Good video game movies are few and far between. While some have delighted critics, movie buffs, and fans of the original game titles, there are a lot of movies out there that, in all honesty, should never have been made.
In the last couple of years there has been an upward turn in decent video game adaptations – Super Mario Bros on the big screen, The Last of Us on the small screen – but there are still occasions when Hollywood gets it wrong. A recent example is Eli Roth’s Borderlands which has been critically savaged by all who have seen it. Some are even calling it the worst video game movie of all time!
For this article, we have tried to list every video game movie out there (let us know if we have missed one) and ranked them from worst to best. Do you agree with our order? Or would you rank any of these movies differently? Let us know in the comments below.
#50: House of the Dead (2003)
A headache-inducing adaptation of the on-rails zombie shooter arcade game. If this had been directed by George A. Romero, it could have been great. As it is, it’s a boring time-waster that has absolutely no redeeming features whatsoever.
#49: Alone in the Dark (2005)
Loosely adapted from the survival horror game, the only thing this Uwe Boll misfire has going for it is Christian Slater who gives a halfway decent performance as paranormal investigator Edward Carnby. This is a terrible, cheaply-made movie that fans of the game are sure to hate.
#48: Far Cry (2008)
Uwe Boll’s adaptation of Ubisoft’s first-person shooter stars Til Schweiger as an ex-military officer who travels to an island and encounters genetically modified supersoldiers. The premise is good but this cheaply made actioner is not worth your time.
#47: In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (2007)
Quite how Uwe Boll convinced Jason Statham to star in this, we’ll never know. His performance isn’t completely awful but this second-rate Lord Of The Rings knock-off, based on the fantasy role-playing game, has little else of merit to recommend it.
#46: Mortal Kombat Annihilation (1997)
A movie based on a fighting game should at least have some decent action scenes, right? Not so with this adaptation that is likely to cause fans of the game series a fatality!
#45: Bloodrayne (2005)
Uwe Boll sucks dry everything that is good about the hack-and-slash vampire game. It’s not worth your time unless you’re interested in seeing Oscar-winning actor Ben Kingsley in arguably the worst movie of his career.
#44: Postal (2007)
The video game is violently offensive. So too is this movie. As such, it’s a better adaptation than many of Uwe Boll’s other movies but that isn’t really a recommendation.
#43: Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009)
The first Street Fighter movie is garbage but at least it’s better than this slapdash sequel that is as two-dimensional as the original video game.
#43: Wing Commander (1999)
This adaptation of the space combat game was made by that title’s creator. You’d think it would be halfway decent then, considering the popularity of the game. But no, this is another bad video game movie that deserves to be shot into space and sent to a galaxy far, far away!
#42: Street Fighter (1994)
Jean-Claude Van Damme, Kylie Minogue, and Raul Julia (in his last movie role) do what they can with the silly dialogue they have been handed but their performances aren’t enough to save this movie from mediocrity.
#41: Super Mario Bros. (1993)
This was the first live-action movie to be based on a video game. That’s the only notable thing about this cartoonish mess that has very little to do with Nintendo’s enduring game series.
#40: DOA: Dead or Alive (2006)
The original game features lots of skimpily-clad ladies battling it out with one another. The movie features the same. If that’s your thing, then this could be the greatest video game movie of all time. For anybody else, this empty-headed action film is definitely one to miss.
#39: Double Dragon (1994)
The movie’s stars Mark Dacascos and Mark Wolff have undeniable chemistry. But if you’re looking for something as exciting as the fighting game on which it is based, you’re unlikely to get a kick out of this one.
#38: Doom (2005)
A good cast (Dwayne Johnson, Karl Urban, Rosamund Pike) and one fairly decent scene that mimics the FPS horrors of the classic shooter title are the only reasons to watch this bog-standard action film that fails to impress.
#37: Silent Hill: Revelation (2012)
This is a disappointing sequel to the surprisingly decent first adaptation of the Konami horror game series. It contains some good visual effects but it’s sorely lacking the scares of the games and its 2006 predecessor.
#36: Mortal Kombat (1995)
Paul W. Anderson’s martial arts movie is better than Street Fighter and Double Dragon, but the simplistic good vs evil plot and one-note acting from the cast means this is hardly a “flawless victory.”
#35: Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)
As a zombie movie, this one hardly makes the grade. As an adaptation of the video game series, it’s even worse. The visual effects are okay but the fans of the games won’t find a lot to like with this one.
