Summary
- WarCraft and The Super Mario Bros. Movie are examples of how collaborating with game creators and studios ensures accurate visuals and storylines.
- A Minecraft Movie was controversial when revealed, but the final product was a major success for fans and general audiences.
- Sonic the Hedgehog 3 showcases a constant evolution of the movies to look more like the games.
Adapting a video game into a major motion picture is far from an easy feat, but talented filmmakers continue to push the boundaries of what they can do. As a result, some movies interpret the games with their artistic vision of the world and characters, which has succeeded in some cases, while others strive to replicate the visuals seen in the games.
12 Best TV Shows and Movies Based On Video Games
Screen adaptations of video games were once deemed certain failures, but not anymore.
Fans can be volatile if a movie’s visuals are not a proper representation of how the games look and feel, but thankfully, years of video game adaptations have improved to appeal to fans and general audiences alike. In some cases, it has helped that the movies are also made by or in partnership with the actual studios that made the games in the first place.
8 The Angry Birds Movie
Birds And Pigs Battling Looks Just Like The Game
The Angry Birds Movie
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- May 11, 2016
- Runtime
- 97 minutes
- Director
- Clay Kaytis, Fergal Reilly
- Writers
- Jon Vitti, John Cohen, Mikael Hed, Mikko Pöllä
- Studio(s)
- Sony
Making a movie based on a mobile game is an odd choice, considering there is little to no plot, since it’s just flinging birds with different abilities to destroy structures and the pigs that built them. However, The Angry Birds Movie turned out to be a fun comedy for kids and adults that still maintains the overall concept of the source material.
The characters in The Angry Birds Movie look straight out of the game, even with the 3D animation. From Red to Bomb to the green pigs, each featuring their signature abilities but adapted to a more cinematic style. One of the best examples is the speedy Chuck, who is given a super-speed reminiscent of Quicksilver from the X-Men movies.
7 Five Nights At Freddy’s
The Jim Henson Company Did The Animatronics Justice
Five Nights at Freddy's
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- October 27, 2023
- Runtime
- 109 Minutes
- Director
- Emma Tammi
- Studio(s)
- Blumhouse Productions, Scott Cawthon Productions, Striker Entertainment
It helps when the people who worked on the game are involved in the Hollywood production, such as with Five Nights at Freddy’s, which had the game’s creator, Scott Cawthon. Plus, with the Five Nights at Freddy's games becoming a phenomenon, the movie needed to look like the games or risk major backlash from a legion of fans.
Fortunately, between the haunting Freddy Fazbear’s restaurant and the designs of the animatronic characters by the Jim Henson Company, Five Nights at Freddy’s proved to be a loyal adaptation. It maintains the feel that the location is meant to be a place of wonder for children, but when the lights go out, it is nightmarish, especially when the yellow rabbit known as SpringBonnie shows up.
6 Silent Hill
The Titular Town Is A Proper Nightmare
Silent Hill
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- April 21, 2006
- Runtime
- 127 minutes
- Director
- Christophe Gans
- Writers
- Roger Avary
Half of what makes Silent Hill so iconic is its otherworldly atmosphere, and while the movie may not follow the story of the games, the filmmakers understood the assignment in terms of visuals. The foggy town of Silent Hill is already a haunting place, as it feels like it went through an apocalypse from the moment the characters enter it.
10 Best Silent Hill Monsters Ever, Ranked
The monsters in Silent Hill are terrifying, grotesque, and above all, intelligently designed in terms of what they symbolize.
However, when Silent Hill gets darker and the world transforms into its hellish counterpart filled with various monsters, the movie still nails it. From the environment rotting to the designs of the creatures, including the iconic Pyramid Head, the Silent Hill movie knocks it out of the park and feels like a fan was involved in the making.
5 A Minecraft Movie
The Live-Action Movie Was Controversial At First
A Minecraft Movie
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- April 4, 2025
- Runtime
- 101 minutes
- Director
- Jared Hess
- Producer
- Roy Lee, Mary Parent
The live-action characters in A Minecraft Movie caused controversy at first, but fans came around over time, especially after finally seeing the movie because of its faithful recreation of the games. Even though pixelated visuals would have been preferred, the Overworld with all its biomes, mines, and NPCs was treated with respect, keeping their blocky look but with realistic textures.
