Video game movie adaptations continue to be hot productions, but it's not an easy affair - especially if the properties in question are beyond the scope of reality. Some filmmakers embrace the uniqueness of the video game franchises and their stories (which can play out in particular scenes, where the intention was actually to make a positive impact). However, sometimes this is not always the case and the opposite happens.
Although there are some scenes that are corny and hilarious that make the movie more popular, there are other scenes that ruin the franchises all by themselves. Whatever the case, it's never a good moment for a director who thinks they have scored a hit scene, only to watch it get roasted by the audience in the theater.
Guile's Pep Talk (Street Fighter/1994) - Available to Rent On Apple TV
This scene is one of the most embarrassing of any video game movie to date. It takes place at the start of the final act when the Allied Nations decide to submit to the villainous Bison's demands in exchange for the release of his hostages. Colonel Guile realizes that giving Bison what he wants will only embolden him.
Under orders, he strolls up to a podium to tell his soldiers that the war is over and that they can all go home. He then launches into an impassioned tirade about how he's going to go after Bison himself, which rallies the troops to defy their orders and join him. Jean-Claude Van Damme's delivery is unintentionally hilarious, mostly due to the corniest dialogue ever put to a silver screen film.
The Water Fatality (Mortal Kombat/1995) - Available To Stream On Netflix
1995's original Mortal Kombat film has aged well in some ways, and less so in others. By today's standards, the fight sequences are rather run of the mill and mundane, with a few notable exceptions. This is especially true of the fight between Liu Kang and Sub-Zero, which is one of the most anticipated in the film.
It starts off well enough, with both fighters pulling off some spectacular moves. However, things take a turn for the worse when Sub-Zero attempts to use a freeze field to gain an unfair advantage. Liu Kang hurls a bucket of water at him, which forms a deadly icicle that impales his foe and freezes his entire body. It's a novel idea, but the horrible, unconvincing CGI and the overacting by Robin Shou makes it more of a joke, rather than a fatality.
Abobo's Entrance (Double Dragon/1994) - Available To Stream On Amazon Prime Video
It's completely safe to crown Double Dragon as the worst video game film adaptation ever created, thanks largely to scenes like Abobo's entrance. It was an attempt to port over the video game character's somewhat mutated strong-man look to something resembling a real-life depiction, failing miserably in the process.
When he enters the movie theater to confront Billy and Jimmy, it's an immediate laugh-fest. The actor's rubber suit looks utterly ridiculous and unconvincing, and his attempt to flex muscle and intimidate the heroes is unintentionally hilarious. Then again, the movie doesn't take itself seriously at any point, so this was probably the intention.
Koopa's True Form (Super Mario Bros./1993) - Not Available To Stream
The Super Mario Bros. video game franchise is one of the hottest in history and was also one of the first video game movie adaptations to happen. That automatically made it one of the worst. It came out at a time when Hollywood really didn't know how to adapt the source material and characters to a film of this type, and there's no greater example than Koopa, (played by the late Dennis Hopper).
Mario and Luigi confront Koopa in the film with a pair of devolution guns, designed to revert him back to his ancestral form. After being blasted into the sky by a Bob-omb, he jumps out as a ferocious primordial dinosaur with razor-sharp teeth. It's an attempt to nod at the Nintendo video game, but the practical effects are so goofy as to induce fits of laughter, rather than terror.
Rayne Vs. Kagan (Bloodrayne/2005) - Available To Stream On Tubi
Any film directed by schlock master Uwe Boll is bound to be one large parody from start to finish, but certain scenes in his films go beyond the call of duty. The first Bloodrayne film, starring Kristanna Loken, is renowned for having one of the most laughable fight scenes of any video game film, period.
The battle in question is against Kagan (played by veteran actor Ben Kingsley). The swordfight looks overly rehearsed and filmed so poorly, which takes away any impact. Kagan's death is painful to watch, especially when Kingsley dons his vampire-fanged grimace, which the director should have reshot.
"Get Over Here!" (Mortal Kombat/2021) - Available To Stream On HBO Max
Audiences were hyped to get another Mortal Kombat film, especially given the revival of the franchise due to the latest batch of story-driven games. However, the end product left a lot to be desired, especially when it came to the characters. Scorpion got it the worst out of anyone, and the character didn't fit at all with the rest of the fighters. It was one of the worst misses of the Mortal Kombat film.
When he finally makes his reappearance in the final battle of the film, it's a colossal letdown. He spears Sub-Zero during his fight with Cole and utters his famous "get over here" quote with none of the gusto, ferocity, or terror of his video game counterpart. To make matters worse, the line used for the trailer was even more terrible.
The First Person Sequence (DOOM/2005) - Available To Stream On MaxGo
It could be argued that the first-person shooting sequence at the end of the big-budget DOOM film was the best part, and there's merit to the claim. Two things can be true at once, however. The scene might have been a fan favorite, but it's still comically laughable at the same time.
This was probably not the intention. While the attempt was made to tie the movie into the video game, the director forgot just how badly it would translate. Under normal circumstances, a POV sequence in a horror film would have been an interesting premise, but fans of DOOM saw it as little more than a fun caricature.
Krieger's Mutants (Far Cry/2008)
Another Uwe Boll film that didn't perform as well as expected was Far Cry, based on the popular open-world shooter games that helped define a new FPS subgenre. The casting was awful, the characters either annoying or unconvincing, and the action scenes drifting back and forth between admirable, and nonsensical.
Later in the film, one of Krieger's mutated super soldiers gets loose and starts laying waste to a bunch of security personnel and scientists. While firing a high-caliber machine gun, he inadvertently trips the security system and allows the other mutated soldiers out, which makes absolutely no sense. The entire premise of the fight is patently absurd, which left many viewers shaking their heads with laughter.
The Dog Fight (Resident Evil/2002) - Available To Stream On Fubo
Certain aspects of the Resident Evil film made absolutely no sense, but it did a lot of things right by adapting the source material of the original video game in a unique way. The atmosphere was spot on, the zombies were truly frightening, and the action was visceral and intense. Then, Alice's fight against the zombie dogs in the research lab happened.
While the dogs themselves were true to form as per the games, the battle was more of a joke. The action was silly, over the top, and seemed more interested in mimicking a Matrix fight, as opposed to a fight or flight scenario. Alice's off-the-wall kick was the final nail in the coffin, which ruined the movie's atmosphere and tone.
Lothar Vs. Blackhand Mak'gora (Warcraft/2016) - Available To Stream On FXNow
The laundry list of things that the Warcraft movie got wrong is too long to mention, but some scenes stand atop the rubble. The final battle between Lothar and Blackhand Mak'gora was supposed to be the ultimate revenge fight. Instead, it was seen to be extremely laughable.
After sizing each other up amidst a circle of onlookers, both fighters rush towards each other to initiate the fight. Unfortunately, it ends instantly when Lothar drops to his knees and slides underneath Mak'gora, while slicing at his groin. The silliness is so unexpected that it falls headfirst into comedy.