Video
games and movies: a combination most of us hoped would go together like cheese and toast. Instead, it’s typically more like cheese
and haribo. Still, they keep trying, and we can’t think
of a better way to celebrate their noble attempts than by making you suffer with us through
every last one of them. Before we begin, let’s go over the rules. For starters, we are grouping franchises together. Reboots get entries of their own, but sequels
will share entries with the film or films that preceded them. We know that may not be a popular choice,
but the list is long enough as it is and, if we didn’t group them, it would be almost
entirely comprised of Pikachu and MillaJovovich. No matter how we slice it, though, we still
end up with a lot of Uwe Boll. You’ve been warned. Also, we will only be considering theatrical
releases, so you won’t see any made-for-TV movies or direct-to-video movies. And though it probably goes without saying,
we will not be looking at films about video games – such as King of Kong or The Wizard
– or films based on fictional games – such as Wreck-It Ralph or Tron. The films are ranked primarily in terms of
critical reception, fan response, and box-office intake, but we employed some common sense
as well. Only a bit, so don’t worry; you’ll still
have plenty of opportunity to tell us how wrong we are. Additionally, prepare to hear the British
pronunciation of Rotten Tomatoes rather than Rotten Toe-may-toes. We hope you will forgive us. And finally, a rule you’ve all been waiting
for: This is the first Worst to Best list that includes mobile games. Please hold your applause. Let’s rank ‘em. I’m Benand I’m Peter from TripleJump,
and here is every video game movie ranked from worst to best. #75:
Tekken (2010) This movie was the result of filmmakers seeing
that, through a freak legal loophole, the Tekken license was available for free. They decided on a lark to scoop it up and
see just how bad a film they could make without inciting a riot. At least, we hope that’s what happened;
it would be far too upsetting to believe that anyone involved tried to make this movie any
good. Tekken was released direct-to-video in most
markets, but it got a theatrical release in Japan and the Philippines, which was somehow
not interpreted as an act of war. It does hold an impressive 0% on Rotten Tomatoes,
though. That’s an achievement in itself. #74:
Dead Trigger (2019) You may or may not remember Dead Trigger. In 2012, it wasa decent first-person shooter
for mobile phones. It was hardly a cultural phenomenon, but you
can’t fault film studios for gambling on the then-nascent mobile gaming market. So when Dead Trigger was made into a movie
in…wait, this can’t be right. 2019? Somebody made a decade-old mobile game into
a movie last year? What…? How…? I’m speechless. Well, I’m not, but I can’t curse on this
channel. Anyway, I’d love to tell you what people
thought, but neither Rotten Tomatoes nor Metacritic have any critical reviews at all, proving
that you can’t even pay people to watch this. #73:
Alone in the Dark (2005) Alone in the Dark II (2008)
This list is almost exclusively comprised of awful films. It therefore takes a hell of a lot for one
film to particularly stand out as dreadful, but Alone in the Dark is up to the task! Itaveraged 1% on Rotten Tomatoes, which, if
we’re being honest with ourselves, is far too generous. Director Uwe Boll took the original script
– an atmospheric thriller – and reworked it into a mindless action film. It got a sequel, but if you really want to
watch an Alone in the Dark movie, watch this one from 1982. The title is coincidental, but it has just
as much in common with the games as Boll’s films do. #72:
Double Dragon (1994) The classic video game Double Dragon was a
sci-fi fantasy romp through post-apocalyptic Los Angeles in search of a magical medallion,
starring a farting gonad in a bib. I mean, it wasn’t; it was just a game about
beating up the guy who punched your girlfriend in the duodenum, but don’t tell the people
who made this film. We’re sure they worked very hard on it and
should be proud of what they achieved. For instance, did you know there were zero
reported on-set fatalities? Excellent work, Double Dragon.The movie was
critically panned, which is something we think you could probably have worked out on your
own. #71:
House of the Dead (2003) Uwe Boll is at his UweBolliest in House of
the Dead, a film based on a light-gun game, which means it should have pleased fans just
by having firearms in it, and yet here we are. House of the Dead holds a score of 3% on Rotten
Tomatoes, which surely puts it among Boll’s most beloved films. One of the few positive reviews came from
IGN, shortly after its reviewer suffered a severe head injury. They praise it for doing an “incredibly
decent” job with the source material, which makes me wonder if they have any idea what
either the word “incredibly” or “decent” means. #70:
In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (2008)
Dungeon Siege is…you know what? It doesn’t matter. This is anotherUwe Boll film, which means
it has nothing to do with the games, has no redeeming qualities, and has a single-digit
score on Rotten Tomatoes. The Dungeon Siege name itself is irrelevant;
this might as well be based on Ms. Pac-Man. It’s about a group of terrible actors and
a few good ones who desperately need paychecks. They speak words from a script they were handed
five seconds before someone turned the cameras on. Our heroes contend with poor effects, plot
contrivances, and lots of padding. The story continues in two direct-to-video
sequels, because of course it does. #69:
BloodRayne (2006) Remember the game BloodRayne? Maybe not. It was alright, but there’s been no shortage
of much better games since its release in 2002. Remember the movie? Definitely not, because if you went to see
it you surely had that memory surgically removed. The film was an incomprehensible, idiotic
flop, which is just a longer way of saying it was directed by Uwe Boll. BloodRayne earned back less than 15% of its
budget, which might seem like a small number until you see its 4% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Its first direct-to-video sequelwas released
with a free copy of BloodRayne 2. Even the distributors knew nobody would buy
thatmovie on its own. #68:
Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture (1994) For a genre that doesn’t lend itself very
well to movies, there sure have been a lot of adaptations of one-on-one fighting games. In fact, there have been a fair few Fatal
Fury movies as well, though this was the only one to secure a theatrical release. Did it deserve one? Well, about as much as any movie about people
