In recent years, there have been many movies made based on video games with some proving more successful than others. Sonic the Hedgehog, Tomb Raider and Pokemon have all had movies made recently that faired pretty well. But what about the more traditional games? There have been plenty of attempts made to create a film based around classic games and in this list I have picked out four of the most memorable ones (for better or worse!).
Battleships
Battleships is a film based on the classic board game of the same name and was brought to the big screen in 2012. A huge budget of over $200 million and an ensemble cast filled with stars such as Liam Neeson, Taylor Kitsch, Alexander Skarsgard and even Rihanna meant that Battleships was always aiming to be a blockbuster. It received fairly poor reviews amongst critics and not much better amongst a general audience. The film does have some iconic nods to the board game battleships, featuring some of the same ships as well as the artillery being shaped like the pegs used in the game.
21
This 2008 classic is based around the game of blackjack, and a group of MIT students that study the game. The game of blackjack is a popular casino card game in which you play against the dealer whilst trying to make the number 21. Today, lots of people play the game online from their own homes, but the film was made while online casinos were still growing and land-based casinos the epitome of glitz and glam. The film stars Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth and Laurence Fishburne amongst a host of others and makes for a pretty thrilling watch. The film didn’t receive a particularly good critical response, however it’s IMDB rating stands at 6.8 and it is a well-remembered film regarding the casino lifestyle.
Dungeons and Dragons
This film is based on the popular role-playing game known as Dungeons and Dragons but it was poorly critically received. It is an action-adventure film that takes place in the fantasy Empire of Izmir and features classic Dungeons and Dragons themes with mages, warlocks and dragons all making up the story. The film was still fairly high budget, with a total of around $45 million dollars and featured a cast including Justin Whalin, Marlon Wayans, Jeremy Irons and Thora Birch. Although the film was rated badly by critics, it still might hold enough entertainment value for some fans of the classic D&D game.
Clue
The film Clue, based on the board game Clue, was released in 1985 and has since gone on to be classed as a cult classic. It is a black comedy-mystery film that really encapsulates what the board game is all about, as it shares character names and objects that were made famous from the game. The iconic aspect about Clue is that there are alternative endings depending on which version you see. This is taken straight from the game as there are a variety of possible endings for the board game. The movie takes this element and was released with three different endings.
Games don’t always translate well into movies, however sometimes they can provide you with a classic moment or two that remind you why you enjoy the game.
