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

Video game adaptations, it seems, are not the general moviegoer's cup of tea. How many films based on games have performed well enough at the box office to justify sequels that aren't direct-to-video? Less than a handful. How many have earned critical acclaim? Even fewer.

Despite the gaming business evolving to the point that the writing and cinematography frequently exceed Hollywood's feeble standards, it still seems like it's incredibly difficult to translate a video game property to the big screen without a large portion of the audience taking up pitchforks and trying to run the filmmaker out of town.

With Warcraft and Assassin's Creed - two of the most beloved video game franchises in recent history - making their way to multiplexes this year, all we can do is hope that these films make a more significant impact than previous attempts.

The real question, though, isn't whether filmmakers will ever figure out how to make an impressive and celebrated video game adaptation, but whether we, as an audience, will ever let them.

Because like it or not, we're just harder on these types of movies. Which is why, even though we've already seen plenty of good - or even great - video game adaptations over the years, none of them get even a modicum of the respect they deserve.

So let's stop the hate. Even if just for a moment.

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.