hitting each other deserves one. Critics were pleased with the animation and
fans enjoyed cameos from the series’ wider cast of characters, but the storyline – focusing
on an irrelevant, globetrotting artifact hunt – pleased nobody. If only other kinds of video games existed. Say, “action” or “adventure” games. Then maybe the story would have fit… #67:
Far Cry (2008) Far Cry is a fine example of virtuoso director
Uwe Boll putting his inimitable artistic stamp upon another franchise that is forever elevated
for having him involved. Wait, sorry; I misread that: Far Cry is yet
another example of critical nightmaredirector Uwe Boll leaving his stink all over something
we used to like. Making back less than 3% of its budget, Far
Cry managed to disappoint fans of video games, fans of movies, and fans of being alive. Ubisoft has expressed interest in bringing
Far Cry to the big screen again, though. They’ve even revealed that they will give
the project to a director far superior in every way: that being anyone who is notUwe
Boll. #66:
Ao Oni (2017) A freeware horror game popularized on YouTube
by people who enjoy yelling, Ao Oni took on an impressive life of its own. It has been adapted into a series of anime
shorts, a manga, and junior novels for children who don’t wish to sleep anymore. It was also adapted into both live-action
and animated films. The animated film moves the story from a mansion
into a school, possibly to tap into the popularity of Corpse Party. It should have tapped into that game’s writing
quality as well, because nothing in this barely-one-hour-long movie is worth enduring. Fortunately, the live-action films are better. Unfortunately, you won’t have to wait long
to hear about them. #65:
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009) With The Legend of Chun-Li, the filmmakers
decided to outdo the previous attempt at a live-action Street Fighter film in every way. They succeeded in outdoing it in terms of
negative reception. The Legend of Chun-Li sits at a score of 5%
on Rotten Tomatoes, making the other film’s 11% seem like a cause for global celebration. To this film’s credit, it can’t be easy
to adapt a video game in which people punch other until one of them dies, and focusing
on the personal story of one single fighter is probably the best way to go about doing
so. To this film’s discredit: everything else. #64:
Postal (2007) Uwe Boll’s Postal is the lowest-grossing
movie on this list. Though, thanks to Dead Trigger, it only holds
that title by around $5,000. Taking its inspiration mainly from the game
Postal 2, Boll adheres closely to the franchise’s spirit of obnoxious, grating nonsense. The film opens with an extended comedy routine
between two Al-Qaeda terrorists on the morning of Sept. 11 – yes, really – and ends with
Osama Bin Laden and George W. Bush frolicking in a field. Yes. Really. Boll attempted to crowdfund a sequel (in which,
we assume, Adolf Hitler and Barack Obama travel through time to assassinate Archduke Ferdinand),
but received pledges in an amount that almost certainly wouldn’t cover the cost of your
car. #65:
Monster Strike The Movie(2016) Monster Strike The Movie: Sora no Kanata (2018)
Can you guess the highest-grossing mobile app of all time? Of course you can; we wouldn’t have posed
the question in this entry if it weren’t Monster Strike. The game’s fanbase in Japan is huge. Unfortunately, the English-language web is
almost devoid of information about Monster Strike The Movie and its sequel. There aren’t even many reviews. The most informative one we found was on Letterboxd,
and we can reproduce it here in its entirety: “Though it’s a classic story, it tells
us the bond of people…” That’s it. Honestly, even if I had been able to watch
the films myself, I doubt I could have put it any better. #62:
Legend of the Ancient Sword (2018) Gujian, a series of Chinese RPGs, has drawn
comparisons to Dragon Age. I haven’t played them and therefore can’t
comment –I have yet to learn Chinese – but that certainly suggests that the games are
held in decent regard. Legend of the Ancient Sword, based on Gujian
2, was released during Golden Week, which brings with it a flurry of media attention. And yet, Legend of the Ancient Sword bombed,
sparking derision from the fanbase who probably…y’know…wanted it to be good. The movie immediately became one of the Chinese
film industry’s most notorious flops, right down there with Lobster Cop. Which, I promise, I have not made up. #61:
Wing Commander (1999) From the first game’s release in 1990, it
was clear that Wing Commander was drawing heavy inspiration from sci-fi cinema. It wasn’t until Wing Commander III, though,
that the technology to actually insert filmed scenes into the games became realistic. That game features live-action cutscenesstarring
big names, such as Mark Hamill and Malcolm McDowell. It was a smart idea; there must have been
some very intelligent, talented people on that design team… All of which makes it surprising that when
Wing Commander became a silver-screen space opera of its own, it was utter rubbish. Reportedly this was due to a last-minute script
rewrite. Maybe the real problem, though, is that it
wasn’t rewritten enough. #60:
Ao Oni (2014) Ao Oni ver2.0 (2015)
Ao Oni wasn’t just adapted into a live-action film; it was adapted into a live-action film
twice in the span of two years, with the same group of characters played by different actors. They even have near-identical posters. Eachreceived middling reviews. They’re in Japanese so we can’t read them,
but critics on YouTube– the very platform that gave Ao Oni such massive exposure to
begin with – certainly weren’t pleased.The majority of their criticism went towards the
acting, the monster designs, and, in the case of the first film, an ending that negates
everything that preceded it. Wasting your time watching these? That’s the real horror. #59:
Aikatsu! The Movie (2014)
Aikatsu! Music Award: Minna de Shō o MoraimaSHOW! (2015)
Aikatsu! The Targeted Magical Aikatsu Card (2016)
If you haven’t spent much time in Japanese arcades, you may not be familiar with Aikatsu! And I…haven’t spent much time in Japanese
arcades. Not that I think I’m the target audience
for this game, which revolves around scanning actual, collectible cards to help digital
idols compete in various auditions and events. Several games were released for the 3DS, but
those were also Japan-only. Ditto the anime series and movies. That’s probably fine, as critics described
the films as feeling like little more than longform adverts for the cards. Is that an unfair assessment? I think we can all agree I am not qualified
