history to more niche franchises, a number of beloved video games have fallen victim to the movie curse. Here's a look back at some of the worst.

"Super Mario Bros." failed to accurately represent the source material. A year later, "Street Fighter" was in the position to right the wrongs of Mario's cinema debut. 

Unfortunately, writer/director Steven De Souza had the idea of veering off the iconic tournament premise of the series. Opting for a more James Bond-style adventure, De Souza went to Capcom with his film. In an interview with The Guardian, De Souza stated that he quickly learned that Capcom had a similar vision.

Unfortunately, this would basically be the only agreement between the two parties, and creative differences gradually emerged. De Souza believed a core cast of seven was sufficient, but Capcom kept adjusting the number of game characters after every draft was turned in. The strong disconnect between the filmmaker and the game's creators was already a problem, but sick actors and dangerous stunts would plague the filming process.

As noted by Polygon, "Street Fighter" would go on to become a box office failure and critical disaster, but it has gained a bit of a resurgence through a cult following, however. Later adaptations of the influential franchise have not exactly fared better. At this point, "Street Fighter 2: The Animated Movie" might be the closest fans will get to a faithful adaptation, with Kotaku considering it to be "one of the best game movies of all time." 

Fittingly, "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" begins with the protagonist exploring an ancient tomb. She then combats a large robot and performs moves reminiscent of the game, only to reveal that this encounter is just a training exercise taking place in her manor. This is all in the first 5 minutes of the film, by the way.

"Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" and it's sequel, "Cradle of Life," are movies that go way over the top. This can be a benefit, however, as some critics gravitated more to the zaniness. Roger Ebert wrote that the film is "so monumentally silly, yet so wondrous to look at." Sadly, that's where the praise ended, as he then went on to criticize its less-than-stellar plot. Many of Ebert's critiques of the film held true when he reviewed the sequel.

Regardless of the goofy plots, consistent acclaim has been aimed towards Angelina Jolie's portrayal of Lara Croft, with Rotten Tomatoes declaring that she "redefined the character." Shockingly, Jolie had initially turned down the role, telling Collider that she didn't feel as though the character was suited to her. It's a good thing she changed her mind, since she arguably elevated both films. Her role in the first two films are so iconic that it left outlets like Forbes disappointed in 2018's Alicia Vikander-starring reboot.

The early film adaptations of "Tomb Raider" got the casting right, but the lack of a memorable story hampered their legacy. Maybe the sequel to 2018's "Tomb Raider" will finally get the formula right.

Many video game adaptations have been released to ride the source material's popularity, but "Doom" was an odd exception to the trend. "Doom" took so long to make that it was debuted nearly 12 years after the original game came out.

It's no secret that a number of A-list actors have regretted their game-based roles, and Dwayne Johnson has been extremely outspoken about his film. After early reviews of "Rampage" were released, Johnson took to Twitter to throw jabs at "Doom," which he claimed was a victim of the "video game curse."

His sentiments were substantiated by meager box office returns and poor fan reactions: The 2005 movie brought in $58.7 million on a $60-70 million budget and currently has an 18% Rotten Tomatoes score.

Countering Johnson's feelings was John Carmack, the founder of "Doom" developer id Software. When Kikizo asked Carmack what he thought of the film, the lead programmer responded by saying that he liked it and thought it had "fun nods to the gaming community."

The most famous nod was a nearly 5-minute scene depicting an FPS-like perspective, which screenwriter Wesley Strick insisted on keeping. While Strick has been open about the film's flaws, he told Den of Geek that this scene was "delightful" from a visual standpoint. The moment is widely regarded as the best part of the film (per Polygon) and one of the best scenes of any video game adaptation. 

"Hitman" is just one of those gaming properties that may never work in film. Everything about the gameplay seems to contradict what sells movie tickets. Both "Hitman" and "Hitman: Agent 47" are exemplary in their ability to get the tone, character, and premise so wrong.

For starters, "Hitman: Agent 47" is exposition heavy. Critics like Angry Joe and Chris Stuckmann critiqued the amount of story explanation that occurs, primarily in the first half. The "Hitman" games are the opposite, often opting for a quick intro or debriefing to get 47 closer to his objective.

