Video game fans have long wished for a perfect film adaptation of their favorite game. It would be magical to see the fields of Hyrule or the underwater city of Rapture come to life on the big screen. There have been many attempts to bring the incredibly detailed worlds of video games to life, but most have been deemed failures. Some even say it’s impossible to make a great adaptation.
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Unfortunately, a short runtime is usually never enough time to allow a 30+ hour video game narrative to breathe. Despite this, there are still some fantastic adaptations that you might have overlooked or turned your nose to due to some pretty high expectations.
‘Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children’ (2005)
25 years after its release,Final Fantasy VIIremains one of the best and most beloved RPGs of all time. Even with its polygon-shaped characters and silly dialogue, the game changed the genre forever with its emotional story, vibrant personalities, and the unfortunate death of a major character.
Advent Childrenpicks up two years after the game’s ending with Cloud infected by a strange disease plaguing Midgar. Sephiroth returns, and Cloud’s group must fight him once and for all. The movie’s superb CGI sets it apart from other video game adaptations, especially for its time.Nobuo Uematsureturned with another killer soundtrack, and the darker themes and tone of the movie better suit the hollowness of Midgar.
‘Silent Hill’ (2006)
TheSilent Hillgames are the godfather of the survival horror genre, and they scared the pants off of every kid with a Playstation. The nuance ofSilent Hillis complex, though, and its story is told through crippling mental breakdowns and scenes that don’t seem real. The film adaptation delivers a far too literal and Westernized version of it, which is why many fans overlook it.
The movie is still a solid interpretation of a brilliant game that delves into the psyche of its characters. Watching it while knowing that it is not a direct adaptation makes for a great horror movie. The film captures the eerie atmosphere almost perfectly. The bubblehead nurses look phenomenal in the games, but the movie made them even creepier.
‘Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV’ (2016)
Final Fantasyfans waited nearly ten years to playFinal Fantasy XV. It finally came out in 2016, and the game was released with a prequel movie. It is set during the first part of the game’s story while Noctis and his crew are getting their royal car fixed.
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Kingsglaive’sstory gives a much-needed backstory to characters you will never get to spend time with, like Lunafreya and Noctis' father. The CGI is even better thanFinal Fantasy’sprevious films, and it featured an all-star cast ofAaron Paul,Sean Bean, andLena Headey. The movie perfectly encapsulates the game’s royal atmosphere and sets up the foreboding dread leading to Noctis' harrowing story of birthright and ill fate.
‘Lara Croft: Tomb Raider’ (2001)
TheTomb Raidergames have been adapted into movies a few times, but the most fun version remainsAngelina Jolie’s. She was the epitome of everything Lara Croft — adventurous, clever, and crafty. Jolie also looked the part, and she wore Lara Croft’s (in)famous outfit exceptionally well.
The originalTomb Raidermovie excels at bringing the game’s playfulness to life. The games have never been profound, and the film doesn’t take itself too seriously either. It even has lines of dialogue that sound straight from an NPC’s mouth like, “Distinguished gentleman!" and “Pretty much touch anything, and get your head chopped off.” The movie is loads of fun and allows a female character into the shoes of Indiana Jones and Nathan Drake.
‘Assassin’s Creed’ (2016)
With a cast includingMichael Fassbender,Jeremy Irons, andMarion Cotillard,Assassin’s Creedwas slated as a more mature version of any previous video game adaptation. The film successfully portrays a grizzled jump back into the past, even though the lore suffered andthere was a lack of compelling characters.
TheAssassin’s Creedgames all take place in a fictional history of real-world events. It is home to many intriguing characters, but the movie follows an entirely new one. Instead of the protagonist traveling back to the Crusades, Fassbender’s character travels to 15th-century Spain. The film is full of incredible chase scenes, fight scenes straight out of the game, and an all-star cast that makes the movie more realistic.
‘Resident Evil’ (2002)
Let’s be honest; the firstResident Evilmovie is far from perfect. But it is one hell of a good time.Resident Evilcaptures the essence of great Y2K action-horror movies, complete with incredible fight scenes and cheesiness. The film follows Alice as she takes on the Umbrella Corporation inside its facilities with the T-virus.
The most important part of the film isMilla Jovovich, who plays Alice perfectly. She lent her stylish moves and acting to the movie and became the face of the franchise.Paul W.S. Anderson’s take onResident Evildoes an excellent job following a singular character’s journey and continually raises the stakes. He also created slick action sequences that allowed Jovovich to shine.
‘Uncharted’ (2022)
Tom Hollandwas a surprise to many when it was announced that he would be playingUncharted’sbeloved protagonist, Nathan Drake. TheSpider-Manactor looks relatively young and doesn’t resemble the rugged, treasure-hunting character much. Despite this, Holland proved himself to be every bit of a movie star while portraying Nathan, and the film ended up being#1 at the box office for eight weeks in a row.
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Unchartedis well-known for its charming characters, wondrous settings, and wild adventures. The movie did a great job in delivering these and the humor and hijinks of Nathan and his group. The best part about it, though, was the charismatic duo of Holland andMark Wahlberg. They played off of each other’s senses of humor perfectly: Holland full of youthful vibrancy, and Wahlberg full of wise-cracking bitterness.
‘Detective Pikachu’ (2019)
Both children and adults have wanted to experience a world full of realPokemonsince the anime and card game became popular in the late 90s. Following the mind-blowing success of thePokemon Gomobile game, a live-action film was announced, withRyan Reynoldsvoicing Pikachuin one of his funniest performances yet.
The movie follows the budding relationship between Pikachu and the trainer, Tim (Justice Smith), as they solve the disappearance of Tim’s father. Nothing beats seeing real people interact with Pokemon in the world, even if they are just CGI. The film allows you to envision a Pokemon-filled life where the creatures can be found working jobs, making food, and traveling along telephone poles.
‘Need For Speed’ (2014)
Need For Speedtakes all of the charm and action from theFast & Furiousmovies and adds incredibly expensive cars, existential car chases, and adrenaline-fueled vengeance.
Based on the popular racing games, the movie adds a layer of depth to them with actual characters and emotions. The story doesn’t distract from what you really want to see, though: fierce car races. The movie’s premise stays true to the heart of what the games are about — speed, flashiness, and having fun. The best part about the film is that all of the incredible stunts were real. No CGI here.
‘Ace Attorney’ (2012)
The film adaptation ofPhoenix Wright: Ace Attorneyis directed by none other than the master of violent outcasts himself,Takashi Miike. Many are shocked to hear that he directed a video game adaptation, but all are pleasantly surprised after watching it.
The film follows Phoenix (Hiroki Narimiya), a lawyer who makes his way through murder trials to protect his clients. It is based on the first game where the character is an excellent lawyer — but not always through logic. Miike does a spectacular job in portraying just how hilariously incompetent Phoenix Wright is sometimes. Miike’s natural directing talent ensured that the movie perfectly matched the tone, storyline, and style of the original game.
