Video game fans are excited to see their favorite Nintendo characters come to life in the untitled Mario film starring Chris Pratt and Anya Taylor-Joy, which is set to release next year. However, not every video game fan is certain that the upcoming Mario movie will do well critically and commercially, considering the track record of other video game film adaptations.
Bringing a video game to life on the silver screen is no easy task. Aside from making sure that the narrative entices the general audience, video game movies should also please the fans of the game. From House of the Dead to Postal, there are plenty of video game movies that have been given abysmal scores on Metacritic.
Max Payne (2008) – 31
Remedy Entertainment’s third-person shooter franchise has managed to cultivate a loyal following thanks to its cinematic action sequences and impressive art direction. Its 2008 movie counterpart, however, was critically panned, although it made some decent money at the box office.
Having big movie stars like Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, and Beau Bridges didn’t help the movie woo critics. Max Payne was primarily criticized for its illogical plot, an underwhelming performance from its lead actor, and deviation from the source material.
Postal (2008) – 22
Postal is a top-down shooter game developed by the game studio Running with Scissors. In 2008, German director Uwe Boll decided to adapt the game to the big screen, although most of the story is taken from the game’s sequel Postal 2.
The movie revolves around a fake religious cult leader and his nephew who will do anything to save his compound, even if that means facing off against terrorists. While some viewers enjoyed the film’s outrageousness, Postal was still panned due to its tone-deaf plot that tries to mask the film as political satire.
Wing Commander (1999) – 21
Wing Commander is a space combat franchise that features humanity’s struggles against an alien species. The 1999 film of the same name was directed by Chris Roberts and stars actors Freddie Prinze Jr. and Matthew Lillard.
The movie also features the Kilrathi, which is a feline-esque alien race that aims to go to earth and conquer it. Wing Commander failed to gain the support of the fans of the game as its visual style and plot differed greatly from the games. What’s more, the movie had an underwhelming dialogue that was chock-full of sci-fi clichés and had cheesy special effects due to its low budget.
BloodRayne (2005) – 18
German director Uwe Boll has several video game film adaptations under his belt. His 2005 film BloodRayne, which is based on the video game of the same name, follows a vampire-human hybrid who seeks to avenge her mother who was taken advantage of by her vampire father.
Despite having great actors like Ben Kingsley, Kristanna Loken, Michael Madsen, and Michelle Rodriguez, BloodRayne didn’t get the same positive reception the video game series received. The movie was generally criticized for its weak plot, confusing action sequences, and turgid dialogue.
Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun-Li (2009) – 17
Street Fighter is one of Capcom’s most successful franchises, with some entries garnering high scores on Metacritic. Unfortunately, the 2009 adaption that primarily featured the beloved character Chun-Li, failed to dazzle viewers and critics alike.
Many viewers felt that the film had a shallow plot, which revolves around Chun-Li and her search for justice and desire to overturn a crime lord’s doings in her city. While some thought that the movie had some decently choreographed action sequences, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li still fell short, largely due to its dull screenplay.
Silent Hill: Revelation 3D (2012) – 16
Moviegoers were excited to see the sequel to the 2006 film Silent Hill, which was well-received for its impressive visuals, although some found it vague and confusing. Sadly, the sequel was a worse film and didn’t quite fit the horror genre due to a shortage of terrifying scenes.
The movie follows a character named Heather Mason, who finds herself in the eerie town of Silent Hill after finding out that she’s lived a false life. The movie was greatly disliked by viewers due to its poorly-written characters and mediocre cinematography that it has been long forgotten by fans of the video game series.
House Of The Dead (2003) – 15
Another one of Uwe Boll’s video game movie adaptations, House of the Dead is based on a shooter game created by Sega. Designated as a prequel to the video game series, House of the Dead sees survivors fight zombies on a deserted island.
It was pretty obvious that House of the Dead is Boll’s first theatrically-released film to viewers due to its painfully dull direction and forgettable performances. However, Boll still released a sequel to House of the Dead in 2005, although that didn’t fare well either at the box office.
In The Name Of The King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (2007) – 15
Famous action-thriller actor Jason Statham stars front and center in the 2007 movie In the Name of the King. Primarily inspired by the Dungeon Game franchise, In the Name of the King follows the story of a man named Farmer who seeks revenge for his son and wants to save his wife from evil and primitive beings.
Uwe Boll, who notoriously directed the critically panned films Bloodrayne and Alone in the Dark, was also in charge of directing In the Name of the Dark. Unsurprisingly, the movie obtained negative remarks from the critics, due to its questionably terrible production, eyebrow-raising dialogue, and stilted acting.
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997)- 11
The fighting game franchise Mortal Kombat has cultivated a massive fanbase due to its memorable and powerful characters, as well as its enticing story and plot. Mortal Kombat: Annihilation is the sequel to the 1995 film Mortal Kombat, and unlike its predecessor, the film was incoherent and had flimsy action sequences.
The plot of Mortal Kombat: Annihilation was also largely laughable as it tells the story of Liu Kang and his mission to stop the nefarious Shao Khan, albeit in a confusing manner. However, the producer for the film reveals that the movie was released despite being unfinished, which was the reason why the special effects in the film were bad and looked absurd (via Flickering Myth).
Alone In The Dark (2005) – 5
Actors Tara Reid and Christian Slater star in what is considered Uwe Boll’s worst film, Alone in the Dark. The video game the movie is based on falls under the survivor horror genre and follows a private investigator who goes to haunted houses that are the homes of various terrifying undead monsters.
The movie is about a paranormal detective who has to stop a cult of evil demons from reanimating and taking over the world. The movie was so terrible that some critics found it funny and even consider it subversively camp and postmodern-esque.
