It must be admitted that the adaptations of video games in films or series did not always meet the expectations of fans. While the reviews are often harsh, there are times when certain films and series stand out. The editors of JV therefore investigated the question and, according to reviews, decided to build one of the best adaptations of video games into live-action films and series in order to achieve the most objective possible result.
summary
- Top 10 Live Action Video Game Adaptations
- And the best live action video game adaptation is?
- Films and / or series at the gates of the TOP 10
- The great oblivion of the critics
methodology
In order to achieve this ranking as objectively as possible, the writing of JV relied on the main aggregators of reviews (or ratings), and therefore ratings, namely Allocine, Metacritic, and Rotten Tomatoes. The aim was to compare the works on the basis of an average grade.
Top 10 Live Action Video Game Adaptations
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
At the bottom of this tip we find the film Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Jerry Bruckheimer’s mega-production (the producer behind Top Gun, The Beverly Hills Son, Bad Boys, Benjamin Gates, and Pirates of the Caribbean, to name a few) suffers from certain script authorizations. Nevertheless, this fictional film combines a 5-star cast and is relatively well suited to the universe of the game created by Jordan Mechner, which we also find in the scenario. Good entertainment, nothing more, nothing less.
Rotten tomatoes | Metacritical | Allocin | |
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time | 37% | 50% | 52% |
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Trailer
Sonic le film
We spend the second with Sonic le film. The latter, which appeared in 2020, had suffered from the national abuse even before it was released in theaters. This was due to the at least confusing design of the blue hedgehog preferred by gamers. The animation team has therefore revised its look so that it comes as close as possible to the video game appearance. Upon release, the film received mixed reviews, vacillating between hilarious comedy and Super Mario Bros.-worthy Nanar. from 1993. However, the film continues to show encouraging results … the results are good enough to encourage producers to release a second film, announced for 2022.
Rotten tomatoes | Metacritical | Allocin | |
Sonic Le Film | 54% | 47% | 40% |
Sonic The movie trailer
Rampage: out of control
The Rock as a primatologist trying to save humanity threatened by genetic mutations, as well as giant animals, is the starting point of Rampage: out of control. At the time of its release, the film is riding the wave of blockbusters with charged creatures like Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla, and of course Pacific Rim, directed by Guillermo del Toro. Rampage: Out of Control is the adaptation of a cult game released in 1986 in which you play as a gigantic being who has to destroy everything that comes in its way. For information, this film project dates from 2011.
Rotten tomatoes | Metacritical | Allocin | |
Rampage: out of control | 51% | 45% | 46% |
Rampage Trailer: Out of Control
Mortal Kombat (2021)
The Mortal Kombat video game series has seen multiple film adaptations over the decades, starting with the 1995 Paul WS Anderson film. If you know the Mortal Kombat universe, tell yourself that these adaptations are pretty logical as the saga is its inspiration from In 2021, 23 years after the last film marked MK, Mortal Kombat is back in the ring of the 7th kind. Based on an original scenario, the story is a pretext for the big fight and the appearance of many iconic characters the franchise. If the film holds up, it will still lack a bit of punch and bloody casualties that make up the charm of the video game series. Nevertheless, Mortal Kombat (2021) received encouraging reviews and good box office results. A continuation could be started.
Rotten tomatoes | Metacritical | Allocin | |
Mortal Kombat (2021) | 54% | 44% | 48% |
Mortal Kombat trailer
Grave robbers
We continue with a new cinematographic restart: that of Grave robbers released in 2018. Leave Angelina Jolie and place Alicia Vikander to play a very young Lara Croft in this Origin story that is heavily inspired by the latest titles developed by Crystal Dynamics Studios. Lara Croft is not yet the “Tomb Raider” we know. Here she is looking for her missing father, whose traces are lost on a mysterious island off the coast of Japan. Blood, tears, survival, but too little adventure with a big A. The success of the film should lead to a sequel that was postponed without further details due to the current health crisis.
Rotten tomatoes | Metacritical | Allocin | |
Grave robbers | 52% | 48% | 52% |
Tomb Raider trailer
Mortal Kombat (1995)
Long before the 2021 restart came out in 1995 Mortal Kombat Directed by Paul WS Anderson. The director signs one of his first adaptations of video game works here. He then turns his attention to the video game, overseeing the Resident Evil saga, as well as the Martian and Charged Doom Trial. Mortal Kombat from 1995 is simply cult. The laughter of the god of thunder, Raiden, interpreted by our national player Christophe Lambert, and the kitsch atmosphere here will remain essential for all fans who grew up in the 90s Cine retrogaming to animate between friends like no other.
