Ranking VG Movies

[Hawki]

So, there's been a fair bit of buzz about VG-based movies right now, what with the "curse" supposedly being broken with stuff like Detective Pikachu, Sonic, and according to Rotten Tomatoes...Angry Birds 2? So, everyone else is making a list, and I made one myself for a different thread, so I figured I'd go full bore and take a dive.

Personal rules are as follows:

-Has to be an adaptation, not a film that's inspired by games (so no Tron, Wizard, etc.)

-It can't be a tie-in to a pre-existing setting; it has to be able to stand on its own feet (so this cuts out the Resident Evil CGI movies for instance. Also the Pokemon anime movies)

-It has to have been theatrically released (so that cuts out the Sonic OVA for instance)

Also, there's quite a few of these films that I haven't seen in ages. But that said, behold!

THE DOGSHIT

22: Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
21: Angry Birds
20: Assassin?s Creed
19: Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
18: Wing Commander
17: Lara Croft: The Cradle of Life
16: Resident Evil: Retribution
15: Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
14: Doom

THE CATSHIT

13: Ratchet & Clank
12: Street Fighter
11: Super Mario Bros.
10: Double Dragon

THE SHIT I ACTUALLY LIKE

9: Resident Evil: Extinction
8: Resident Evil: The Final Chapter
7: Warcraft
6: Resident Evil: Apocalypse
5: Resident Evil
4: Mortal Kombat
3: Detective Pikachu*
2: Prince of Persia

THE SHIT THAT'S GENUINELY GOOD

1: Tomb Raider

So, agree, disagree, wondering why dogshit is worse than catshit? Jump in. Or not. I wouldn't blame you for looking at that list and feeling depressed.

*Detective Pikachu is the exception here, as I really didn't like the film much. But I have to concede that looking at it as a film, it is better than a lot of stuff here.)

 

[BrawlMan]

EDIT:

1. Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie (1994)
2. Mortal Kombat (1995)
3. Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist
4. WarCraft
5. Rampage (2018)
6. Double Impact (1991) - A better Double Dragon movie, than the official film.
7. Detective Pikachu
8. Fatal Fury 1 & 2 Anime Movies. The third movie is so bad, it's good.
9. Prince of Persia
10. All 3 RE CGI films. Tomb Raider 1

Everything else sucks or is very average.


EDIT: There is also the Castlevania TV series. Season 3 is coming out soon and I am looking forward to it. The series is literally an adaption of Castlevania III, which is the first in the timeline anyway, but does its own thing and the show nails everything right. I find it better than most of the movies on my list. Hell, it's just as great as my top 4.

 

[Gordon_4_v1legacy]

Street Fighter II the Animated Movie: Still God-tier; that fuckin' Chun Li vs. Vega fight.

Warcraft: I'll be honest, Warcraft's lore didn't get interesting to me until The Lich King and the Night Elves entered the fray, and the more high fantasy it goes the better it is. Still, great fun movie.

Prince of Persia: I don't give a shit what anyone says, this movie is fucking fun.

Mortal Kombat: not brilliant but given the simple nature of the concept its damn well put together. Also dat song.

 

[Squilookle]

'Movies set in the same universe as a game' are kind of cheating, to be honest. As far as proper 'let's adapt an actual game story into a movie' goes, the only two that are worth mentioning are:

THE GOOD: Prince of Persia
THE GREAT: Warcraft

 

[Worgen]

The Silent Hill movie was pretty decent.

 

[SupahEwok]

The only good videogame movies are the new Jumanjis.

-Has to be an adaptation, not a film that's inspired by games (so no Tron, Wizard, etc.)

No, u

 

[Wilted Rose]

Just for fun I'll follow your rules and ranking system! Although I'm gonna keep in the direct to video ones I've seen, because I really don't think I have seen all that many video game films now that I am thinking about it.

As a cat lover, I am okay with cat shit being better than dog shit.

