The current state of Video Game Adaptations

Video game adaptations have continued to experience a bit of a redemption arc in recent years. Whether we are talking about crowdpleasers like Minecraft and Super Mario Bros., or more divisive fare like The Last of Us Season 2. This is not to say that we are beyond getting the outright stinkers, because it certainly feels like for every Sonic the Hedgehog 3, there is a Return to Silent Hill just lurking around the corner. 

One thing is for sure, though; we are well past the days of those endless Resident Evil sequels and directors like Paul W. S. Anderson and Uwe Boll being the only prominent filmmakers bearing the torch for video game adaptations. Now, there is a healthy variety of talent and voices working to bring video games to the big and small screen, with the video game companies themselves appearing to have a vested interest in seeing those films and TV shows succeed.

Because even the seemingly bad-looking video game movies still manage to find that redemption by leaning into the inherent campiness of their source materials. Case in point, we have new films in the Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat series coming out this year, and they both look gloriously cheesy in the best way possible. I mean, just look at the Street Fighter teaser dropped during The Game Awards and tell me how that doesn't make you cringe and hyped at the same time.

So the question then is, are we currently witnessing a video game movie renaissance, or is this simply the next Hollywood gold rush as superhero movie fatigue sets in and studios scramble to look for the next big thing? 

To even begin answering that question, we must first understand why it has taken this long for video game movies to - quote, unquote - git gud, because it's not as though the potential for greatness hadn't been there ever since Super Mario Bros. opened the floodgates in 1993. But for most of the mid-to-late 90s, it didn't get any better than the schlocky thrills offered by the likes of Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat.

And we could definitely place some of the blame on their source materials, because for the most part, the video games of that era had barebones stories that didn't exactly lend themselves to translation into film.

But as the technology powering those games improved, so also did their abilities to tell more compelling stories that made use of voice acting, CD-quality music, and even pre-rendered Full Motion Videos. Early examples of such games include Tomb Raider, Resident Evil, and Final Fantasy 7, so it shouldn't really come as a surprise that these were some of the first to be adapted into movies at the turn of the century.

And while some of these early adaptations would find some measure of box office success, they would ultimately pale in comparison to the numbers generated by comic book movies like Spider-Man, or the cultural relevance of book-to-film adaptations like the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. But most importantly, they just weren't that great, even though I would always have a soft spot for the films of that era.

That lack of perceived quality would spawn what would come to be known as the video game movie curse, the belief that all films adapted from video games could only ever be mediocre at best. This was mainly due to the inherent differences between video games and movies, because the former was primarily an interactive medium that focused on gameplay and player input, while the latter was plot and character-driven. 

And for the longest time, that was the status quo, even as the video games themselves drew more and more inspiration from movies and filmmaking techniques. I am talking about games like Uncharted 2, with elaborate, drawn-out action setpieces designed to be cinematic. Or narrative-driven titles like The Last of Us, which were renowned for the quality of their characterizations and overall storytelling.

Which brings us to where we are today. We recently had our very first video game movie to gross over a billion dollars, with a sequel set to launch in a few weeks, as well as hit TV shows like Fallout and the award-winning adaptation of the aforementioned The Last of Us. Things would appear to be looking bright and robust for the future of video game adaptations, especially judging by the current push by studios like Netflix and Amazon MGM to pump as many of them out as possible.

But therein lies my hesitation to call the current boom a true renaissance, because of that very push and the room for half-baked projects that it creates. And the only way studios can really avoid falling back to the lackluster scripts of old is by pairing each adaptation with the right talent and giving those teams the time, budget, and creative freedom they need to succeed. It remains to be seen if this is the way things would go or if it any of it would be sustainable in the long run.

Either way, 2026 is definitely going to be a make-or-break year for video game adaptations. Or at the very least, it should give us a clearer picture of whether this is indeed the next big thing or just a side attraction for studios to dabble in occasionally, as they attempt to exploit their built-in fanbases and cultural relevance. Because, as the saying goes, recognizable IP is king, and studios would always favor proven franchises over original works.

And who can blame them when we, as an audience, consistently favor those franchises too? Because, despite our claims to the contrary, we hardly ever give original works a chance, and would consistently gravitate towards the comfort and familiarity of established properties and their key-jangling antics. This is why it is always important to vote with your wallets, because studio execs only really care about their bottom line, not what fans are crying about on Facebook or Twitter.

I'll definitely be checking out most, if not all, the video game movies slated for release this year. And the one I am most excited for is Zach Cregger's take on Resident Evil. Yes, even more so than the live-action Legend of Zelda film. The fact that I even get to pick between those two shows why it is a good time to be a gamer and a cinephile. So if you enjoy watching video game movies and you see one that looks like it might be worth your while, then consider giving it a fair shake.