to answer that question in any way. #58:
Street Fighter (1994) Many games have become movies, but Street
Fighter is one of very few games that became a movie that then became a game. What’s more, it becamea really bad game. Was it as bad as the film? Could either answer be considered a positive
one? Critic Leonard Maltin said the movie “should
have been titled Four Hundred Funerals and No Sex.” If anyone has any clue what he meant by that,
please tell us in the comments. One common bit of misinformation is that Street
Fighter marked the final film appearance of Raul Julia. In truth, Julia appeared in Down Came a Blackbirdone
year later. Is it good? Well…could it be worse? #57:
Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV (2016) Final Fantasy XV was released in 2016, though
Square Enix spent the following few years actually finishing it. Content originally planned for the game was
developed separately as DLC. Kingsglaivealsoconsists of material that was
originally intended for the game, but realizing nobody would buy DLC that was just a longer
introductory cutscene, the developers sold it as a movie instead. Offering absolutely nothing to those who hadn’t
played Final Fantasy XV – and offering very little to those who had – even those who
enjoyed it had to wonder why it existed. It scored only 13% on Rotten Tomatoes, so
maybe Square Enix will consider putting Final Fantasy XVI’s opening cinematic on the disc
instead. #56:
OneChanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad (2008) With a subtitle like Bikini Samurai Squad,
there’s only so much I can add. I will at least say that the film is based
on the OneeChanbaragames, which translates as “sword-fighting big sister.” Several of the games have seen Western releases,
but its main audience remains in Japan. I wish they’d kept the movie to themselves,
too. It and its sequel – with the equally evocative
subtitle Bikini Zombie Slayers – were criticized for their writing, directing, and special
effects, which managed to be both poorly done and completely unnecessary. The main character’s casting was also criticized,
but somehow I doubt the film would’ve improved much if she was any good. #55:
Seer (2011) Seer 2 (2012)
Seer 3: Heroes Alliance (2013) Seer 4 (2014)
Seer 5: Rise of Thunder (2015) We’ll go ahead and count Seer for this list. It’s not as though we’ll ever have another
reason to cover it. Seer is a science-fiction-themed social network
for Chinese youths with collection and battle elements. Comparisons have been made to Pokémon, which
is certainly not coincidental; China went without localized Pokémon games until Sun
and Moon in 2016, so there was definitely room for something else to fill the void. It’s even gotten five movies so far, and
the fact that the game is online means it could conceivably be updated for generations
to come. Seer may have begun life as a knockoff, but
it’s a knockoff with a purpose. #54:
Super Mario Bros. (1993) When Super Mario Bros. was released in 1985,
it took the world by storm. It made lifelong fans out of countless gamers
around the world and immediately asserted itself as one of the most important titles
in the medium. But there was one question on the lips of
kids everywhere: “Why am I not looking at Bob Hoskins?” Enter the very first live-action film based
on a video game. It’s Mario in name only, but a Bob-Ombdoeswaddle
around for a bit. In a way, the film was just as influential
as the game on which it was based. At the very least, it influenced decades of
video-game adaptations to be unwatchably bad. #53:
Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works (2010) Released in 2004, the visual novel Fate/stay
night became an immediate sensation, leading to spinoffs, retellings, adaptations, and
even games in completely different genres. The fact that it was adapted into a film is
not surprising, nor is the fact that it could not possibly live up to expectations. The visual novel had too much content to fit
into a single film. The script ran to over 1,000 pages, compared
to around 120 for most movies of similar lengths. Ultimately, the film focused on a single arc
from the visual novel rather than the entire story; a necessity, but one that disappointed
fans and left the film incomprehensible to non-fans. Not an ideal outcome. #52:
Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker (2012) RPGs almost certainly offer the sturdiest
frameworks for cinematic adaptations. Their strong emphases on narrative, characterization,
and setting shouldgive filmmakers an easy advantage. What films cannot capture as easily, however,
is the element of choice that defines many RPGs. So what did Dawn of the Seeker do to address
that deficiency? Not much, really. Basing the film around recurring character
Cassandra Pentaghastwas a wise decision, and indeed the character’s portrayal was almost
uniformly praised by critics, but just about everything else was divisive, from the film’s
predictable fantasy structure to its style of animation. Robbed of a chance to leave one’s imprint
on the proceedings, Dragon Age revealed itself as being quite disposable. #51:
Ratchet & Clank (2016) Like Street Fighter, Ratchet & Clank was a
game that became a movie that became a game. Unlike Street Fighter, Ratchet & Clank didn’t
get substantially worse at every step in the process. In fact, Ratchet & Clank The Movie The Game
holds a respectable 85% on Metacritic, compared to Street Fighter The Movie the Game, which
holds nothing but contempt for all who gaze upon it. The film itself wasn’t received all that
well, releasing a whopping 14 years after the game on which it was based, and 12 years
after the last game in the series worth playing. Better late than never? With a 22% average on Rotten Tomatoes, maybe
not. #50:
Silent Hill (2006) Silent Hill: Revelation (2012)
Silent Hill games are really about their protagonists, with the town ideally being the setting of
the story rather than the focus. What matters is what the characters learn
about themselves and the personal demons they are forced to confront, not what the town
really is or how it got to be that way. The two Silent Hill films struggle to understand
this. Each of them toys to some extent with actual
characterization, but theirtheme is little more than “this town is Hell and Hell sure
does suck.” That’s unfortunate. At its best, Silent Hill told psychological
horror stories that put many films to shame. Its own actual movies deserved to do that,
too. #49:
Running Boy: Star Soldier no Himitsu (1986) We mentioned earlier that Super Mario Bros.
