Video game movies aren’t usually in line to be Oscar-contenders. Ever since the Mario Bros. movie set the tone by completely misunderstanding the reason behind the series’ popularity, we’ve had to endure an endless barrage of Hollywood movies trying desperately to get it right. Unfortunately, they’ve never really managed to do so.
While we were in agreement that no video game movies have been particularly great, the GR editorial team did have a couple that they thought were still worth watching. Check out our responses below, and as always, leave your own in the comments section. We’ll feature our favorite in tomorrow’s Tell GR.
Paul Tamburro, executive editor: “Silent Hill is the clear winner here. While it doesn’t quite replicate the horror of the games, it was a visual spectacle and pretty damn unique for a film adaptation of a video game. Unlike the Resident Evil films, which went for full-on action and bypassed the elements of the games that people actually like, Silent Hill felt like a unique take on that world without outright poaching from it. Unlike the vast majority of video game movies, it’s actually worth watching.”
Jason Faulkner, senior editor: “I think Silent Hill comes about as close to catching the feel of the source material as any video game film adaptation has. It’s still not the best as it plays it too safe and doesn’t get too in-depth with some of the more macabre aspects of the series. I’d did like the coal mine angle, though, and felt like that would be something that would have fit right into one of the games.”
Michael Leri, features editor: “‘Best’ would be a relative term because, frankly, they’re all pretty mediocre so you just have to better than whatever offensive droll Uwe Boll craps out. Last year’s Tomb Raider movie was fine but it probably still doesn’t top Mortal Kombat. It’s not a great film but it matches the cheesy lore from the game while also channeling the ’90s pretty well. Hopefully, Dan Trachtenberg’s Uncharted movie is dope because he literally seems like the perfect pick for it.”
Yesterday’s best comment
Question: Are you most excited for the PS5 or the Xbox Scarlett?
DJJ66: “Given Microsoft seems to be bringing a hell of a lot of solid studios into its fold, and by extention, I hope, investing into some equally solid exclusives, I can only hope that next gen they’re going big to make up for this gen’s lack thereof, I’m a lot more interested in seeing what they have planned. I also really hope they manage to make the MS store more relevant, I REALLY love their play anywhere program and also hope they expand it in the future.”