Video game shows and movies receive terrible rap from both fans and the casual viewer alike, but with movies like Postal, Assassin’s Creed, and Warcraft, who can blame them?
That said, to give me some hope for the adaptation of DOTA 2’s newest Netflix series “Dragon Blood’ here are the top 5 video game-inspired series and movies that didn’t actually suck.
5) Resident Evil
Credit: Sony Pictures
Despite mixed reviews, Resident Evil is the highest-grossing game-inspired film series and barely scrapes itself onto this list. The zombie film series has a total of 6 films and its exciting action scenes and branding are what contribute to an exciting watch. That being said, rehashed plots, spotty CGI, and lengthy conversations leave much to be desired. The series is overall somewhat enjoyable as a generic zombie horror flick but sadly gets progressively worse movie by movie.
4) The Witcher series
Credit: Netflix
One of the most popular game series that was inspired by a novel has finally been adapted A a Netflix series. The Witcher may have heavily contrasting reviews but the fantastic fight scenes and faithful adaptation to the source material are indisputable. The fact that the series doesn’t take its self too seriously, also guarantees viewers a fun and carefree experience when watching the series. Overall, not a particularly good series but it is certainly the best adaptation that the Witcher series has ever had.
3) Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
The third movie series franchise on the list is the pioneer of the entire gaming-inspired movie industry, Tomb Raider. Focusing on the recent reboot, Alix Vikander’s faithful rendition of the famous Lara Croft boasts a fantastic synergy of casts alongside heart-racing action scenes(most notably the deadly trap scene) to create an enjoyable piece of cinema. Furthermore, the decision to ground the movie in science rather than the supernatural gave the movies a realistic and gritty feel that made the movie enjoyable for both fans and the casual movie-goer alike.
2) Castlevania
Credit: Konami
The dark medical fantasy has superb voice acting, beautiful animation, and gory action. The American adult animation series that features vampires and monster hunters, leaves you laughing, crying, and wincing for more every episode. An extremely good series that serves as an introduction to the interesting world of Castlevania, is worth re-watching multiple times and is no doubt one of the best screen adaptations a video game ever created.
1) Pokémon: Detective Pikachu
Credit: Nintendo
Is there any surprise that the number one video game adapted series or movie is the 25-year-old giant of a franchise, Pokémon? The franchise boasts a total of 23 seasons to their animated series alongside 23 animated movies as well as 1 live-action one. There isn’t just a large quantity of content to watch as each movie or series is a fun, enjoyable, and light-hearted time that constantly expands on the world of Pokémon. Even the live-action fantasy mystery adaptation, “POKEMON Detective Pikachu” that starred Ryan Reynolds as Pikachu was a huge success and is considered one of if not the greatest video game movies ever made.