was the first video game to be adapted into a live-action film. Would you believe it was the first one to
be adapted into an animated film as well? Well, only believe it halfway, because it’s
tied with Running Boy: Star Soldier no Himitsu, released the very same day. I tell you, you wait all day for a bus and
then two turn up at once, and they’re both…pretty naffanimated buses? I kind of lost control of my metaphor there
but the point is, Hudson Soft made a game called Star Soldier, and Toho turned it into
a movie. It bombed. Moving on. #48:
Hitman: Agent 47 (2015) Wait, this isn’t that terrible movie based
on Hitman, is it? Don’t worry; this is a totally different
movie released eight years later that was somehow even worse. The Hitman games earned their fans through
creative design that turned every death into a symphony of planning, execution, and reaction. There was a genuine elegance to the violence
that elevated Agent 47’s contracts into deadly works of performance art. His movies, however, seem to think he’s
just a guy with a gun. Failing to even hit double digits on Rotten
Tomatoes, the best thing any critic seemed to be able to say about watching Hitman: Agent
47 is that they were allowed to go home afterward. #47:
Sakura Wars: The Movie (2001) Sakura Wars was one of Sega’s last major
IPs before the company stopped manufacturing its own hardware. It made its original home on the Saturn and
then moved to the Dreamcast. The final game – at least prior to its 2019
reboot – was appropriately named So Long, My Love. The film, set between the events of two of
the Dreamcast games, was well received for its music and animation.That’s hardly surprising,
as the games’ composer and animators were retained for the film. Strong criticism was leveled at the storyline
and its lack of appeal for general audiences, but it was at least one more canon installment
of a series that fans knew was fading fast. #46:
Higurashi no NakuKoroni (2008) Higurashi no NakuKoroniChikai (2009)
Translating into the genuinely lovely English title When the Evening Cicadas Cry, Higurashi
no NakuKoroni is one of several visual novels on this list. Whereas the other visual novels got animated
adaptations, though, this one and its sequel went the live-action route. It’s a strange decision, but it may have
worked to the films’ benefit. The anime adaptation, for instance, drew criticism
for its cutesy characters softening the impact of the violence and horror. The live-action films, by contrast,represent
it more realistically and effectively. They feel pretty basic by J-horror standards,
but they might be worth checking out if you prefer seeing your murderous anime girls in
the flesh. #45:
Tekken: Blood Vengeance (2011) It’s something of a pattern that animated
video-game films are miles better than their live-action counterparts. We’d say that’s strange, but then we look
at those live-action counterparts and realize it couldn’t possibly be otherwise. In Tekken’s case, its live-action film was
described by one critic as being “like the producers and writers have no idea who these
characters are, and had no intention of giving a crap.” Blood Vengeance is no masterpiece, but it
at least understands the smooth, impressive fighting that gave the games their appeal. The CGI film is heavy on spectacle and won’t
be remembered for its story, but it gave fans something that was recognizably Tekken. What a concept. #44:
Hitman (2007) Really, it should not be this difficult to
make a good film based on Hitman. Shove Agent 47 into an interesting environment
and have him take down his target through a combination of cleverness, foresight, and
flamingo costumes. You could either embrace the corniness or
lean into seriousness, turning one mission into a 90-minute masterpiece of tension and
release. Or you could make a mindless action movie
padded with footage from a failed TV show, we guess. Timothy Olyphant has said he only took the
lead role in this film to pay for a house. So I guess we can at least be glad that the
existence of this thing means Timothy Olyphant isn’t homeless. #43:
NiNoKuni (2019) The Ni no Kuni games famously featured animation
by the legendary Studio Ghibli, known for creating some of the most beautiful, memorable,
important animated films in history. So when it came time for Ni no Kuni to become
a movie of its own, the filmmakers went with…someone cheaper.Whether or not that was the reason
for the film’s difficulties at the Japanese box office, we can’t say, but it certainly
didn’t help. NiNoKuni is not a bad film by any stretch
of the imagination, but it does feel more “inspired by” the series than like an
official entry.Without the characters, story, or animation of the games, what was meant
to be the appeal? #42:
Max Payne (2008) We expect these movies to deviate from the
games. What we don’t expect is for one to be so
monumentally mishandled that one of the game’s developers issues a statement to disown it,
but Scott Miller of 3D Realms did just that. Critics were even more…critical; thisweirdly
demon-heavy film sits at a dismal 16% on Rotten Tomatoes. Mark Wahlberg at least received a high-profile
nomination for his performance in the title role. Alright, yes, it was a Razzie, but beggars
can’t be choosers. Also, Max Payne is both the name of the film
and the feeling you get from watching it. There. Now you don’t have to make that joke in
the comments. #41:
Forbidden Siren (2006) Japanese horror games being adapted into films
are by no means a rarity, as this list demonstrates. What is a rarity, however, is one of those
games being adapted into a film on the day of its release. February 9, 2006, saw both the release of
Forbidden Siren 2 on PS2 and Forbidden Siren in theaters which, despite the title, was
indeed an adaptation of that game. This may have been meant to expose the game
series to a different audience, or to build Forbidden Siren into a film series in its
own right, but neither happened. The games saw only one more entry and the
film never got a sequel. #40:
Roco Kingdom: The Desire of Dragon (2013) Roco Kingdom 2 (2013)
Roco Kingdom 3(2014) Roco Kingdom 4 (2015)
Roco Kingdom may not be a name you’re familiar with, but in China it is an extremely popular
MMORPG. It’s so popular, in fact, that it wasn’t
just adapted into a film, but into a series of four films, not to mention a television
series and a number of books. Not living in China I can’t pretend to know
much about it, but it seems to be primarily designed for young children. Roco Kingdom is often compared to Pokémon,
with its focus on adorable little elemental critters. That alone may explain the amount of adaptations
and tie-in material. If you’re going to pull inspiration from
Pokémon, don’t overlook those sweet multimedia revenue streams. #39:
Dragon Nest: Warriors’ Dawn (2014) Dragon Nest 2: Throne of Elves (2016)
South Korean MMORPG Dragon Nest became a hit thanks to a years-long open beta and positive
word of mouth. It was translated and localized many times
over until it had more than 200 million active players. When the inevitable attempt at a motion picture
was made, it didn’t even happen in South Korea; it happened in China, so large was
the game’s following in that market. It didn’t quite make back its budget, but
it was well-enough received that it got an English-language release and a sequel, both
of which were praised for their voice casts. The game remains popular to this day, so it’s
very possible we haven’t seen the last of the films. #38:
Doom (2005) Doom seems like both the best and worst idea
