Not a Movie, but Arcane (from League of Legends) seems to be the peak example of a video game adaptation. Take the universe of an IP and tell a separate slice of a story within that universe, in a way where fixed pacing and cinematography can flex its strengths.
Cynical content from the 90s and 2000s that lack "heart" like Quake, Doom, and the like are difficult to tie a cohesive story with because there was no story or plot underlying those IPs.
[0] - https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_last_of_us
[1] - https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/fallout
[2] - https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wreck_it_ralph
[3] - https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pokemon_detective_pikachu
[4] - https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sonic_the_hedgehog_3
[5] - https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sonic_the_hedgehog_2
[6] - https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sonic_the_hedgehog_2020
[7] - https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mortal_kombat_ii
[8] - https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gran_turismo_based_on_a_tru...
Most Hollywood game adaptations are the same as the Disney live actions. They have their hands on an IP, they want to flip it into easy money. Those turn out excruciatingly bad, because for an easy flip, you need to target for mass appeal, which waters down the material.
It goes both ways. Both the video game and the film/tv IP need to have some sort of deeper meaning and writing. You just can't write a cohesive story for a cynical multiplayer FPS like Quake, Wolfenstein II, Doom, etc whose whole appeal in the 1990s and 2000s was gore and shock value.
There's a reason people my age (below 35) have never played and oftentimes haven't even heard of Quake or Doom or Wolfenstein but have heard of Fallout or Half Life.
> Most Hollywood game adaptations are the same as the Disney live actions. They have their hands on an IP, they want to flip it into easy money...
I've given a list of the majority of video game movies created this past decade. They made bank and were well written and have mass appeal.
Except you CAN! Doom and Quake films are begging to just be reskinned Aliens. Begging! I have no idea why someone doesn't just make this film.
Are they good?
Who cares?
What matters is if people enjoy them.
The new Mortal Kombat ones did pretty well, but I prefer the original.
Honestly, video game films have been outperforming super heroes for the past several years, though Spider-Man turned that around.
Jun. 10, 2016 Warcraft Film
Dec. 21, 2016 Assassin's Creed Film
Mar. 16, 2018 Tomb Raider Film
Apr. 13, 2018 Rampage Film
May 10, 2019 Pokémon Detective Pikachu Film
Feb. 14, 2020 Sonic the Hedgehog Film
Apr. 23, 2021 Mortal Kombat Film
Jun. 25, 2021 Werewolves Within Film
Feb. 18, 2022 Uncharted Film
Feb. 24, 2022 Halo TV series
Apr. 8, 2022 Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Film
Jul. 14, 2022 Resident Evil TV series
Jan. 15, 2023 The Last of Us TV series
Jul. 27, 2023 Twisted Metal TV series
Aug. 25, 2023 Gran Turismo Film
Oct. 27, 2023 Five Nights at Freddy's Film
Apr. 5, 2024 Knuckles TV series
Apr. 10, 2024 Fallout TV series
Aug. 9, 2024 Borderlands Film
Dec. 20, 2024 Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Film
Apr. 4, 2025 A Minecraft Movie Film
Apr. 25, 2025 Until Dawn Film
Dec. 5, 2025 Five Nights at Freddy's 2 Film
Jan. 23, 2026 Return to Silent Hill Film
Jan. 30, 2026 Iron Lung Film
May 8, 2026 Mortal Kombat II Film
PS: Note the question being asked is "Will it be any good?" Not "Will it be profitable?"
lemoncookiechip•43m ago
For every one good movie or show you get ten bad ones.
johnnyanmac•27m ago
jayd16•15m ago
Executive: So what you're telling me is I only need to make 11 movies to per hit.