The Top Three Movies Inspired by Video Games
There are few genres of film that fill fans with more dread than video game movie adaptations. Thanks to the likes of Uwe Boll and other filmmakers who created a long series of cash grabs and low-budget tie-ins, there are very few game series that have successfully made the jump to film without a few stumbles along the way. However, the BBC reported recently on the cast announcement of the upcoming Mario movie, which will generate a lot of interest. As such, now is the perfect time to talk about the best films that were inspired by video games.
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)
Twenty years ago, there were few names bigger in video games than Lara Croft. As the star of one of the most successful game franchises of the 90s and continuing into the 00’s, Croft was well known in the pop culture of the time. As explained by Foxy Games, Lara Croft first appeared in 1994 on the PlayStation. Her first game, simply titled Tomb Raider, combined the best parts of Indiana Jones with puzzles and combat that were revolutionary at the time. A string of successful sequels meant that, within a few years, a film version was in the works.
Starring Angelina Jolie, this globetrotting film featured excellent effects and a fun if simple plot to follow. Though some of the CGI hasn’t aged terribly well in the two decades since, there is a lot of good, cheesy fun to dig into. Lara finds herself following the breadcrumbs left by her late father to uncover a conspiracy for world domination. The plot is straightforward and isn’t really a surprise to anyone familiar with these types of films or games, but it does a good job of moving the action along. Well worth a watch if you’re feeling nostalgic.
Street Fighter (1994)
It takes a special kind of movie where the stories behind it are nearly as entertaining as the movie itself. Street Fighter has all the cheese and flair of an 80s action movie with some of the best over-the-top performances money can buy. Raul Julia, famed actor of stage and screen, played the villain M. Bison and has the time of his life, chewing scenery like it was candy. The sad truth is that he took the film as a final goodbye to acting and so his children could enjoy one of his movies as he was treated for terminal cancer. His sense of joy is infectious and seeps out into the rest of the cast.
The rest of the cast features big names like Jean Claude Van Damme, at the height of his fame, as Guile, Ming Ng-Wen as Chun Li, and an eager Kylie Minogue as Cammie. The film is famous for some of its dialogue and performances, particularly Van Damme’s rampant cocaine use and diva-like behaviour as well as many of the fight coordinators being rushed to train unskilled actors. It is a delightful movie that sparks great joy for all the right (and wrong) reasons.
Mortal Kombat (1995)
Another fighting game turned film in the 90s, this one is the perfect balance between cheesy action and surprisingly competent fighting and stunts. Filmed in an attempt to cash in on the already extremely popular game franchise that was well onto its second entry, Mortal Kombat beats out the most recent film reboot for the simple reason that, despite the dated graphics and some pandering to censors, the use of practical effects throughout give it a timeless feel to it.
Most impressively, this film features a four-armed Goro animatronic, brought to life by a stuntman inside the suit. There was a limited amount of air in the difficult to control suit, which led to significant delays in the film’s schedule, but the result is a film that feels more real than modern computer effects can achieve.
If you’re still aching for some films to watch, check out our top 100 must see horror films which are sure to keep you up at night.
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