Four “Terrible” Video Game Film Adaptations I Love

We all know that there really aren’t any good video game film adaptations. Sometimes it’s even laughable to hope that one will be different. I’ve stopped expecting for critically acclaimed films based on video games, but I still go to theatres and pay money to see these flicks.

Watching these adaptations have become some sort of past time for me. I know it won’t give the video game justice, but might as well go along for the ride.  Sometimes filmmakers know this and they just end up making it super ridiculous so it could at least be entertaining to some degree.

Love or hate them, here are a couple of mediocre video game film adaptations that I find enjoyable to watch.

Resident Evil

It’s funny how a lot of people hate the Resident Evil films, and some would even go online to beg others to stop paying to see it in theatres. Why? The franchise remains profitable enough for studios to keep churning more out.

People were upset when the first one came out because it didn’t really capture the horrific essence of the game. I honestly stopped caring when the recent games started to match the quality of the films.

The movies are mediocre, but I keep coming back to the theatres for more. It’s partly because my dad and myself are big fans of Milla Jovovich and we love seeing her kick some butt in films. I also grew up with the films and started it when I was only a kid. It evolved into a routine wherein it’s automatic for me others to head to the cinema when the film is out.

DOA: Dead or Alive

It’s worth noting that I watched this film based on Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball instead of the main fighting game. With that in mind, then I guess you could say that the film fulfilled my expectations.

This scene alone won me over. It’s that type of ridiculous action that pulls me in. I grew up in a family who enjoys watching terrible B-movies like Drive Angry, so this was pretty much entertainment for us. Additionally, the casting was far from accurate but I managed to forgive it.

 Tomb Raider

I wished that the Tomb Raider films were better because I only had two reasons for watching the two flicks. Firstly, I’m a fan of the video game franchise and have been playing since the first game came out. Secondly, I thought that Angelina Jolie fit the part really well back then.

I was still a kid when I saw those films and I didn’t have high standards then. I was pretty much easy to entertain. The U2 soundtrack of the film was pretty cool too and I thought it was a decent action flick.  I’m not opposed to another actress playing Lara Croft if there’s another movie, but maybe Angelina Jolie could return to play an older version of Lara? A fan can wish.

Street Fighter

You might not agree with me on this, but I was quite entertained with how the casting of this film. It’s not the best choice, but the late Raul Julia, JVD, Kylie Minogue, and Ming-Na Wen in a film? Why the hell not? I kept thinking of Bison from Gomez in the Addams family. It’s also very cheesy to the point of being ridiculous enough to find entertaining.

A lot of people find this film terrible, but I would have to argue that I found that recent Chun-Li film to be the worst of them all. It was too serious for my taste. I think that arcade fighting games can never become serious films. They’ve always been better a fit for campy action films.