A Creeper looks like a Creeper, and the same can be said for pickaxes, villagers, chicken jockeys, and blocks of materials. There were even deep-cut references, such as homages to famous Minecraft content creators, which combined with a fun family adventure, turned A Minecraft Movie into an ideal movie for fans and general audiences.
4 Dead Space: Downfall
The Anime Prequel Delivered On Sci-Fi Horror
Dead Space: Downfall
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- October 27, 2008
- Runtime
- 74 minutes
- Director
- Chuck Patton
- Writers
- Jimmy Palmiotti
Dead Space: Downfall is aptly titled, as it gives fans the story of how the U.S.G. Ishimura became overrun with Necromorphs, setting up the events of the first game. As a result, most people should expect an unhappy ending, but the titular downfall proves to be a suspenseful mix of cosmic and psychological horror, just like in the games.
As an anime, Dead Space: Downfall captures the dark and gritty style of the Dead Space universe with its 2D animation. Even before the Necromorphs infest it, the Ishimura has an unappealing and claustrophobic design, which helps with the psychological horror aspect as characters fall apart due to the Marker and its influence on the crew.
3 Sonic The Hedgehog 3
The Franchise Continues To Be More Like The Games
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024)
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- December 20, 2024
- Director
- Jeff Fowler
- Writers
- Pat Casey, Josh Miller, John Whittington
- Production Company
- Sega Sammy Group, Original Film, Marza Animation Planet, Blur Studio
When the Sonic movies began, the only part that felt like the games was Sonic himself, but with each new entry in the franchise, the world gradually looked more and more like the games. In Sonic The Hedgehog 3, the filmmakers went all out in trying to make it look like something seen in Sonic Adventure games, Shadow The Hedgehog, or Sonic Heroes.
8 Best Characters In The Sonic Movies, Ranked
The Sonic movies have had a series of great characters, both CGI and human, and there are plenty of others yet to be added!
Seeing how the director, Jeff Fowler, worked on cinematics for Sonic games, it makes sense that he can bring them to life so well. Dr. Robotnik looked more like his game counterpart than ever, the fights between Sonic and Shadow were on par with the best Marvel Cinematic Universe battles, and even little things like the technology and gadgets looked straight out of the games.
2 Warcraft
Fans Helped Make The Live-Action Movie
Warcraft
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- June 10, 2016
- Runtime
- 123 minutes
- Director
- Duncan Jones
Not only was Blizzard heavily involved in the Warcraft movie, but many of the cast and crew were fans of the games. This contributed to making the movie feel more authentic through dedicated performances and the digital and practical effects that brought the world of Azeroth to life on par with Blizzard’s own cinematics.
Even the stylistic choices of the games were translated into live action, such as the ridiculously large armor and weapons for humans and the colorful yet dazzling appearance of magic spells. WarCraft also utilized performance capture to depict the orc characters as closely as possible to the games, and even the film's biggest critics praised the orcs as the highlight of the movie.
1 The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Nintendo Played A Big Part In The Creative Process
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
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- Release Date
- April 5, 2023
- Runtime
- 93 minutes
- Studio
- Universal Pictures, Illumination, Nintendo
As a partnership, Illumination and Nintendo worked together to create The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and that proved to be fruitful, with the movie becoming an instant hit with all generations who grew up with Mario. Almost every scene is designed to appeal to someone, whether it's an Easter Egg in the background or an entire portion of a game brought to life using high-quality animation.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie could have chosen one particular game to base its visuals on, but all decades of the Mario universe can be seen in the movie. The original Super Mario Bros., Super Mario 3D World, Mario Kart 8, Luigi’s Mansion, and Donkey Kong Country are noticeable influences on the movie, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
11 Best Gimmicks In Mario Games
Nintendo has made a habit of throwing in new gimmicks to attract players to buy Mario games, such as Bowser's Fury and Super Mario Galaxy.