Video game movies are a complicated genre. More often than not, they become a critical bomb and sometimes even a financial one. Either because they fail to replicate the game’s charm, they change too many details about the characters and the story and make the game’s fans angry, or simply because what worked as a game doesn’t work similarly well on the big screen.
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There have been only a handful of movies that got positive audience ratings on Rotten Tomatoes and continue to entertain viewers to this day, regardless of whether they are familiar with the game the movie draws inspiration from or not.
9 Monster Hunter (2020): 70 %
It seems that in the last few years, video game movies caught a second breath and the creators finally figured out how to attract the audience and leave them wanting more. The director Paul W.S. Anderson is no stranger to video game movies, having directed the first Resident Evil (2002) as well as Mortal Kombat in 1995. In Monster Hunter, a group of elite fighters ends up in a different world, a different dimension, and has to face monsters if they are to have any chance at finding their way back home.
Milla Jovovich who also starred in the Resident Evil series once again makes for a believable action hero and the same goes for Tony Jaa who plays a mysterious hunter helping the team. The movie offers plenty of monsters and action scenes, providing the fans of this genre with everything they could possibly ask for.
8 Rampage (2018): 72 %
Rampage is one of the movies that many viewers have no idea is actually based on a video game – mostly since the original arcade game came out in 1986 and most gamers no longer play it in the 2020s. The movie’s story is beautifully simple. The primatologist David, played by action hero Dwayne Johnson, befriends an intelligent gorilla named George.
But when George becomes mutated and starts rampaging the planet alongside other angry animals, it’s up to David to stop them. The movie contains both funny quips and many more adventurous moments and epic action scenes just like the original game. As is typical for the best-rated video game movies, the critics didn’t appreciate its charm as much as the general audience did and gave it 51 percent.
7 Warcraft (2016): 76 %
Warcraft got an above-average rating from viewers like one of the few video game movies, but it didn’t do so well with the critics who gave it only 29 percent. In this case, they predicted the movie’s lack of success as it had a budget of 160 million dollars and earned 439 million, less than it needed for a sequel to be made.
The movie introduced the captivating fantasy setting of Warcraft where fighting and death are a usual part of life, and it paid a lot of attention to the conflict between the heroes. Some viewers found it confusing due to the large number of characters introduced but overall, the movie is a captivating fantasy adventure the likes of which has rarely been seen on the big screen in the last decade.
6 Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (2019): 79 %
Pokémon: Detective Pikachu proved that family-friendly movies based on video games, especially immensely popular ones, can pay off and charm the audience. As the movie’s name suggests, the story centers on Pikachu who’s helping the main human hero, the 20-something Tim, crack the mystery of his missing father. Even though the movie puts the emphasis on Pikachu and his relationship with Tim, which leads to many funny quips and word fights between them, it gives space to other Pokémons as well, some of which will be well familiar to the viewers.
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The setting has its charm as well since the story mostly takes place in a futuristic-looking city where humans and Pokémon live side by side. The movie keeps a fast pace and is full of action and humor. The critics appreciated this blend as well, giving it an above-average rating of 68 percent.
5 Werewolves Within (2021): 80 %
Werewolves Within is one of the video game movies that didn’t get as much hype as some of its predecessors from recent years. The reason could be that the source material the movie is based on is a VR game that works only on a few platforms.
The movie is set in a small city. When a snowstorm erupts, the new forest ranger Finn, and the post office worker Cecily have to figure out who or what is terrorizing the community before it’s too late. Even though the movie could easily become a dark horror full of bloodshed, it’s a horror comedy instead, so the viewers will fear for the heroes one moment and laugh the next.
4 Mortal Kombat (2021): 86 %
While some video games never get a movie adaptation no matter how much the fans might wish for one, others are luckier and get adapted multiple times. Mortal Kombat has already been a 1995 live-action movie or an animated 2021 Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms.
Not to be mistaken with the animated movie, Mortal Kombat is once again a live-action piece, and it centers on the MMA fighter Cole who finds new allies and has to take on powerful enemies. The movie is primarily about effective violence and intense fight scenes, making it an ideal action piece for fans of the genre or the source material.
3 Uncharted (2022): 90 %
Sometimes the difference between critics’ reviews and reviews of the general audience is very wide, especially in the case of genre, video game movies. Uncharted has received a whopping rating of 90 percent from the audience but only 40 percent from the critics. After starring in a comic book-based movie (Spider-Man) and a sci-fi novel-based movie (Chaos), Tom Holland takes on yet another medium when he portrays Nathan Drake in Uncharted.
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In the movie, Nathan searches for a lost treasure alongside Sully (Mark Wahlberg) but enemies are after them. Uncharted is a fast-paced adventure piece that will keep the viewers entertained, regardless of whether they know the game, and the actors don’t disappoint.
2 Sonic The Hedgehog (2020): 93 %
Yet another family slash adventure video game movie shows that sometimes it pays to listen to the fans of the video game. The original version of Sonic in this movie looked very little like his video game counterpart, a fact that caused immense backlash from the fans. The creators took their feedback to heart and changed Sonic’s appearance in the movie.
Story-wise, the movie is about Sonic finding his place in the world of humans, befriending one of them (the friendly sheriff Tom played by James Marsden), and facing the eccentric villain Doctor Robotnik (portrayed by Jim Carrey) who has nefarious plans for the speedy hedgehog. Sonic is a lovable hero, and his bond with Tom is believable. The movie is both entertaining and fast-paced, full of solid actors, including Ben Schwartz who voiced the titular hero.
1 Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (2022): 96 %
Just like its 2020 predecessor, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 gained a high rating from the audience on Rotten Tomatoes. Tone-wise, the sequel follows in the same footsteps as the first movie. But since it no longer has to establish most of the heroes and create their mutual relationships, it can offer even more humor and speed as Sonic once again rushes around, taking on his enemies.
Especially once Doctor Robotnik, his greatest enemy, comes up with a villainous plan and the mysterious Knuckles enters the scene. The movie has more action moments than the first one and since it’s also 20 minutes shorter, it takes the audience on a fun fast-paced adventure from start to finish.