The actual gameplay from the "Hitman" series isn't emulated well at all either. Both films pride themselves on selling general action and large set pieces. Roger Ebert's review pointed to a scene in the first "Hitman" in which the protagonist runs down a corridor with guns blazing. Ebert wrongly assumed that those kinds of scenes were undoubtedly from the game, when in fact, these types of action and stunt-oriented moments couldn't be farther off from the source material.

The "Hitman" games are all about the slow and methodical kill, encouraging absolute stealth and leaving shooting as a last resort. Tailing a target to determine their patterns while assessing the area for quick getaways is fundamental to the "Hitman" experience. Hardcore fans of the franchise have argued that a premise like this is integral to the landmark stealth series, which is why a movie might never work. It probably doesn't help that both movies share the same screenwriter.

One of Remedy Entertainment's early works, "Max Payne" achieved iconic status for its graphic novel-style storytelling and bullet time mechanics. What better way to recreate this cinematic gunplay than through a movie adaptation?

"Max Payne" had one job: go all-in on the action. Unfortunately, the movie failed to do even that. Reviewers like the Nostalgia Critic have commented on this bizarre lack of spectacle, noting that most important events seem to occur off-screen in the first half of the film. "Max Payne" does have some slow motion, but none of the usage is to its favor. Odd decisions abound, like choosing to show "Max Payne" slowly falling backwards.

A positive is that some of the game's premise is kept intact. Remedy's original storyline of Max hunting down his family's killers is more or less the same, and his occasional visions also look interesting. However, according to Empire's review, the brooding tone often "borders on parody."

Remedy does have regrets with the adaption, as the company told Game Informer. Surprisingly, the movie rights were sold well before the actual release of the game. Remedy director Sam Lake acknowledged that the filmmakers took a close look at the game, and much of the source material's style was reflected in the final product. However, Lake felt that any future film adaptations would require Remedy to have "more creative involvement."

"Max Payne" represents a common outcome of game adaptations: It's a well-intentioned effort that simply didn't pay off.

This 2014 film, which the Hollywood Reporter called "flat," seemingly rips off the "Fast and Furious" formula while slapping on the "Need For Speed" brand. It could have been so much more, especially considering how the movie's story was developed. As writer and producer John Gatins explained to IGN, the screenplay for "Need For Speed" resulted from a partnership between himself and EA. A direct cooperation between filmmakers and game developers is a good sign, but this movie ended up wasting the talent attached to it.

Due to EA's involvement, "Need For Speed" isn't a huge departure from the games. Debt and revenge are abundant in the plot, along with some murder thrown into the mix. The main character, Tobey (Aaron Paul), must avenge his friend's death by pursuing their killer through an ongoing race. Like the games, the premise in "Need for Speed" exists just to add context to the high octane action.

Although the characters and their motivations are extremely forgettable, the vehicular chaos manages to compensate somewhat. As noted by MotorTrend's review, "Need For Speed" boasts some exciting car stunts and fun action, resulting in an "undeniably exciting experience" that doesn't have many realistic elements to hold onto.

Truth be told, "Need for Speed" was lacking a strong story to begin with; even though the movie nicely adapts the action of the games, the whole thing ends up feeling thin. Though sequels could tweak these issues, it's unclear if fans will ever get "Need For Speed 2."

"Assassin's Creed" tried to get a lot of things right, but an original story connected to the games, an acclaimed cast, and a solid director somehow led to another flubbed video game adaptation.

Many filmmakers don't bother understanding the games that are influencing these projects, but "Assassin's Creed" took special care in preserving elements of the source material. Michael Fassbender's character, Cal, is put in the Animus, which allows him to live as his ancestor in 15th century France. As he uncovers his origins, Cal also encounters other Animus subjects, which leads to a number of connections to Ubisoft's games.

CBR pointed out a number of links to the franchise, including the presence of the protagonist of "Assassin's Creed Unity" in one scene. These easter eggs didn't appease diehard followers of the series, unfortunately. Many reviews have noted the film's lack of real character development and flawed explanations of mainstay concepts in the "Assassin's Creed" lore. Drawbacks such as these are coupled with bland scenes and uneven pacing to produce a picture that had wasted potential.

Probably most depressing of all are Michael Fassbender's remarks towards the experience. When Fassbender was asked how to make improvements for a possible sequel during an interview with Movie'n'co UK, he bluntly stated, "I would make it more entertaining." He went on to claim the movie ultimately took itself "too seriously."