Dog shit = Shit I've seen once and never want to see again
Cat shit = Shit I hold no special feels towards and might see it again if put in front of me
Shit I like = Shit I like to watch over again and feel positive towards it

DOG SHIT
17. Alone in the Dark: (Worst video game movie I've ever seen)
16. Detective Pikachu: (I just found it very boring and uninspired, all the funny parts were already shown in the trailer it felt like)
15. DOA Dead or Alive: (I can't remember if I liked the fights, but I remember it being pretty bad)
14. Mortal Kombat Annihilation: (Not as good as the first and the first wasn't that good)

CAT SHIT
13. Warcraft: (Meh, it was alright)
12. Mortal Kombat: (It is fun, has funny moments..I'm not rushing to watch it though)
11. Lara Croft 1 & 2: (Been awhile, but I remember Daniel Craig and Gerard Butler looking pretty hot)
10. Resident Evil 2-6: (I'll just lump these together, they are fun, but wow did they get shitty. 4-6 all feel like the same movie, I can't tell them apart. I think the 3rd one is the best of that lot)
9. Final Fantasy Advent Children: (Not an awful film, but ya really need to play the game to enjoy the film fully, great action scenes though)

SHIT I LIKE
8. Tomb Raider: (I'd personally say this is better than the Jolie ones)
7. Max Payne: (It's fun, flashy and has some cool visuals)
6. Final Fantasy Spirits Within: (Still probably one of my fav CGI movies...not sure if that is saying much though)
5. Prince of Persia: (Had that Mummy adventure feel to it that I love, plus it had Jake Gyllenhaal)
4. Sonic the Hedgehog 96' OVA: (Darn you for trying to not let me put this here, I loved this movie growing up!)
3. Silent Hill: (Sure this movie could have been darker and more psychological, but it was still pretty scary, visually interesting and fun)
2. Doom: (Just good fun, fun characters, fun monsters, fun dialogue, fun fight scene, fun setting)
1. Resident Evil: (My fav video game movie, I just love it so much, I've watched it so many times, I never cared that it did its own thing and didn't follow the game)

It felt a little weird putting Spirits Within on the list since it really isn't a video game film. It just shares the brand name and theme. It has absolutely nothing to do with any of the games and is pretty original.

 

[BrawlMan]

Street Fighter II the Animated Movie: Still God-tier; that fuckin' Chun Li vs. Vega fight.

Warcraft: I'll be honest, Warcraft's lore didn't get interesting to me until The Lich King and the Night Elves entered the fray, and the more high fantasy it goes the better it is. Still, great fun movie.

THE GREAT: Warcraft

Do either you reccomend Warcraft? I know the movie is not based on WoW, but the earlier games: Warcraft I-III. If so, I don't mind taking time to watching it. But keep in mind, I am not a Warcraft fan. Thanks.

 

[Gordon_4_v1legacy]

Street Fighter II the Animated Movie: Still God-tier; that fuckin' Chun Li vs. Vega fight.

Warcraft: I'll be honest, Warcraft's lore didn't get interesting to me until The Lich King and the Night Elves entered the fray, and the more high fantasy it goes the better it is. Still, great fun movie.

THE GREAT: Warcraft

Do either you reccomend Warcraft? I know the movie is not based on WoW, but the earlier games: Warcraft I-III. If so, I don't mind taking time to watching it. But keep in mind, I am not a Warcraft fan. Thanks.

It?s no Lord of the Rings, but if you have it on Netflix or can borrow it off a friend it?s worth a watch. If nothing else the visual design and costuming is so on point it?s amazing. Most of the actors are fine, again Travis Flimmel is no Viggo Mortensen, but you know, they?re fine.

It does mix and change some more though: Stormwind City is tendered as its current appearance, Dalaran is flying and the kingdom of Lordaeron is conspicuously absent, but the only races you see in any number are the Draenei (right at the beginning on Draenor), the Orcs, the humans, the Dwarfs and the High Elves.