Rotten tomatoes | Metacritical | Allocin | |
Mortal Kombat (1995) | 45% | 60% |
Mortal Kombat trailer
The witcher
We switch to the serial format with The witcher, released on Netflix in 2019. It should be noted, however, that this adaptation is not strictly that of video games. Before The Witcher became the video game saga that CD Projekt RED unveiled, The Witcher was a saga of novels written by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. Also, the series is an adaptation of the books, not the games. That being said, The Witcher “from Netflix” was a risky bet, as the license is now a monument to video games. Eventually, the first season was a real success, which led the SVOD platform to take advantage of the license and produce multiple programs, from animated films to children’s series, including the live-action prequel. Note that Season 2 of The Witcher will arrive on Netflix on December 17, 2021.
Rotten tomatoes | Metacritical | Allocin | |
The witcher | 68% | 53% | 62% |
The Witcher trailer
Pokémon Detective Pikachu
When we think of Pokémon, we often think of the adventures of Ash and Pikachu. One of the most lucrative licenses of all time naturally interested the Hollywood studios, which began producing an adventure for the less original, inspired by Detective Pikachu and sober names Pokémon Detective Pikachu. This feature film, sponsored by Justice Smith and Ryan Reynolds, came as a big surprise when it was released and even found audiences among the youngest as well as fans of the franchise. A very nice film that is logically one of the best live-action adaptations of all time.
Rotten tomatoes | Metacritical | Allocin | |
Pokémon Detective Pikachu | 68% | 53% | 62% |
Pokémon Detective Pikachu Trailer
Despite
We come back to the series with Despite, a special cross-media project as it was based on the simultaneous development of a series and a video game. As a result of a collaboration between Trio Worlds studios and the Syfy channel, Defiance depicts the battle between humanity and an alien race, the Votans, who seek to settle on Earth when their solar system is no longer a distant memory. The video game Defiance, for its part, is a mixture of TPS and MMO, the release of which in April 2013 remained practically confidential. However, the series was so appreciated by critics and the general public that it lasted no less than 3 seasons.
Rotten tomatoes | Metacritical | Allocin | |
Despite | 77% | 61% |
Defiance trailer
Werewolves
We close this top with Werewolves (Werewolves inside in the original version). A film adaptation of the game of the same name developed by Ubisoft, which was itself adapted from the board game Loups-Garous de Thiercelieux, Werewolves Within is a B-series that, after its release, had little influence in the spheres of insiders, at least across the Atlantic. If the film only had one VOD release in France, it still got a score of 86% on Rotten Tomatoes for a total of 138 reviews. A great achievement for a film adapted from a French video game.
Rotten tomatoes | Metacritical | Allocin | |
Werewolves | 86% | 66% |
Werewolves Trailer
And the best live action video game adaptation is?
The best live action video game adaptation is against all odds Werewolves inside, which achieved very good, if not excellent results on Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic. The numbers don’t lie. The movie Werewolves, directed by Josh Ruben (Scare Me, Greener Grass, Plan B), is a good surprise that, with some talent, manipulates the codes of horror and comedy to give viewers a cinematic experience that is filled with squeaky humor is peppery, but quickly inspires you.
Films and / or series at the gates of the TOP 10
At the gates of this top 10 stands Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccon City. The very latest RE-stamped film version received honest reviews and failed to fully convince fans and professionals alike. If this project, based on the first two video games of the Capcom saga, manages to find its audience, there is no doubt that a sequel or even several will go into production soon. Without being the preferred license of moviegoers, Resident Evil is definitely that of the Hollywood studios.
We find Paul WS Anderson again with Monster hunter. This adaptation did not at all convince the viewers on French territory, even if the reception across the Atlantic was significantly warmer with grades that we can qualify as suitable. However, the film makes the surprising decision to turn a hunt for imaginative monsters into a kind of isekai tensei (a literary genre born in Japan) in which soldiers from our country face a bestiary drawn from the games.
Gang Annance de Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City
The great oblivion of the critics
For the release of Halo 4, Microsoft put the small dishes in the big ones and started production of the series Forward until dawn. A kind of prequel that brings a new perspective, like the animated series Halo: The Fall of Reach can be, Forward Unto Dawn enjoys a solid plot and production despite a limited budget. It’s also the first real live-action appearance by John-117 (aka Master Chief). Halo fans have likely seen them before. If you’re curious, we invite you to do the same.
We are now leaving the square in the direction of the courtyard. Ace lawyer will be adapted in 2021 by Takashi Miike, the legendary Japanese director behind Audition, Ichi The Killer and the Dead or Alive trilogy. A true UFO among filmmakers, Takashi Miike is probably one of the most prolific with nearly 60 films. Ace Attorney is worth a look just to see how the world of the famous lawyer is transferred to the big and small screen by a renowned Japanese filmmaker with a recognizable style.
Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn Trailer
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