The video game movie genre is constantly being tweaked and refined. While there have been a number of successes and failures over the years, it seems as if finally Hollywood is starting to understand how to produce a great movie based on a video game franchise.
Although it's still early for a lot of these movies in terms of their production, there's plenty to be looking forward to in the future. But there are also a number of series we should be worried about. Here are five video game movies that could be great and five we worry will fail.
FAIL: HALO
It's fair to say that Halo has had a number of stops and starts in terms of its production. There have been plenty of people over the years who have wanted to turn the famous Xbox franchise into a bonafide cinema success.
There's now a new team of people looking to get this project off the ground, but the future is looking bleak. Any production that has this much trouble along the way could spell disaster for the final product. It's a very difficult franchise to develop.
GREAT: GOD OF WAR
There's a lot to love about this PS4 series. With other Sony franchises like Uncharted movie forward, there's no doubt that we'll get to see more about this film production very soon. The game essentially lends itself to a sword and sandal story.
While this has sometimes been a problematic genre to work in, with the rich mythology of the game and the increase in interest of ancient monsters, gods and warriors, this could be one of the best video game films we've ever seen.
FAIL: MINECRAFT
Franchises that don't have a clear story to start with fail to adapt well to the big screen. There's a worry that this franchise could be exactly the same. Minecraft isn't narrative-driven by any means but is instead all about creating.
With that in mind, it's difficult to understand how this can be turned into a more visual medium. The series essentially works because it's interactive. It would take a very talented writer to be able to turn this into something remotely feasible.
GREAT: UNCHARTED
With Tom Holland firmly on board for this Sony production, it's no wonder that we're excited for the film. While there have been a few changes in terms of the creative team, there seems to be a clear vision about what this movie could really be.
There's a lot of great material to work from, and it's fair to say that fans are more excited about this project than many others. It's been awhile since we saw an adventure movie in this way, and the market is begging to have something fresh like this.
FAIL: MORTAL KOMBAT
We've seen attempts at this in the past and they weren't exactly spectacular. A combat game will always be difficult to adapt as once again it's largely about the enjoyment of playing through different battle scenarios rather than a progressive story line.
While there are certainly more narrative opportunities with this franchise, it's also going to be difficult to fully adapt this crazy world that has been made specifically for the gaming medium. In fact, the adaptability of the franchise so that it isn't cheesy might be near impossible.
GREAT: TOMB RAIDER 2
The original 2001 film took many people by surprise. And while a reboot of the series didn't seem like the best idea, the 2018 Alicia Vikander version actually performed reasonably well both critically and commercially. It makes sense that a sequel would be put into development.
To its credit, now that the groundwork has been built, this franchise could really take off. With a strong lead, some great action sequences and a compelling story, the sequel could only increase interest in the series and take it to new heights.
FAIL: MARIO
Another franchise that seems better off as a video game, the plumbing brothers just seem too over-the-top to ever work on the big screen — who else remembers the Super Mario Bros. movie? Nintendo has tried and failed before to get this off the ground, but stranger things have happened.
With other Nintendo characters such as Pikachu manage to translate to live-action, perhaps there is hope for this. However, outside of a new Mario movie being an outright failure, we worry that this may end up getting cancelled before it even sees the light of day.
GREAT: CALL OF DUTY
Any war game could be quite simple to adapt, but it seems like the creative team behind Call of Duty is taking quite a different approach. There almost seems to be a movement away from what the franchise stands for.
The movie supposedly follows a lone soldier who deals with being in the middle of war. As long as the film doesn't glorify battle, this could be something we've never seen before — something much more dramatic and powerful from a video game movie. Could Call of Duty elevate the entire genre?
FAIL: FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S
A horror video game feels like it could work really well as a movie. But at the same time, it feels like this video game is already past its prime. It's as if the movie producers missed out on when it was really big and are way behind the times.
While there are certainly a lot of scary elements to work with and a great base to build from, this feels more like a film that will release to very little fanfare and will be forgotten about very quickly, perhaps more because of the timing than anything else.
GREAT: METAL GEAR SOLID
Snake is an absolute icon of the video game genre. A movie centred around this timeless character has got to be a success. People are still anticipating a movie based on the character, even now.
Sure,, there's a lot that could go wrong here, but there's also plenty to work with. The franchise has become so entrenched into the video game landscape that there's almost infinite possibilities of where it could be taken.