5 Amazing Movies That Are Inspired by Video Games

Our passion for video games is what builds our high expectations of their film adaptations. However, it is not always that their movie counterparts are able to live up to these expectations set by the fans. For decades, video game movies had a bad reputation for not meeting these expectations and there are just a select few that have been well-received by fans and regular moviegoers. Despite that, we just can’t wait to see our favorite video game characters come to life on the big screen.

While the relationship between video games and films is rocky, the video game industry has an extensive fanbase that film producers are very keen on capturing although not all attempts proved to be successful. To give you a clearer picture, the video games market generated almost $135 billion in 2018 according to statistics provided by GamingScan. Hence, with the gaming sector reaching the hundred-billion-dollar mark and its growing following, there is certainly a lot of room for growth and opportunities to explore. Although you have to crack the code in translate these video game favorites into successful global box office film adaptations.

Nevertheless, there is a handful that can make it to our list of amazing movies (in no particular order) that are actually inspired by well-loved video games.

Detective Pikachu (2019)

Pokémon has indeed succeeded in becoming the “very best” as it landed the number one spot as the highest-grossing media franchise of all time amassing $90 billion in revenues over its lifetime and beating Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars to the spot. It’s no wonder that the film, Detective Pikachu, has been a huge hit because every Pokémon fan dreams of seeing their favorite Pokémons interacting with humans in a real-life setting. And for the record, it’s also the highest-grossing video game film of all time with $436 million in worldwide ticket sales, even surpassing the movie, Warcraft, in 2016.

This family-friendly, fun and mystery-filled adaptation is a must-watch for die-hard Pokemon fans out there. Despite it being a loose adaptation of the 2016 video game under the same title, it’s adorable and comic banter between Detective Pikachu (played by Ryan Reynolds) and Tim Goodman (played by Justice Smith) will definitely give you a good laugh.

Warcraft (2016)

Enthusiasts of Warcraft were immensely rewarded when their favorite MMORPG fantasy game received a big-screen film adaptation in 2016. With exceptional technical prowess, the graphics and creative storytelling are all spot on for hardcore Warcraft fans. Although it received mixed reactions for the non-gamers who rated it rather poorly because of the lack of backstory, it was arguably understandable for a long-running video game wherein two hours is just not enough to explain the whole world of Warcraft. Nevertheless, there’s no doubt that we were all blown away by its stunning visuals.

Tomb Raider Series

Who could ever forget Angelina Jolie’s first appearance as Lara Croft in Tomb Raider back in 2001? No offense, because the reboot starring Alicia Vikander is just as good, although of course, Angelina will always be our first love. Nonetheless, the reboot boasts excellent computer-generated video-game-style scenes that you would want to see out of a movie adaptation. The 2018 remake even managed to gross an impressive $274 million in sales.

Resident Evil Series

Resident Evil is one of the most popular video-game-film franchises around the world. It was the film that set the radical increase in popularity or should we say “outbreak” of literally gut-wrenching, zombie-filled action video games and movies that aim to follow in the footsteps of the Resident Evil Series.

Mortal Kombat (1995)

Mortal Kombat gives a classic ‘90s game franchise realness with its enjoyably funny yet surprisingly accurate depiction of its original source material. The technical department might be a little lacking compared to today’s advanced film technologies, but remember that back in the day, Mortal Kombat was the only thing we had. With a new film in development, it will be great to see a Mortal Kombat movie using today’s technology.

What are some of your favourite films based on video games?