20 Absolute Worst Films Based On Video Games
Why are video game movies so impossible to get right?
Seriously, just what is it about video game movies that's so impossible to get right? On the face of it, there couldn't be a more perfect matching of media than film and video games. Both forms of entertainment entail the consumer watching and playing them as a means of escaping from reality, a way to spend excess time for the purposes of recreation.
Yet, for some inexplicable reason, melding the two of them together has, more often than not, resulted in utter catastrophes of epic proportions. Of course, all you need to do is browse through this very article to realise that the majority of video game to film adaptations have been of those that focus heavily on action over narrative, but perhaps that's where the problem lies.
The wider, non-gaming world has traditionally seen video games as throwaway entertainment. That is, media that is there to serve as a quick fix of high-octane action and not much else. It hasn't been until recently - with the prevalence of Hollywood actors standing up and lending their talents to them - that the mainstream media have noticed how emotionally immersive video games can be, and aren't just about killing people and causing huge explosions.
It's a conflict of vision too. Do you give total creative rights to the director on how closely a film adaptation should follow the source material, or the original developer of said title?
It's definitely a case of performing a balancing act, whatever the case. And until a suitable compromise and respect between the two industries is found, lists like these - and their daming Rotten Tomatoes scores - will, sadly, be the only thing we have to remember past efforts by. Be warned, there are some real stinkers here.
20. Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun-Li
Rating: RT: 6%
At last, we arrive at the biggest offender on this list. Almost everything about Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun-Li is awful, but above all else, it has some of the worst casting choices of any film ever.
American actor Kristin Kreuk was cast as the Chinese Chun-Li, and comedy actor Chris Klein was cast as the hard-faced agent with attitude Charlie Nash - and looked nothing like him.