#34: Resident Evil (2002)
Marginally better than its immediate sequel but Paul W. Anderson’s movie has very little to do with the video game series that inspired it.
#33: Borderlands (2024)
With a cast including Cate Blanchett, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jack Black, and Kevin Hart, many people expected Borderlands to be a decent adaptation of the bonkers first-person looter shooter. Their expectations were proven wrong, as director Eli Roth has widely misjudged the source material.
#32: Max Payne (2008)
A handful of slow-motion shootouts (taking their cue from the bullet time aspects of the game) are the only bright spots in this dark and dingy adaptation of the third-person detective action game.
#31: Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)
To be honest, all the movies in the Resident Evil franchise are terrible, so ranking them was quite difficult. But at the time of this movie’s release, it stood out from its predecessors due to it being in 3D. Other than that, this is just a run-of-the-mill sequel with Milla Jovovich on autopilot as the series protagonist Alice.
#30: Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)
Some critics actually liked this entry in the franchise. But while it was praised for its monster effects and moderately effective action scenes, it’s lack of adherence to the RE games will make some fans seek retribution.
#29: Rampage (2018)
Watching giant animals stomping cities into piles of rubble was fun when playing the game in the arcades. You’d expect the movie to be halfway fun as well. Unfortunately, it’s surprisingly boring, largely because of the top-heavy plot that overshadows the monster action.
#28: Hitman (2007)
Timothy Olyphant delivers a good performance as Agent 47 but this is little more than a sub-par James Bond movie that is less thrilling than the stealth-based video game series on which it is based.
#27: Hitman: Agent 47 (2015)
Rupert Friend is the dome-headed assassin in this sequel/reboot that is only marginally better than the first movie.
#26: Resident Evil Extinction (2007)
This entry in the franchise has some impressive visuals and fairly decent action. For a while, it’s good, splattery fun. But while it’s better than most of the other movies in the series, it still fails to capture the nightmarish terrors of Capcom’s video games.
#25: Tetris (2023)
This is less an adaptation of the classic video game (no surprise there) and more a telling of the licensing battle that occurred after the game’s creation. This should have made for an interesting movie. But despite some good performances from the cast, including Taron Egerton and Toby Jones, and the occasional spot of 80s nostalgia, this is a disappointingly dull movie.
#24: Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
The convoluted plot will turn some people off this movie but on the plus side, it has impressive photo-realistic visuals that are occasionally quite awe-inspiring,
#23: Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2017)
This final entry in the franchise features some undeniably exciting action scenes. As such, the movie is reasonably fun at times, though this is thin praise for a movie that is only marginally better than the titles the preceded it.
#22: Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023)
The original video games are good, spooky fun. As such, hopes were high that the movie would capture the zany spirit of those crazy horror titles. Sadly, despite a good premise – a security guard becomes trapped in a store with rampaging animatronics – the movie is dull and forgettable. The similarly-themed Willy’s Wonderland is a masterpiece in comparison.
#21: Need For Speed (2014)
The movie stays true to the video game series with its spectacular chase scenes. But in terms of story, the movie stalls far too often thanks to the corny script and thin narrative.
#20: Mortal Kombat (2021)
When compared to other fighting movies based on video games, this one emerges as the champion. This isn’t to say it’s very good but unlike the previous adaptations of the Midway’s game series, it at least captures the over-the-top mayhem and gratuitous violence that the games are known for.
#19: Monster Hunter (2020)
Paul W.S. Anderson delivers another video game adaptation and it’s as empty-headed as any movie in the Resident Evil franchise. But with decent visuals and some fun action scenes, this soldiers vs. monsters tale is not as disposable as his previous movies.
#18: Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003)
There’s a distinct lack of tomb-raiding in this movie adaptation of the Tomb Raider game series. But with its fantastical plot – a quest to save the mythical Pandora’s Box – and a decent performance from Angelina Jolie as adventurer Lara Croft, this might still please fans of the games.
#17: The Angry Birds Movie (2016)
The plot is as thin as the one featured in the mobile game but if all you’re looking for are some silly cartoon characters and a heavy dose of slapstick humour, you might enjoy this one.
#16: The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019)
As above, only slightly funnier!
#15: Ratchet & Clank (2016)
This is little more than a Saturday morning kids cartoon but as it’s closely based on the PS4 game featuring the titular characters, it can be considered a better video game adaptation than most.
