There have been many popular video games over the years that have been made into action-packed films and film franchises. There are some movies that do this really well, and which please both video game fans and film enthusiasts. However, there are also some films that have been argued to be very poor adaptations that don’t do the games justice. Where some video game movies are spot on and reference great moments from the games, there are a few that seem to neglect important features that made the games so great. 

Whether you are a film fan, video game fan, or both, here is a list of some of the best and worst video game movies that have been released over the years. 

The Best

1. Resident Evil (2002)

There are six movies in the Resident Evil film franchise, but the one that is often quoted as the best installment is Resident Evil (2002). When it comes to providing story and references to the original game, this film takes first place over the sequels. Starring Milla Jovovich as Alice, Resident Evil (2002) follows Alice and her companions tackling to contain a deadly virus that has spread throughout the Umbrella Corporation’s underground facility. This action-horror film was a video game turned film success as it gained over $103 million at the box office. 

2. Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019)

Released only last month, Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019) brings a much loved video game series to the big screen. The 2019 live-action film is based on the Detective Pikachu spin-off game released in 2016 on Nintendo 3DS. Starring Ryan Reynolds and Justice Smith, Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019) brought together old Pokémon fans and new for a fun adventure comedy film. Although some critics critiqued the film plot, many praised both Reynold’s performance and the Pokémon creature designs.

3. Tomb Raider (2018)

Based on the 2013 video game reboot, Tomb Raider gave Lara Croft fans a new film installment to watch. While Angelina Jolie became the first on-screen Lara Croft, Alicia Vikander takes on the role in the new ‘version’ of Lara in Tomb Raider (2018). This film takes on a lot of the much loved 2013 video game features such as gravity-defying jumps and action-packed entertainment.  While some fans might be loyal to Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) and the original games, this video game reboot still makes an entertaining film to watch. 

The Worst

1. Assassin’s Creed (2016)

One of the most popular and much-loved video game series to play is Assassin’s Creed. The original Assassin’s Creed game, released in 2007, was praised by many and the game series has brought many exciting new locations to the gameplay, including Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece in Assassin’s Creed Origins and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. Even though turning this game series into a film might have seemed like a good idea, Assassin’s Creed (2016) received many negative reviews. Many fans of the video games felt that the film neglected a lot of exciting features and storylines from the game. 

2. Warcraft (2016)

Another well-known video game series that was later turned into a film was Warcraft. Despite best efforts and a $160m budget, Warcraft (2016) still received negative reviews from many. One of the many criticisms of the film is that it tried too hard to please both film fans and fans of Warcraft video games. Just like many other video game film adaptations, like Assassin’s Creed (2016), this film attempted to adapt source material, which is always a big risk to make when fans prefer the original games. 

3. Hitman (2007)

Over the years, the Hitman video game series has released many popular games such as Hitman: Blood Money, Hitman: Absolution, and Hitman 2. The first film to be made from the popular video game franchise was Hitman (2007) starring Timothy Olyphant as Agent 47. This film was yet another movie that didn’t quite live up to the popularity of the video games. However, although Hitman (2007) received negative reviews, it still managed to make $100m at the box office against a budget of only $24m.

Popular movies that have been turned into games

There have been many film releases over the years that have become great adaptations of popular video games, and some not so great. When a film becomes popular with many fans, it sometimes makes sense to turn the film into a fun game for everyone to enjoy. Where some films have been turned into games for popular gaming platforms, some have also been turned into popular online slot games and boardgames too. 

Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Ghostbusters are just some well-known movie franchises that were so well received by fans that they became video games. When solo video games become so popular with fans, sometimes multiple games are released and an entire game series is launched. One example is superhero comic books that have been turned into films and later turned into a video game series. One popular fan favourite is The Batman: Arkham series that has released over nine video games since 2009. Recently, one well-received video game was the new Spider-Man game that was released on Playstation 4. The 2018 video game was praised by many critics and fans for its storyline and visuals.