 

[Hawki]

EDIT: There is also the Castlevania TV series. Season 3 is coming out soon and I am looking forward to it. The series is literally an adaption of Castlevania III, which is the first in the timeline anyway, but does its own thing and the show nails everything right. I find it better than most of the movies on my list. Hell, it's just as great as my top 4.

I actually agree about it being better than any movie on this list (well, least the first season, haven't got beyond that), but it's not a movie, so...

Warcraft: I'll be honest, Warcraft's lore didn't get interesting to me until The Lich King and the Night Elves entered the fray, and the more high fantasy it goes the better it is. Still, great fun movie.

TBH, Warcraft has got a bit too high on its fantasy for its own good at times. It certainly got 'higher' with each subsequent RTS installment and benefitted from it IMO, but come WoW, well...Warlords gave us alternate realities, and Legion gave us, among other things, demonic battlecruisers that looked like they'd be at home in StarCraft. Also Illidan having eye lasers.

I mean, just saying...

4. Sonic the Hedgehog 96' OVA: (Darn you for trying to not let me put this here, I loved this movie growing up!)

As I said, no-one's obliged to follow my rules.

But yeah, I loved this movie as well as a kid. Had it on VHS, watched it more times than I could count. In hindsight, it's probably more of an "average" than a "good" movie, but damn if it isn't an enjoyable one.

It felt a little weird putting Spirits Within on the list since it really isn't a video game film. It just shares the brand name and theme. It has absolutely nothing to do with any of the games and is pretty original.

It's a fair point, but I feel at this point, anything can be a Final Fantasy, well, anything, as long as it shares only a few key components. It does also match my personal rules of standing on its own feet.

Of course, the film's absolutely terrible IMO, but whatever.

 

[Dalisclock]

6. Final Fantasy Spirits Within: (Still probably one of my fav CGI movies...not sure if that is saying much though)
.

I'm shocked. I thought I was like the only person who kinda liked that movie. I saw it in theaters and found it entertaining if a little derivative. I later found it out it apparently gave everyone else cancer for how bad it was considered and bombed(and bombed hard enough to fuck SE HARD and force the original dude who helmed the series out of a job).

I kinda liked Advent Childern too but I didn't play any of the FF7 spin-off games, just the original, so my experience wasn't tainted by all that stuff.

XV, KingsGlaive felt like it was a fine enough movie but I felt a bit annoyed when I realized it was like half the plot points from the game that never actually made it into the game.

 

[Squilookle]

Street Fighter II the Animated Movie: Still God-tier; that fuckin' Chun Li vs. Vega fight.

Warcraft: I'll be honest, Warcraft's lore didn't get interesting to me until The Lich King and the Night Elves entered the fray, and the more high fantasy it goes the better it is. Still, great fun movie.

THE GREAT: Warcraft

Do either you reccomend Warcraft? I know the movie is not based on WoW, but the earlier games: Warcraft I-III. If so, I don't mind taking time to watching it. But keep in mind, I am not a Warcraft fan. Thanks.

Funny thing is- I'm not a Warcraft fan either. Never played anything Warcraft, and have no interest in doing so. But as a MOVIE, it is excellent. Events drive the plot, not the other way around. All characters act on clearly displayed motivations. It's simply a well made movie, and would be even if the game never existed. Funny thing is though, the CGI Orcs were better actors than some of the humans!

 

[Gordon_4_v1legacy]

Warcraft: I'll be honest, Warcraft's lore didn't get interesting to me until The Lich King and the Night Elves entered the fray, and the more high fantasy it goes the better it is. Still, great fun movie.

TBH, Warcraft has got a bit too high on its fantasy for its own good at times. It certainly got 'higher' with each subsequent RTS installment and benefitted from it IMO, but come WoW, well...Warlords gave us alternate realities, and Legion gave us, among other things, demonic battlecruisers that looked like they'd be at home in StarCraft. Also Illidan having eye lasers.