for a video game movie. Best because everybody played Doom and loved
it. Worst because…well, look at it. Not much in the way of story, is there? Granted, Doom 3 brought a stronger narrative
to the franchise, but Doom 3 wasn’t what most fans pictured when thinking of the series. It’s also not what the filmmakers seemed
to be going for, emphasizing action over atmosphere. Roger Ebert put it best: “Doom is like some
kid came over and is using your computer and won't let you play.” The movie failed to recoup its budget, and
a second attempt at a Doom film went directly to video. #37:
DOA: Dead or Alive (2006) It’s sometimes difficult to remember that
Dead or Alive is a genuinely good series of fighting games. That’s Dead or Alive’s own fault, with
the series never being reluctant to draw attention to its female characters’ bodies above all
else. This is the series that popularized jiggle
physics, after all, and gave us spinoffs specifically designed to titillate. The film is exactly as intelligent as anyone
expected it to be, but not nearly as much fun. It made back about a quarter of its budget. We aren’t saying a Dead or Alive: Xtreme
Beach Volleyball movie would have been a better idea, but we’re pretty sure it would have
made more money. #36:
Tales of Vesperia: The First Strike (2009) Namco Bandai’s Talesseries is known for
engaging stories, well-defined characters, and enchanting settings. Basically, it’s known for everything necessary
for a good fantasy film, and a good fantasy film is what it got with The First Strike. Serving as a prequel to Tales of Vesperia
might be the film’s only serious misstep; a stand-alone story would have likely brought
it a bigger audience and maybe also drawn that audience to the games. The animation is great, the music was well-received,
and both the Eastern and Western voice casts were praised for their performances. If only it weren’t tied to one specific
game, maybe more people would have watched it. #35:
Mortal Kombat (1995) Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997)
Is there enough story in a game about color-coded fighters ripping each other’s heads off
for a movie? Friend, there’s enough for an entire trilogy. That was the plan, anyway.The first film,
directed by a pre-Resident Evil Paul W.S. Anderson, made $122 million on a budget of
$18 million. Gene Siskel called it “the only halfway
decent video-game movie.” Backhanded compliments are still compliments!The
next natural step? Replace the director, recast the roles, and
make a much-worse film, apparently. It was a critical and financial failure and
the third film was scrapped. Shame; I heard some people were going to beat
each other up in that one. #34:
Gekijōban Meiji Tokyo Renka: Yumihari no Serenade (2015)
Gekijōban Meiji Tokyo Renka: Hana Kagami no Fantasia (2016)
Meiji Tokyo Renka was a visual novel that became popular enough upon its release to
warrant a film adaptation, which went into production almost immediately. It was well-enoughreceived but did not do
well at the box office, leading to its sequel getting a one-day-only theatrical release. It is worth mentioning that a live-action
Meiji Tokyo Renka film was released in 2019, but it’s unclear whether or not it made
it to theaters. That is to say, it’s unclear to me, a British
boy who didn’t know this series existed prior to recording this sentence; it’s probably
clear enough to people in Japan whether they watched in a theater or on their couch. #33:
Need for Speed (2014) Basing a movie on a racing game is a filmmaker’s
way of saying, “I wish I were allowed to make The Fast and the Furious.” Buying the rights to Need for Speed does bring
brand recognition, but giving free money to EA is not the sort of behavior we should condone. Anyway, fans of the games were no doubt thrilled
to see all of their favorite characters up on the big screen, such as cars and roads. It’s nice enough to see Aaron Paul, at least. Perhaps he wouldn’t be driving so fast if
he weren’t…braking bad. Braking, like with a car when you want to
stop, and bad, as in poorly. You’ll laugh tomorrow. #32:
Clannad (2007) Clannad got spinoffs and adaptations in manga,
anime, radio dramas, and, obviously, film. Visual novels in theory should make for easy
film adaptations;rather than having to turn gameplay-driven experiences into cinematic
ones, the filmmakers can focus on the characters, the setting, and the story. In the case of Clannad, that’s just what
Toei did. Obviously the branching plot had to go, so
the story was reinterpreted with female lead Nagisa Furukawa being given the focus. Fans are split, many preferring the anime,
but the film has its defenders. Notably, it was also the final film directed
by Osamu Dezaki, responsible for classics dating all the way back to Astro Boy, before
his death. #31:
Pretty Rhythm: All-Star Selection: Prism Show Best Ten (2014)
Gekijō-ban PriPara: MinnaAtsumare! Prism Tours (2015)
King of Prism by Pretty Rhythm (2016) PriParaMinna no Akogare Let's Go PriPari (2016)
King of Prism: Pride the Hero (2017) GekijōbanPriPara&KirattoPri Chan: KiraKira
Memorial Live (2018) King of Prism: Shiny Seven Stars (2019)
Pretty Rhythm is a series of Japanese rhythm games released primarily in arcades. The machines are compatible with physical
“Prism Stones,” unlocking costumes for the characters. The first film was made to spotlight 10 performances
from the Pretty Rhythm anime series, but it did get a theatrical release, so we decided
to include it. We didn’t decide to watch it, but we did
decide to include it. Several screenings of the film even featured
live performances by Prizmmy, the band that hosted segments of the Pretty Rhythm anime. If only the Super Mario Bros. film had screenings
at which Capt. Lou Albano implored live audiences to “Do the Mario,” it could have been
a hit. #30:
Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie (1994) While it’s the unbearable stupidity of the
live-action film that will live on in the public consciousness, Street Fighter also
got an animated movie that was released just a few months prior. It was produced for a fraction of the cost
and earned a Rotten Tomatoes rating that was an incredible seven times higher: 78%. Critics and fans were pleased, with the main
complaints coming from the changes made for the Western release, which added an ill-fitting
grunge soundtrack. That’s since been rectified in later versions. It was so well received that elements of the
film were canonized by later games in the series. Very few of these films can say that, thank
Christ. #29:
Assassin's Creed (2016) One of the best things about Assassin’s
Creed is that installments can take place anywhere, at any point in history. Even so, I think it’s safe to say nobody
expected the Spanish Inquisition. Ubisoft was reportedly excited for the film’s
desire to introduce its own elements and ideas into the lore, with the intention of eventually
tying the worlds of the games and the films together, creating one large, multimedia canon
for angry people to fight about on the internet. The film reviewed poorly, though, with an
18% on Rotten Tomatoes, and lost somewhere around $100 million, so the company decided
maybe Assassin’s Creed should just be games. It’s difficult to disagree. #28:
Dragon Quest: Your Story (2019) Dragon Quest could have translated easily
into a standalone film with a unique story. Familiar enemies and names and systems recur
in the series, but almost every game features an enclosed continuity anyway. That makes Your Story’s decision to specifically
