With film studios realizing how profitable video game adaptations can be, avid players are treated with better and better video game movies over the past years.
As a form of surveying and looking back, we’ve gathered a list of the 10 best video game movies of all time.
10 Best Video Game Movies of All Time
10Assassin’s Creed (2016)
Bringing video games back to the forefront is Assassin’s Creed (2016). As its name implies, it’s the movie version of the beloved game about the Creed and the Templar Order.
The film features an all-star cast with actors like Marion Cotillard, Michael Fassbender, and Michael K. Williams.
While some fans of the original game found the film lacking, regular filmgoers should still give this adaptation a watch. The film features an impressive look into 15th century Spain and a ton of parkour giving a proper nod to its origins without getting to on the nose.
9Warcraft (2016)
Despite being dismissed as a wannabe Lord of the Rings, World of Warcraft finally gets the attention it deserves from Hollywood with its adaptation, Warcraft (2016).
Under the direction of noted director Duncan Jones, the film went on to become the most successful movie based on a video game ever after it earned around $433 million in the box office.
The film is praised by fans for its bolder take on video game adaptations giving a great director the massive budget he needs to let his imagination run wild.
8Mortal Kombat (1995)
If you’ve played the game, then you’d definitely enjoy this film version of it.
Aside from being an adaptation of the famous fighting video game, Mortal Kombat (1995) is an homage to 90s campiness at its finest. The film is often categorized with those ‘so bad it’s good movies’ with a convoluted plot that even the actors seem to not know half of the film’s running time.
Complete with plenty of martial arts showdowns, cheesy lines, and attention-grabbing costumes, the film mixes the game’s premise with some plot elements from Bruce Lee’s martial arts film, Enter the Dragon.
7The Angry Birds Movie (2016)
Remember that time when everybody went crazy for this seemingly silly game? Well, let this film adaptation remind you.
The film may seem out of place with the other video game movies on this list but it still deserves a spot if only because of its ridiculous charm.
Filled with passable visuals and toilet humor sprinkled with a little bit of Spongebob jokes, the film is definitely targeted for kids like the game was so don’t expect to find an Oscar bait type film when you decide to watch it.
6Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)
Once you look past the fact the casting of Jake Gyllenhaal, a white dude, to play a Persian character, you’ll find a highly passable video game film with an interesting, though paper-thin, plot and memorable characters.
It has plenty of heart-pounding scenes and, let’s be honest, Gyllenhaal is a really likable character as well which makes watching the film enjoyable as you root for his character to succeed.
5Ratchet and Clank (2016)
2016 was definitely the year of video game films, huh?
Further proof is the next film on our best video game movies list, Ratchet, and Clank (2016).
To be honest, this film is not Pixar-level good but it’s the perfect watch when you’re bored or have 90 minutes to kill. In the end, the film is a sufficient family movie that parents can watch with their kids without wanting gouge their eyes out during and after. For what it is, the film did a great job by bringing the pairing of a robot and a Lombax.
4Tomb Raider (2018)
Tomb Raider (2018) is both a video game adaptation and movie reboot. Lara Croft returns with Swedish actress Alicia Vikander assuming Angelina Jolie’s original role.
In this adaptation, we see Lara make her way to a mysterious island off the coast of Japan where her father went missing in a few years prior.
Vikander shines in her role as the titular tomb raider giving the audience an interesting, badass and well-rounded character. The film may not be popular among critics but fans surely loved the film.
3Resident Evil (2002)
The Resident Evil horror action film franchise begins with Resident Evil (2002).
Written and directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, the film tells the story of Alice, played by Milla Jovovich, a character that’s absent from the original Japanese video game made especially for the film. Alice’s main goal is to defeat the Umbrella Corporation, a company which bioweapons triggered a zombie outbreak.
Although the film received mostly negative reviews from film critics, the Resident Evil movie series is the highest grossing video game series earning more than $1.2 billion.
2Silent Hill (2006)
Another horror entry makes it onto our list of the best video games movies of all time.
Silent Hill (2006) follows the story of Rose, a mother who drives through a portal to a strange town called Silent Hill while on her way to bring her daughter to a faith healer.
The film was a French-Canadian production and starred Sean Bean and Radha Mitchell in the lead roles.
It received praise for its excellent visuals, eery atmosphere and set designs but was criticized for its subpar plot and dialogue.
1Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001) makes it to the top spot on our list.
With almost everything working against it, this video game adaptation still managed to make it work to deliver a genuinely marvelous film. It pays due respect to its original material while also taking risks that other video game movies before it weren’t brave enough to do making it a perfect template on which other movies can take cues from.
What do you think of the ranking of our list? Do you agree with our top 10 list? Tell us your thoughts in the comment section below.