#14: Gran Turismo (2023)
Fun fact: My grandmother was called Turismo! Okay, so that’s a lie and I’d also be lying if I told you this was a brilliant video game adaptation. In fact, it’s not even an adaptation at all. Rather, it’s a true-life story about an expert gamer whose skill at playing Gran Turismo earned him the right to race cars for real. The story plays out in a predictable fashion but thanks to some spectacular racing scenes, the movie might please fans of the gaming series.
#13: Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)
In truth, this is little better than the sequel that followed. But thanks to Angelina Jolie’s spirited performance and an exciting high-wire action sequence in which she does her own stunts, this is more than watchable. It’s just a shame that it has very little to do with the video games that inspired it.
#12: Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021)
If you were disappointed by Paul W. Anderson’s Resident Evil movies, which had very little in common with Capcom’s video game series, you might have a better time with this one. It’s far from being a great movie but with settings and monsters lifted directly from the games, this is a far more faithful adaptation than Anderson’s movies ever were.
#11: Assassin’s Creed (2016)
At the time of this movie’s release, fans of the third-person adventure game series emerged from the shadows and cut this one down with criticism that was sharper than an assassin’s blade. But while it doesn’t have a lot to do with the game series – it doesn’t even feature an assassin jumping from height into a pile of hay – it still contains a few exciting set pieces that will please those looking for some thrilling action.
#10: Silent Hill (2006)
Not every critic liked this film but as it retains the same spooky atmosphere of the first two games in the horror franchise and a story that is similar to that from the first title, this might make the town of Silent Hill a place worth re-visiting.
#9: Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
Sega’s much-loved video game franchise wasn’t exactly calling out for a live-action movie but we got one anyway, courtesy of director Jeff Fowler. Story-wise, it’s nothing to write home about. But thanks to its better-than-expected visuals and Jim Carrey’s bonkers performance as Dr. Robotnik, it runs rings around many of the video game movies found on this list.
#8: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022)
This sequel retains the frenetic action of the first movie and the same zany sense of humour. Again, the story is mostly forgettable but this didn’t stop it from performing exceptionally well at the box office.
#7: Pokemon: Detective Pikachu (2019)
Gotta catch them all, right? If you’re a Pokemon fan, this is one movie worth adding to your collection as it features many of the characters you’ll know and love from the Nintendo game series. Story-wise, it’s as forgettable as the Sonic movies, but with a fun performance from Ryan Reynolds as Pikachu and some nice visuals, it’s mostly a pleasant time-waster.
#6: Warcraft (2016)
As an adaptation of the PC game, it’s just about serviceable. World of Warcraft players will have fun picking out the Easter Eggs in the film as well as the tidbits of lore. For everybody else – those not versed in WOW mythology – this is an entertaining fantasy adventure with some stunning visuals and plenty of spectacular setpieces.
#5: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)
Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Dastan, the rogue prince tasked with saving the world from a special dagger that has the power to alter time. Based on the 2003 adventure platformer of the same name, it’s a pretty decent movie, with some state-of-the-art special effects and lots of swashbuckling action. Unfortunately, despite being enjoyable, poor box office performance scuppered the chances of a sequel.
#4: Tomb Raider (2018)
Alicia Vikander takes on the role of Lara Croft in this adaptation of the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot. The movie is better than its Angelina Jolie-starring predecessors, thanks to some thrilling action scenes and an interesting story that actually lets Lara do a bit of puzzle-solving and tomb-raiding, which are the core fundamentals of the games.
#3: Uncharted (2022)
Tom Holland stars as Nathan Drake, the action hero made popular in the Uncharted game series. He’s joined by Mark Wahlberg as Sully, another character from the games, and together they set off on a globe-trotting quest to find hidden treasure. As an adventure movie, this doesn’t fare well against the Indiana Jones pictures on which the games were presumably inspired. But it does contain a few thrilling set pieces, one of which you’ll recognize if you have played Uncharted 3.
#2: Werewolves Within (2021)
Werewolves Within is a little-known film based on a little-known video game. The concept of each is the same (but with a different setting) – a group of people are suspicious of one another when it turns out one of them could be a werewolf. Critics praised the film for its suspenseful horror and gentle comedy, with some calling it the best video game movie ever made. It’s just a shame that very few people have seen it.
#1: The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
If you’re only going to watch one movie featuring the voice of Jack Black, make sure it’s this one and not the claptrap that is Borderlands! With its bright and colourful visuals and faithfulness to the Nintendo game series, this is a must-watch for fans, especially for those who were disappointed by the 1993 adaptation that failed to do justice to the Mario universe.
Do you agree with our list? Would you order them differently? Let us know in the comments below.