adapt one of the games a bit odd. More odd is that this 2019 film adapted a
game from 1992. Then again, a lawsuit alleges that they adapted
SaoriKumi’snovelization of that game as much as they adapted the game itself, but
didn’t give her credit. It’s a messy situation and a messy film,
with fan opinion quite split. We think they should be happy, though;as we’ve
seen, things could be much worse. #27:
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of
Life (2003) 2001’sTomb Raiderwas received about as well
as any video-game adaptation was received at the time – that is to say, critics begged
someone to open a window – but the praise for Angelina Jolie in the title role was all
but universal. She was an excellent fit and the biggest complaint
was that she didn’t get a better film. Two years later she did, with The Cradle of
Life, which was better reviewed but didn’t perform nearly as well. Distributor Paramount blamed the financial
failure of the second film on the fact that Tomb Raider games weren’t good anymore. “Come see our movie based on terrible games”
didn’t make for a winning marketing strategy, evidently. #26:
Resident Evil (2002) Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)
Resident Evil: Extinction (2007) Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)
Resident Evil: Retribution (2012) Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2017)
Paul W.S. Anderson’s Resident Evil series includes
a whopping six films. Quite impressive, considering nobody liked
them. Much of the criticism went to protagonist
Alice, played by MillaJovovich. Not because she was bad, but because focusing
on her relegated actual Resident Evil characters to cameos. Oh, and they were action films instead of
horror films, a decision that must have been made to ensure they’d please nobody. The worst part? George Romero wrote a script that was never
used. The godfather of zombie cinema adapted the
godfather of zombie games, and we never got to see it. But don’t worry; we might stumble across
Resident Evil again a bit later on. #25:
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001) Many of the films on this list are bad and
performed poorly. Only one of the films on this list almost
destroyed the company that made the games it was based on. The Spirits Within is far superior to most
of this dreck; the problem was one of expectation. Protagonist Aki Ross was the world’s first
digital actress, intended to star in other films. She was even given a press tour, which, of
course, included showing her posing for Maxim. The movie flopped, however, and did so notably
enough that Enix put the breaks on its merger with Square, understandably not enthusiastic
about hitching up with a company that had just blown $140 million on a vanity film. #24:
Yo-kai Watch: The Movie (2014) Yo-Kai Watch: EnmaDaiō to Itsutsu no Monogatari
da Nyan! (2015)
Yo-kai Watch: SoratobuKujira to Double no Sekai no Daibōken da Nyan! (2016)
Yo-kai Watch Shadowside: Oni-ō no Fukkatsu (2017)
Yo-kai Watch: Forever Friends (2018) Game development is a business, and we can’t
fault developer Level-5 for wanting a single franchise that could bring a steady stream
of income. That’s exactly what they were looking for
when they developed Yo-kai Watch, a series with strong parallels to both Pokémon and
Shin MegamiTensei. Of course, it also has a film series, within
which five movies have seen a theatrical release. If it seems a bit cynical to design a franchise
explicitly for its profitability, it’s worth noting that the first film has an incredible
80% average on Rotten Tomatoes. The intention may have been to make more money,
but leave it to Level-5 to ensure it’s worth every penny. #23:
NekoAtsume no Ie (2017) NekoAtsume: Kitty Collector is…well, I can’t
think of the genre, but it’s one of those mobile games that revolves around buying things. Which, come to think of it, doesn’t narrow
it down at all. Anyway, you decorate a small area in order
to attract stray cats. Then you…keep doing that. That’s not the most riveting concept for
a feature film, which is probably why NekoAtsume no Ie is instead about a struggling novelist. Quite how attracting throngs of stray cats
to his home restores his ability to write is beyond us. Then again, just thinking about it has allowed
us to write this entry, so maybe there’s something to this after all. #22:
The Idolmaster Movie: Kagayaki no Mukogawa e! (2014)
Idolmaster is a series of simulation games about training up-and-coming young idols for
stardom. A concept such as that can cover just about
any kind of story, and indeed you’ll find just about every kind of story in the games. The film – The Idolmaster Movie: To the
Glittering Other Side! in English – explores both halves of the idol equation, with well-established
and successful idols being given anxious new proteges still navigating the quirks of fame. Is this for everybody? No. Is it for me? Also no. But the film won a number of major anime awards. Compared to the Razzies most of these movies
went home with, we think that’s pretty good. #21:
Pokémon: The First Movie (1998) Pokémon: The Movie 2000 (1999)
Pokémon 3: The Movie (2000) Pokémon 4Ever (2001)
Pokémon Heroes (2002) Pokémon: Jirachi Wish Maker (2003)
Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys (2004) Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew (2005)
Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea (2006)
Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai (2007) Pokémon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior (2008)
Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life (2009) Pokémon: Zoroark: Master of Illusions (2010)
Pokémon the Movie: Black—Victini and Reshiram and White—Victini and Zekrom(2011)
Pokémon the Movie: Kyurem vs. the Sword of Justice (2012)
Pokémon the Movie: Genesect and the Legend Awakened (2013)
Pokémon the Movie: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction (2014)
Pokémon the Movie: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages (2015)
Pokémon the Movie: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel (2016)
Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You! (2017)
Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us (2018) Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution (2019)
If you would like us to rank every Pokémon movie from worst to best, please let us know
in the comments. We aren’t going to do it, but you’ll feel
better for having voiced your feelings. The films themselves more or less run the
full gamut in terms of critical reception. The lowest Rotten Tomatoes score goes to 1998’s
Pokémon: The First Movie, which we are reliably informed was the first movie, with 15%. The highest goes to 2018’s Pokémon the
Movie: The Power of Us, which earned 60%. That in itself doesn’t sound great, but
for a video-game movie that practically makes it Seven Samurai, and there’s a very good
chance you grew up with and enjoyed at least one of these. #20:
Air (2005) Released in 2000, adult visual novel Air was
the year’s best-selling PC game in Japan. It found a wider audience with ports for the
Dreamcast and PlayStation 2…stripped of its explicit sex scenes, of course. Both versions attracted a dedicated following,
with Air later receivingan anime adaptation and, the year after that, a feature film. Compared to the anime, the movie focused more
directly on the romantic relationship between the protagonist and a character from one of
the arcs in the visual novel. This was seen as a better approach, as the
anime has been described as a “moefest.” Which, to be fair, you may prefer. We are not here to judge. #19:
