Films based on video games

Films based on video games comprise a fairly new genre that first gained limited popularity in the late 1990s and 2000s. Movies closely related to the computer and video game industries had been done previously, such as "Tron" and "The Wizard", but only after the release of several movies based on well-known brands has this genre become recognized in its own right.

Films based on video games tend to carry a reputation of being lower budgeted B movies and rarely receive the appreciation of either film critics or fans of the games on which they are based; however, a number of films have become successful with general audiences (such as "Mortal Kombat" and "Resident Evil") with a few subject to critical acceptance (notably ""). In Japan films based on video games are more prevalent due to the popularity of animation, which allows certain games to be adapted more cheaply and faithfully than in live action. Many films and anime Original Video Animations (OVAs) based on popular games such as "Final Fantasy", "Sonic the Hedgehog", and "Pokémon" have been released this way. Fans consider the anime adaptations of "Street Fighter II" to be vastly superior to the live action movie.

Criticism

Deviation from the source material is inevitable, as a strict adaptation of a game will often work against its film counterpart. Nevertheless, drastic deviation has been known to cause video game movies to fail, such as with "", "Doom", and "Super Mario Bros.". "Final Fantasy", whilst based on an ever-changing line of alternate universe role-playing games, did not emphasise in such an obvious way as the games the concepts familiar to players. "Doom" traded in religious elements of the video games for scientific plot elements and openly parodied the game's first person shooter gameplay, and the setting of "Super Mario Bros." was radically changed from a light, cartoonish environment to that of a dystopian thriller such as "Blade Runner".

ee also

*List of anime based on video games
*List of films based on video games
*List of television programs based on video games
*Machinima

References

External links

* [http://www.boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=videogameadaptation.htm Video game adaptation comparison at Box Office Mojo]