I mean, just saying...

Honestly the higher the better. I'm so sick of dark, generic low-fantasy with no sense of fun or colour. Give my my flying magic cities, my teleporting magic, calling down storms and balls of fire. In fact all I really missed from Warcraft were paladins and shamans.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I can't think of a single videogame movie that I wouldn't rank somewhere between abysmal and mediocre.
I've had better experiences with game themed movies. Like Scott Pilgrim or the Wreck-It-Ralph movies.

 

[Kyrian007]

I'm surprised I've seen as many of these as I have. I frankly don't think any video game movie made by Hollywood or a traditional movie studio is good... anything that fits that description that has been mentioned above was awful. Really the only good stuff has been independent fan made stuff, and almost all were episodic by design (to save money.) So the really good stuff like Fallout: Nuka Break or There Will Be Brawl or Mortal Kombat: Legacy... doesn't really count. To get a Hollywood version that's any good at all will take A: seasoned veteran directors and writers who love and believe in the material. And B: studios that trust them enough not to interfere. Well we are starting to get there with A. But bad news, we're still a couple of decades away from B.

 

[Hawki]

In fact all I really missed from Warcraft were paladins and shamans.

Neither of them would make sense given the lore of the setting for that timeframe. I mean, you could get away with the former, but not the latter.

 

[Scarim Coral]

I'm doing a top 10 as I don't remember every single lived video games films nor have I watched all of them like Prince of Persa or any of the Resident Evil lived action sequels.

Street Fighter 2 The Movie (I've check and it did release in the cinema)
Detective Pikachu
Sonic the Hedgehog (yes I watched it hours ago)
Silent Hill
Final Fantasy Advent Children
Mortal Kombat
Angry Bird
Tomb Raider
Angry Bird 2
Final Fantasy The Spirit Within
The Mario Btothers
Street Fighter The Movie

 

[Hawki]

I'm doing a top 10

Oh, okay.

Street Fighter 2 The Movie (I've check and it did release in the cinema)
Detective Pikachu
Sonic the Hedgehog (yes I watched it hours ago)
Silent Hill
Final Fantasy Advent Children
Mortal Kombat
Angry Bird
Tomb Raider
Angry Bird 2
Final Fantasy The Spirit Within
The Mario Btothers
Street Fighter The Movie

But that's twelve... 0_0

 

[BrawlMan]

Street Fighter II the Animated Movie: Still God-tier; that fuckin' Chun Li vs. Vega fight.

Warcraft: I'll be honest, Warcraft's lore didn't get interesting to me until The Lich King and the Night Elves entered the fray, and the more high fantasy it goes the better it is. Still, great fun movie.

THE GREAT: Warcraft

Do either you reccomend Warcraft? I know the movie is not based on WoW, but the earlier games: Warcraft I-III. If so, I don't mind taking time to watching it. But keep in mind, I am not a Warcraft fan. Thanks.

Funny thing is- I'm not a Warcraft fan either. Never played anything Warcraft, and have no interest in doing so. But as a MOVIE, it is excellent. Events drive the plot, not the other way around. All characters act on clearly displayed motivations. It's simply a well made movie, and would be even if the game never existed. Funny thing is though, the CGI Orcs were better actors than some of the humans!

Street Fighter II the Animated Movie: Still God-tier; that fuckin' Chun Li vs. Vega fight.

Warcraft: I'll be honest, Warcraft's lore didn't get interesting to me until The Lich King and the Night Elves entered the fray, and the more high fantasy it goes the better it is. Still, great fun movie.

THE GREAT: Warcraft

Do either you reccomend Warcraft? I know the movie is not based on WoW, but the earlier games: Warcraft I-III. If so, I don't mind taking time to watching it. But keep in mind, I am not a Warcraft fan. Thanks.

