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Top 6 Guilty Pleasure Movies Based on Games

Top 6 Guilty Pleasure Movies Based on Games

Frankly, the gaming-to-movie format just doesn’t sync up. One is primarily interactive and one is primarily passive. One tells a story through mechanics, another through imagery. So when you try to adapt video games into movie format, you usually get horrible pieces of schlock that are far too removed from anything that we loved about the original game itself.

That’s not to say its always torture to watch these movies, though. While I’d rather get a nail in the foot than watch an Uwe Boll movie, early video game movie attempts were actually kind of charming. While we may have hated them in their original time, going back and watching them again is kind of fun. So here is my list of the most enjoyable guilty pleasure video game movies out there.

Maybe consider seeing one of these instead of that crap Adam Sandler movie, Pixels, this weekend.

The Wizard

The Wizard

The Wizard was a 2 hour long advertisement for Nintendo software and peripherals, and it was awesome! The dialogue was corny, the characters were cheesy, and if I have to hear the main character say “CAAALIFOOOORNIA!” again I might throw a Wiimote through my TV screen. However, the story was also somewhat endearing, and the final worldwide reveal of Super Mario Bros. 3 not only made me want to buy the game immediately as a kid, but also gave me dreams of one day being a pro gamer myself. It turns out the pro gamer lifestyle isn’t nearly as glamorous as The Wizard made it out to be, but that doesn’t make the movie any less fun.

Mario Bros.

Mario Bros.

Yes, it has basically nothing to do with the actual Mario Bros. game, but it’s still a fun movie. Bob Hoskins’ portrayal of Mario Mario (god, that’s so dumb) is essentially the exact same character he played in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, just with a whole lot more overalls. Besides, how can you not love the crazy campy King Koopa performance by Dennis Hopper? This movie is worth watching just to ask, “what the heck were they thinking?” I mean, who turns a fish into a big black woman? How did that even happen?

Street Fighter

Street Fighter

This is another movie that’s so bad it’s good, for a number of reasons. While the plot may be stupid, every actor just looks like they are having fun. Raul Julia in particular looks like he hasn’t had more fun since he played Gomez Adams. Besides, this movie gave us such great memes like Bison Dollars, and Bison turning over his shoulder and shouting, “OF COURSE!” It’s just a fun ride all around, and great for goofy laughs if the animated version is too serious for you.

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

I have long said that Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is actually a good movie. It just isn’t a good Final Fantasy movie. The sci-fi/fantasy plot about weird spirits and an invisible alien enemy would have been awesome if it was named anything else. Instead, people expected chocobos, magic, and moogles, and so obviously they were disappointed. But seriously, go into this movie thinking its called “The Last Spirit” or “The End of Our Spirits” or something like that. Divorce it from Final Fantasy and it becomes quite enjoyable.

Mortal Kombat

Mortal Kombat

Mortal Kombat knew exactly what it wanted to be. While the game series is known for its blood and gore, Mortal Kombat the movie is all about the campiness. Heck, its most notable scene has a movie star punching a four armed  monster in the nards! This movie also gave us that incredibly catchy house techno song that we just can’t get out of our heads. It has become synonymous with someone screaming “MORTAL KOMBAT!” More synonymous than the commercial that they got that sound clip from.

Wreck-It Ralph

Wreck-It Ralph

Wreck-It Ralph has very little to do with video games, in reality. The references to our pastime are pretty much all gone by a quarter way through the movie, ditched instead for original characters in original games that are far less compelling. But Disney just knows how to worm its way into your heart with its simple morals. Besides, Sarah Silverman isn’t too annoying as Vanellope. Heck, I’d watch this movie just for the awesome time-lapse of the arcade at the beginning. I could frame by frame it over and over again, just picking out the games I have played in the past.

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