As with most great and awful ideas in the gaming industry, Nintendo kicked off the trend of movies based on video games, igniting a film phenomenon that’s still going on today.
It started with 1986’s Super Mario Bros. Princess Peach animated flick, and it was about as bad as it gets, but the fan dubs are excellent. With that in mind, this list does not contain films that achieve pure cinematic excellence. Rather, the movies within happen to provide far more enjoyment than their less-than-stellar video game adaptation counterparts. Enjoy!
Best Video Game Movies Ranked
#10 – Pokemon: The First Movie (1999)
Don’t feel too old now. Pokemon: The First Movie is a relic of its time and comes in dead last on this list. While it holds a great deal of nostalgia, it’s just not up to par with the rest on offer. While not revolutionary in any way, it’s serviceable as a more extended version of a Pokemon episode, with the sole purpose of getting young children to buy more Pokemon.
Even as a cash cow, it somehow draws some high emotional stakes from its viewers. Remember that scene where Pikachu is desperately trying to revive a recently turned-to-stone Ash Ketchum? It still manages to pack a pretty shocking punch.
#9 – Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (2005)
Advent Children, similar to the not-so-great Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, serves as a continuation of the popular video game FF7 and a tech demo in one convenient package. While Square could have easily phoned this one in, it made every FF7 fan fiction writer’s dream a reality by completely wrecking its previously established canon. Luckily, moviegoers who aren’t necessarily fans of the game can still find something to enjoy in the action sequences that make up 99% of the movie.
#8 – Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
Ah, the original tech demo! When it first came out, The Spirits Within blew people away with its high levels of CG and its rather convoluted, but original, premise. The standalone story makes it a slightly better movie than Advent Children, as it doesn’t require any pre-established canon to evoke the core elements the FF series is known for.
#7 – Sonic The Hedgehog (2020)
Huh, a lot of CG on this list of video game movies, eh? While Sonic the Hedgehog 2 certainly has a lot more characters, it also suffers from the ages-old “too much extra stuff” that plagues so many sequels. The original has a far tighter script, better jokes, and didn’t make Jim Carrey quit acting. The only thing the second movie did better was having higher box office numbers.
#6 – Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie (1996)
1994 was an odd year for Street Fighter movies. In the same year, studios would release the meme-worthy, abomination that was the live-action Street Fighter starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as well as Street Fighter II the Animated Movie. Both have the same runtime of an hour and forty-two minutes with the animated entry arguably doing it better.
SF2: TAM does a great job of faithfully adapting the characters and art style of the classic video game, with plenty of visceral fighting scenes, and some of the best music in a video game movie to date. Seriously, not many video game movies feature a whole track from Korn prominently featured. That has to be worth something!
#5 – Dragon Quest: Your Story (2019)
Dragon Quest: Your Story, is an adaptation of Dragon Quest V, one of the most adored games in the series. What Your Story got right was remaining faithful to the established rules of Dragon Quest, including its iconic sounds and sights. While not necessarily the most compelling of stories, its level of graphical prowess is worth it for the cost of entry, if nothing else than to stare at pretty pictures over less than a two-hour runtime.
#4 – The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
Promise this is NOT a bandwagon pick! Of every entry on this video game movie list, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is the only one not to overstay its welcome while remaining faithful to the original. The main issue with video game movies is typically how studios try to reimagine the source material to make it a box office hit with a larger audience. Fans feared the same would happen when Chris Pratt and Charlie Day were set to play the iconic plumber duo.
Thankfully, the movie is a lighthearted romp through the Mushroom Kingdom. The 90-minute run time flies by as each scene is jampacked with nostalgia, fun action set pieces, and even some adult humor to help parents who don’t know a Koopa from a Goomba, still engage with the narrative.
#3 – Pokemon Detective Pikachu (2019)
It’s probably a more divisive pick, but the Detective Pikachu movie is in the top three video game adaptations for good reason! While the movie has some questionable pacing, it provides a deeper look into the world of Pokemon that audiences rarely get to see or think about. A good movie sparks conversations, and this one had people asking, what was up with that creepy ass Mr. Mime? Like seriously?
Outside of creating new conversation pieces, the movie also has a decently written script, well-crafted CG, and can even stand on its own if the Pokémon were replaced with other pocket-sized creatures. It’d be weird, but that’s a testament to how well this movie was made.
#2 – Silent Hill (2006)
Speaking of controversial picks, Silent Hill is actually pretty decent. There was never a chance to effectivly portray the hanging dread players experience exploring the world of Silent Hill 2. However, director Christopher Gans somehow manages to evoke this eerie feeling through ashen hellscapes and, of course, the inclusion of Pyramid Head.
While many fans probably think of this film as a stain on the game’s pedigree, moviegoers, in general, can appreciate the uniqueness of it. At least it’s not as terrible as the recent Silent Hill: Ascension experience.
#1 – Werewolves Within (2021)
Most people probably don’t even realize this is a video game movie! This is likely due to the game not finding that large of an audience and having hardly any established canon. Since players create the game’s moment-to-moment narrative, the conversion to a well-crafted movie was far easier for the writers.
Sam Richardson and Milana Vayntrub give stellar comedic performances, with surprisingly deep moments emerging amid the chaos of a werewolf ripping people apart. The added mix of supernatural whodunnit elevates Werewolves Within to the number one spot on this list. Again, this may be cheating as the general audience didn’t know it was even a video game to begin with.