Super Mario Bros.: Peach-HimeKyushutsu Dai Sakusen! (1986)
The film – whose title translates to Super Mario Bros.: The Great Mission to Rescue Princess
Peach! – managedto do justice to the source material a full seven years before the live-action
film made it seem like it couldn’t be done at all. Is the movie great? No, but it’s recognizably Mario. It’s less-recognizably Luigi, who the animators
seemed to think wore yellow and blue, but looking at the bulk of this list; we’ll
take what we can get. The plot centers around the bowl-scrubbing
brothers rescuing Peach from Bowser, which you probably could have guessed. It ends with a demoralized Bowser working
in a grocery store, though, and you probably didn’t see that coming. #18:
Fate/stay night: Heaven’s Feel I. presage flower (2017)
Fate/stay night: Heaven’s Feel II. lost butterfly (2019)
As with Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works, Heaven’s Feel devotes itself to a single
arc in the visual novel. This film, however, learned from that film’s
limitations. This time, the story was given the space of
a trilogy, preventing crucial information from being lost and making the story far easier
to follow. Critics and fans enjoyed it…at least, they
have so far. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a delay
to the third and final film. It’s important for a story we love to stick
the landing, so this entry could end up moving up or down the list. At the time of writing, however, the Heaven’s
Feel films have given fans everything they wanted. That’s worth celebrating. #17:
Warcraft (2016) Few games on this list can be said to have
had anywhere near the cultural impact of World of Warcraft. For that reason, we shouldn’t be too surprised
that this is the highest-grossing video game movie of all time. Having Duncan Jones – an actual good director
of good films – behind the project certainly didn’t hurt but, overall, critics considered
his talents wasted. Warcraft holds a score of 28% on Rotten Tomatoes,
with most of the criticism going toward the fact that the film seems to lay the groundwork
for a franchise that isn’t coming. It may have earned more money, but Warcraft
certainly didn’t have more staying power than anything else on this list. #16:
Yakuza: Like a Dragon (2007) Described at the time as basically being “Shenmue,
but fun,” Yakuza was an early indication that Sega might indeed find success in the
company’s post-console era. It also clearly lent itself well to film,
where criminal underworlds were already the foundation of countless beloved classics. Critics and fans were impressed by…y’know…a
video-game movie being decent. Like a Dragon retained the wryness of the
game and its seductive violence. It also told a story that was familiar to
fans but which stood on its own for those who hadn’t played the game. In short, it was a genuinely good movie that
just happened to be based on a game. See? It’s not that difficult. #15:
Corpse Party (2015) Corpse Party Book of Shadows (2016)
Corpse Party is the little RPG Maker project that could. It’s about school children playing a parlor
game that sends them on a hellish journey through a warped version of their world. That’s similar to the plot of the first
Persona, but it was a case of parallel invention; both games released in 1996, with Corpse Party
debuting a few months earlier. Light on gameplay, Corpse Party was heavy
on character, atmosphere, and grotesquerie. It lent itself well to adaptation, and has
seen manga and anime tie-ins. The game and its sequelalso got live-action
film versions. Corpse Party is a disarming experience, and
it’s received better adaptations in all media than nearly anything else on this list. #14:
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010) The film may not come up in conversation much
anymore, but Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is actually the fourth-highest-grossing
video-game movie ever, though we’d be hard pressed to tell you why. The game, to be clear, is still quite good. It’s one of the better video-game reboots,
indirectly gave the world Assassin’s Creed, and holds up well. The film, however, despite being a box-office
success, didn’t have nearly that degree of impact. Plans to turn it into a franchise fell apart,
and star Jake Gyllenhaal has said that the only thing he learned from doing the movie
was to be more careful about the roles he accepted. If only he could rewind time… #13:
The Angry Birds Movie (2016) The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019)
Your familiarity with Angry Birds primarily comes down to how much time you spent on the
toilet in 2009. The idea was simple: You would take a number
of differently colored birds andfling them at pigs. Then, afterward, maybe you’d play Angry
Birds!!!!! Okay, okay. The game was a genuine hit, leading to merchandising,
an animated series, and eventually a film. It stands at 43% on Rotten Tomatoes, with
a comparable audience score. Its sequel, however, was received much better,
with 73% from critics and 84% from audiences. Impressive results for movies based on a game
about moving your finger from side to side. #12:
Animal Crossing: The Movie (2006) There are few things more relaxing than playing
Animal Crossing, but with Animal Crossing: The Movie, you can even relax your thumbs. Great pains were taken to ensure that the
film would feel true to the Animal Crossing spirit, with some of the games’ staff working
on the movie, including series composer Kazumi Totaka. It worked. The story of 11-year-old Ai finding her place
in a village of animals is far from the most exciting thing on this list, but it might
be the most charming. It performed so well with Japanese fans that
Nintendo was inspired to make the very clear announcement that they had no plans to bring
it to the West.Erm…thanks. #11:
Gekijoban Zero (2014) Fatal Frame is a series of horror games in
which you damage ghosts by photographing them. It’s basically a version of Pokémon Snap
that makes you poo yourself. The first game wasdesigned by a team pulling
inspiration from the scariest films they could find. It ended up being so scary, they were disappointed
that so many players were too frightened to finish it. It was loosely novelized as Fatal Frame: A
Curse Affecting Only Girls, and was adapted from there into a scary movie of its own. The film was praised for its examination of
forbidden same-sex relationships and has since become a celebrated horror movie in its own
right. #10:
Tomb Raider (2018) With a reimagined Lara Croft getting a series
of new video-game adventures, it made sense for films to get a reimagined Lara Croft as
well. This was Alicia Vikander, who suited the character
from the rebooted games at least as well as Angelina Jolie did the original. Criticisms were similar to those levied at
the game itself, with the excessive violence being seen as unnecessary, and the speed with
which Lara recovers from it being seen as unrealistic. These are things that could easily be ironed
out for a sequel, though COVID-19 has sidelined production. Hopefully we’ll still get one. Like the rebooted games, the film was much
better than anyone expected. #9:
Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva (2009) Could Professor Layton end up being the next
big series of video game movies? The crew that worked on this one certainly
think so, saying they plan to release a new Layton film every winter. Of course, they said this in 2009 and we still
haven’t gotten a sequel so let’s not hold our breath. The movie isn’t half bad. Fans of the brain-teasing games will be well-served