It?s no Lord of the Rings, but if you have it on Netflix or can borrow it off a friend it?s worth a watch. If nothing else the visual design and costuming is so on point it?s amazing. Most of the actors are fine, again Travis Flimmel is no Viggo Mortensen, but you know, they?re fine.

It does mix and change some more though: Stormwind City is tendered as its current appearance, Dalaran is flying and the kingdom of Lordaeron is conspicuously absent, but the only races you see in any number are the Draenei (right at the beginning on Draenor), the Orcs, the humans, the Dwarfs and the High Elves.

Saw it earlier and loved it. Sad this ended on a sequel hook, but it's obvious another film ain't happening. I got it from Best Buy for $5. Waaayyy before seeing this movie, I only saw two reviews for Warcraft: Double Toasted and Movie Bob. I knew MB was full of shit with his review, because one, he thought the film was based off of WoW and not the older entries, and two, he likes to shit on the RE games claiming the stories are all shit (other than RE4&7), while saying the films are shlocky, but in a good way. Which he says only to be a contrarian. The Warcraft movie definitely pays respect to its source material and is unashamed of it, unlike the live action RE films.

Double Toasted was fairer to the film, but they gave it a rating of rental for non-fans, and matinee/full price for Warcraft fans. I disagree with them on the non-fans part. I had no trouble following the story, or understanding all of the characters and factions motivations. They also said the movie took itself too seriously, but once it again I find criticisms false and intellectually dishonest(more so in Moviebob's review). Warcraft has plenty of humor and dark humor without going overboard or activating at inappropriate times. This was 2016, and while Double Toasted claim to be fair, they sometimes let their Marvel fanboysim show up in certain reviews during that year and before. They've gotten better about it now, only because the team is getting tired of Marvel now.

Thanks again fellas and have a good night! I am going to update my list now.

 

[Beffudled Sheep_v1legacy]

Snip
17. Alone in the Dark: (Worst video game movie I've ever seen)

That Alone in the Dark movie was awful, but I still think it was better than the Alone in the Dark 2008 game. Sit me in a room and force me to choose which I'll have to suffer through and I'll choose the movie every time!

My list is really short, it's been years since I've seen any adaptation of a game series.

DOG SHIT
Alone in the Dark: Awful plot, bad acting, some flubbed shots and effects. All around awful. Still would rather watch it than play the '08 game though.
House of the Dead (Uwe Bol): Just straight up awful. Dumb, bad acting, blech.

CAT SHIT
Resident Evil 4 onwards: I don't even remember the names of these ones, or how many there are. I love love love the RE game series, and while these are ok popcorn flicks, they're still overall "meh" and samey.
Bloorayne: All I remember about this is that Bloodrayne was hot. Other than that my memory about this movie has been deleted.

SHIT I LIKE
4. Resident Evil Extinction: Not terrible! Definitely a dumb "turn off your brain" type movie, but it had some nice action scenes, some tense moments, and I did think the telekinetic flamethrower crow massacre was cool as hell! I like fire, I'm a simple man :s
3. Resident Evil Apocalypse: Resident Evil 3 is my fav RE game, so this "adaptation" of it is right up my alley. Sure, Jill and Carlos kinda suck in it, but it has Nemesis! Instant good vibes in my book just for that! But cool action scenes, Nemesis, and hot chicks is all I really need from this series.
2. Doom, The One With The Rock: Dumb science plot aside, it's just a good time. The action is fun and over the top, the acting is hammy and fun, and that one sequence where they go first person is tons of fun and cool! People make fun of it, but I honestly thought it was great, and even kinda cute.
1. The first Resident Evil movie: I really like that this one tries to pretend to be a horror movie for even a little bit. I get that it diverges pretty wildly from the games, but that never really bothered me. The action was more subdued than later movies, but was very effective at conveying that everyone is kinda fucked, and it did scare me a little when it came out ( I was under 10 years old when it came out, shut up!)