8 Video Game-To-Movie Adaptations That Get Way Too Much Hate

8. Need For Speed

Perhaps no other movie on this list better exemplifies the predicament that video game adaptations currently find themselves in. When filmmakers go for big, shameless fun, they're condemned for adding yet another lightweight film to the already silly genre. But when they try to veer into human drama, they're criticized for "trying too hard" and going away from pure, boffo entertainment.

It's frequently a no-win situation.

But Need For Speed actually hit a lot of the right notes, especially when it came to paying homage to its source material. The cops are just as insatiably and frustratingly vigilant as they are in the game, and the vehicular mayhem is spectacular and ludicrous in all the right ways.

The story can get a little murky when it dips into the redemptive/vengeful angle, but Aaron Paul is a capable enough leading man to carry the sometimes hollow script.

And sure, it could have done a bit more to separate itself from that other car chase franchise, but Need For Speed bests Fast and the Furious simply by its ability to present beautifully choreographed, expertly executed stunts without having to pump the brakes to showcase a character's humanity, or use the sequence as a muddled metaphor for a relationship.

Need For Speed is a worthwhile watch, even just to see all those bada** wipeouts from the game transposed onto the big screen using practical effects and ballsy stunt work.