by the returning voice actors and familiar style of animation. It's a standalone, yet canon, story about
Layton and his assistant Luke, allowing it to appeal to both those familiar with the
games and those who just want to watch an animated Sherlock Holmes who ingests marginally
less opium. #8:
Bayonetta: Bloody Fate (2013) If there’s one thing you absolutely need
to nail when adapting Bayonetta into another medium, it’s the style. The animators behind Bloody Fate understood
that, and the result is an extremely watchable retelling of Bayonetta’s first adventure. The film features most of the game’s English
voice cast reprising their roles. The original release of the game in Japan
only featured English voices, though, so for the film, a Japanese cast was assembled from
scratch. Their performances were so well received that
Bloody Fate’s Japanese cast was brought in both for Bayonetta 2 and to at last record
a Japanese voice track for a rerelease of the first game. That’s a high and well-deserved honor. #7:
Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) When a Sonic the Hedgehog movie was revealed,
it didn’t have many defenders. From the character’s glory days being decades
in the past to the hideous design of the character to the complete lack of necessity of a film
at all, there was no expectation that it would succeed. And yet, it did. The negativity surrounding the film turned
cautiously positive when the filmmakers took concerns to heart, re-editing it to feature
a much-less-terrifying main character. Did that make the film better than it would
have been otherwise? Probably not, but it did make it more successful
at the box office. Don’t let anybody tell you that complaining
on the internet accomplishes nothing. #6:
Rampage (2018) Being as the video game Rampage was itself
based on some of the most famous monster movies in history – including heavy hitters such
as Godzilla and King Kong – one might expect it to translate back into film fairly easily. And then one might watch Rampage, and one
would never have such expectations again. It’s honestly not a terrible film; it’s
just kind of pointless and nowhere near as fun as a movie about big monsters smashing
things should be. Interestingly, when it was released in 2018
it was the highest-rated video-game movie in the history of Rotten Tomatoes. That’s still only a 52% average but…y’know. Progress. #5:
Resident Evil: Degeneration (2008) Resident Evil: Damnation (2012)
Resident Evil: Vendetta (2017) Okay, hear us out: Resident Evil, but featuring
actual characters from the games. It’s just crazy enough to work! Don’t get us wrong; the three CGI Resident
Evil films aren’t masterpieces, but they’re true to the spirit of the series, alternating
between genuine horror and over-the-top action in a way that works quite well. The characters – often with returning voice
actors – are recognizable from the games, and we get to see what a number of them have
done with their livessince we last encountered them. Everything looks and feels like the Resident
Evil movie we should have gotten in the first place. All it took was giving the franchise to people
who knew what they were doing. #4:
Detention (2019) Detention is an atmospheric horror game that
you should play unless you’re a big baby. It’s quite good, and so is the 2019 movie,
which did exceptional business for a Taiwanese production and won a number of film awards. It draws its inspiration from real-life horror:
the period of politically sanctioned censorship, incarceration, and execution known as the
White Terror. (It goes without saying that the game and
its adaptation are banned in Hong Kong.) It’s a regrettable period of history that
neither the game northe film wish to slip from memory. From a social standpoint,Detentionis the most
important movie on this list. Unless, y’know, you care deeply about the
rights of angry birds. #3:
Ace Attorney (2012) Capcom’s Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney games
are beloved, not least for their distinctive visual style and over-the-top take on the
judicial system. Turning it into a live-action film instead
of an animation true to the style of the games was therefore a risky prospect, and yet, miraculously,
it paid off. The silliness of the series was retained shockingly
well, due mainly to a hammy cast that fully leaned into the ridiculousness while taking
it just seriously enough. Reviews fromKotaku and Nintendo Life have
called it the best video game movie yet, with similarly high praise coming from IGN, Destructoid,
and Indie Wire. Is it deserving of that praise? Well, I have no…objection! #2:
Persona 3 The Movie: No. 1, Spring of Birth (2013)
Persona 3 The Movie: No. 2, Midsummer Knight's Dream (2014)
Persona 3 The Movie: No. 3, Falling Down (2015) Persona 3 The Movie: No. 4, Winter of Rebirth
(2016) Persona 3 is often cited as having the best
story in the series. Another game may contain your waifuor husbando
or…um, moving on…but Persona 3’s grappling with the inevitability of death makes for
a gripping and unforgettable narrative. Wisely, the cinematic adaptation–a quadrilogy
of animated features – is faithful to the game in all of the ways fans could have wished. It takes the basic structure of Persona 3,
reduces the number of battles to fit the pace of a movie, and finds new ways to fill gaps
that would have been left by the removal of gameplay. You know, when I say it out loud like that,
it almost seems like an obvious approach. #1:
Detective Pikachu (2019) This probably isn’t a surprise to anyone. Detective Pikachu was heralded by a number
of outlets as being the best video-game film of all time, and whether or not you agree,
it’s impossible not to see the reason it would appeal to so many. It’s adorable, it’s funny, and it presents
enough of a twist on our expectations of Pokémon that it appeals to fans without limiting its
appeal to fans. Of course, it’s easy to overlook the fact
that Detective Pikachu is not an invention of the film; arriving late in the life of
the 3DS, the Detective Pikachu game was easy to miss. That makes this a rare case of a film raising
the profile of the game on which it was based, rather than the other way around. It is also the highest-rated live-action video-game
movie on Rotten Tomatoes, with 69%. Okay, not great, but it’s all relative! It fared a bit worse on Metacritic, where
it is the second-highest-rated live-action video-game movie. It’s right behind…let me just check…Mortal
Kombat? Good lord, people make me sick… And that’s every video game movie ranked
from worst to best. How many of them have you seen? If the number is greater than four, we suggest
you see a doctor immediately. Did you know Detective Pikachu would be #1? Did you wish Hitman would be #47? When TripleJump Pictures releases its adaptation
of Deadly Premonition, which of us should play Francis York Morgan? As always, we hope you enjoyed the video. Share it with your friends, even if it’s
only to illustrate just how unforgivably wrong we are. Also, if you have suggestions for other “Every
X Ranked From Worst to Best” videos, let us know. We’ve ranked almost everything in existence,
but surely something is left. You can follow TripleJump on Twitter here,
and while you’re at it, why not support the things you enjoy by having a look at our
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share it with your friends, and subscribe to the channel. I’m Ben and I’m Peter from TripleJump,
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