Every time I finish a video game that I’ve enjoyed, I tend to sit there for a few minutes wondering what to do next with my life. Sure, after a few seconds I realise I should probably get up from my chair, open the curtains and see what’s happening outside. But for those precious few seconds I tend to drift off and imagine an alternate ending or perhaps pretend that I’m the character I was playing.
Sometimes my thoughts drift off further and I start to think how great this game would have been if it was a Hollywood-funded movie. At times my hopes are answered and a major company does pick up a video game to turn into a movie, though more times than I can believe these movies turn out to be a complete disappointment. You see, when it comes to a video game, movie companies tend to think it’s much better to stray off the path of the game’s story and concentrate more on flashy effects and well-known actors to reel in the cash.
This may go down well with the general public, but to people who’ve played the game and enjoyed it, it’s the equivalent of being being slapped across the face with a day old cod. Don’t get me wrong: just like the next person I want to see a famous actor running along Venice’s rooftops as he attempts to assassinate Cesare Borgia, but I want the movie to stick to the same plot as the Assassin’s Creed game… otherwise why base the movie on the game at all?
In this article I’ll be exploring movies that completely misinterpreted the games that they were based on. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at some prime offenders…
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9 Comments
Great list and a very enjoyable read.
I would however disagree with Silent Hill and i commend the writers and directors for creating a film that stuck to the source material close enough but also molded a brand new story for everyone to enjoy.
It certainly has moments which i dont get along with so well. Namely Mr Beans inclusion but can understand, from a movie stand point, why he was there. Also the sheer amount of people within silent hill. The most freaky thing about the games were the sheer loneliness.
Apart from Silent Hill i love the list, How Uwe Boll got any backing for any project ever is well beyond my comprehension
Thanks Chris, Silent Hill was a sort of miss and hit for this list. I quite enjoyed the film as it had me terrified throughout, but the inclusion of Pyramid chap as well as using the mother to look for had me umm-ing and ahh-inn, however just like Prince of Persia I quite enjoyed watching the film as it may have got a few things wrong but it was still a good film.
Resident Evil should’ve been at number one, pure and simple. This was a good list, but most of these movies didn’t try to churn out sequel after sequel like that giant douchebag Paul WS Anderson. Not only did he get the first film incorrect, he somehow revolved the rest of the sequels around his wife shooting crap. I mean there’s even one scene where he has her shooting 150 rounds out of a submachine gun w/o reloading. He can’t even adapt realistic gun usage. If I have to sit through another one of his trailers I might throw up.
I know the RE films weren’t exactly loyal to the games in most cases, but they were rather goo–well no, they were ok. Not only were they box-office successes, but quite a few people have enjoyed them. When you compare them to Uwe Boll’s films though, he still puts sequel after sequel out there despite never making any money.
Granted Anderson does go over the top with special effects as he knows what he’s doing to the story, so I ranked the films a tad higher than the others.
Good list! I have to say I don’t mind Silent Hill. I think they could have done without Seano Beano (Or at least done away with that fake and terrible accent) and like someone else mentioned, all the people. They should have stuck with the sense of isolation and creepyness that comes from it. I think it was probably one of the better ones on the list albeit not perfect.
How is Hitman not on this list. They took what should have been a tense psychological thriller and turned it into a crappy action movie.
I think you should include Doom on the list. not only because Misinterpreted Their Source but also insulted their fans for changing Hell Invasion to alien virus.
No Max Payne? That movie was god awful.
What about “Doom”? It abandoned the Hellish invasion (a staple of the Doom series might I add) in favor of a cliched mutation experiment gone awry plot.