10 Double Movie Features From Hell

When director Roland Joffe, known for The Killing Fields and a disastrous adaptation of The Scarlett Letter, first pitched the concept of a Super Mario Bros. feature, he left Nintendo's office with a $2 million contract and temporary control of the Mario character.

The initial script went through draft after draft, with names coming and going from the project, until they had half a script, an eccentric (and borderline fascistic) husband-and-wife directing couple, and two lead actors who refused to remain sober.

The resulting film is a mess, filmed on sets that look recycled from Blade Runner without sanitisation and performances that, when not drunk, seem at least coked-out. Whatever perfectly administered diet of narcotics Fisher Stevens was regimented during filming is an absolute necessity for viewing purposes.

So there is a way to watch the film and be entertained, even if one must resort to extreme measures. However, all the efforts made to understand or even derive pleasure from the series of unfortunate events and misguided decisions (which should be read about at length here) will be for naught if followed up by Paul W.S. Anderson's Resident Evil.

Video game fans have had no great service done to them by film adaptations. The best, like Rampage and Mortal Kombat, have built liberally on the small worlds the games have offered while still maintaining a sense of fun. Resident Evil handles its world-building the same way Super Mario Bros. attempted: answering questions no one asked, then doubling down.