Video games have always had a special place in people’s lives. At its core, they have been made to entertain any and all who pick up the controller. Some players go more in depth by enriching themselves with the lore. For many video games, the mythos of the universe captivates players and have kept them around as well as bring in new players. Another area that has taken notice is Hollywood. For quite some time, Hollywood has taken a few video games franchises and tried to adapt them into film. Despite the attempts, many films, particularly the early attempts, fell well below expectations. These films fell so short it became a running gag that video games just simply, factually cannot be adapted to film. But, like anything else, it takes time to hone in a skill. For the last several years, Hollywood has found success in bringing the lore of video games into film and streaming.
In the beginning, it was a tough recipe to crack. The quality of the games just couldn’t be translated to film. Many of the elements that made the video game what it was, either was taken out or just couldn’t be matched. In some areas, campiness was running high. The campiness kind of became the film’s identity even though it was not found in the game. A game’s spirit was heavily present during gameplay and story but corners were cut in order to translate it to film. Or in some other cases, fresh elements were pumped into the film that were definitely not in the game. That strategy alienated fans. Made them confused. Made them question why those changes and additions were even included in the first place. All films though kept a large part of the games’ spirit but poor executions of certain elements dipped the films’ quality by a considerable margin. Although many, if not all, have found a cult following, these early films stumbled when quality, accuracy and faithfulness are concerned.
But that has changed. Over the last several years, there has been a big jump in quality when it comes to adapting video games into film. But more than that, there has also been limited success in bringing that execution to shows. There has been more hits than misses in last several attempts in binging these stories outside of video games. Which is great for fans and those video games because it offers more time to spend with the lore and the world.
It took Sonic the Hedgehog releasing in 2020 to finally have a video game movie that was not only liked by fans but had a high critic rating. It was a rare movie where the creators and people behind the camera understood fans’ interest and course corrected. And it turned out to be a great decision in a good movie. That trend of higher quality video game movies rolled into The Last of Us and The Super Mario Movie. The Last of Us games were already seen as cinematic. The weight, the intensity, the emotion great movies tend to have was found in a game; The Last of Us in this case. All that translated perfectly into the first season of The Last of Us. It became a huge conversation piece. Talking about the portrayals, the suspense, the drama and how well it was brought to life in a live action. The Super Mario Movie also had success. It had a charm. It was movie that knew what it was and didn’t try to do anything else. It captured the spirit of those video games. The light heartiness, the joy, the spark that made Mario games so enjoyable. Fallout is another example of this trend of better video game adaptations. The show captured the tone and the feel of the game pretty well. The rules of the Fallout world were respected. So respected, even some of the obscure details were paid attention to. It continues to build up to moments that fans are fully aware of and enjoy.
More recently that trend still continues. God of War is set to be another video game to be adapted into a live action show. Although the show hasn’t released a trailer, the casting of many of the characters have fans excited. A large consensus among the fanbase is that many of the characters have been casted perfectly. It definitely points the show in the right direction. Mortal Kombat 2 just released and stands not only as an early success but is the biggest box opening weekend for those films. It holds solid ratings among critics but more importantly has a high approval rating among fans. And the rival to Mortal Kombat is on track of being another potential success. Street Fighter is set to release later this year and from the trailer, it’s going to be a fun movie. Really leaning on the franchise’s fun absurdity. It’s another one of those movies that knows what came before, which is the reason why the franchise was successful in the first place, and is running with that idea instead of hiding from it. Resident Evil is set to have another movie adaptation and what has been shared by director Zach Cregger, the film feels like it will perfectly capture the tone and soul of Resident Evil games. So much in fact, many of the games quirks and mechanics are going to be integrated into the film. A detail that has this fanbase interested.
For many years, decades even, video game adaptations have been below expectations. When an announcement came that a movie will come out based on a video game, people groaned and already assumed it will fall short. Times have changed. Movies and shows based off of them now have a respected track record. Instead of those groans now it’s excitement. There’s love and reverence being poured into those projects. The type of care that fans put into their gameplay and the type of care they expect to be put into adaptions. That’s happening now and continues to do. Video games are finally get the love they deserve when their stories are put on the big screen and the small screens.
