Home ‣ All Time 13 Video Games Inspired Movies: Top Picks

All Time 13 Video Games Inspired Movies: Top Picks

There are some people who watch movies but aren’t really aware that video games have contributed in some way to the content of those movies. Because of this, the information that is about to be presented is quite enlightening. If you’re a fan of movies, you should offer some of your all-time favorite movies that were influenced by some of the best video or electronic games.

Before I go any further, I would want to bring to your attention the fact that movies and video games have become increasingly similar over the course of the years, and at the same time, significant advancements have been made for both of these mediums. These days, technology is inspiring individuals to create games that make us think, and if you take a step back, you may even call them works of art. For many years to come, both of these different forms of entertainment will continue to pull ideas and concepts from one another.

1. Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Sonic The Hedgehog 2
Sonic The Hedgehog 2

Fortunately for us, this movie is a new one. It was released on April 5, 2022, in Regency Village theatre, United States. The movie runs for 122 minutes. It grossed $375.2 million at the Box Office. Rave reviews confirm that this movie is not a perfect one for the experts. It is reputed to be one of the best videogame movies out there. Viewers could fetch unnecessary parts from the movie but almost anyone who loves movies knows that imperfection is something allowed in movies. That doesn’t distract from the fact that this movie was inspired by a video game of the same name, created by a Japanese known as Sega.

The movie is a sequel to the 2020 Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was directed by Jeff Fowler. The movie was well accepted and received praise for its action sequences, performances, and humor. However, it was criticized for the screenplay, the runtime, and the pacing. This is the highest-grossing video game film released in the United States and the seventh highest-grossing film of 2022.

2. Werewolves Within (2021) 

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Werewolves Within is a horror and comedy movie that was released on June 16, 2021. The movie was directed by Josh Ruben and it was created with a budget of $6.5 million. The movie is based on a video game of the same name. The video game was created by Red Storm Entertainment. The movie stars actors like Sam Richardson, George Basil, and actress Sarah Burns, among others. The film is about a small group of people who got stuck in a snowstorm. They suspect one of them is a werewolf. It received general approval from fans and critics for its screenplay, characters, and humor. This is the first in line to earn the Certified Fresh reputation, and it is also the highest-rated at the standpoint of Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic. The film takes in equal measure both horror and comedy in a way that fans love.

3. The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019)

The Angry Birds Movie 2
The Angry Birds Movie 2

This is a computer-animated comedy movie that is based on the Angry Birds video game series. Angry Birds Movie 2 was produced by John Cohen, working with Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animations, and Rovio Animations. The movie is seen as an installment of the game of the same name. The movie stars include Jason Sudelkis, Josh Gad, Leslie Jones, and others.

The Angry Birds Movie 2 came into the public space first in the UK, and Ireland on August 2, 2019. It was later released in other places such as Finland, and the United States. It grossed $152.8 million at the Box Office. This movie is seen as an improvement over the previous releases. In the 2019 movie, Red protects Bird Island from the pigs. King Leonard Mudbeard led the pack to fight against the enemies. However, instead of seeing gruesome war scenes all the time, the movie has enough fun-filled moments that fans rate highly.

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4. Mortal Kombat (2021)

Mortal Kombat
Mortal Kombat

Here’s a martial arts fantasy movie that fascinated a lot of people when it was released. Mortal Kombat (2021) is based on the video game franchise of the same name. There’s also a Mortal Kombat film series. The movie stars Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, and others. The storyline was created by Oren Uziel and Greg Russo. It was released on April 8, 2021, internationally. At the Box Office, the movie grossed $83.7 million against a budget of $55 million, thereby suggesting that it became a success. It received mixed reviews from critics but became HBO Max’s most successful film until 2022. Right now, a sequel is in place with Jeremy Slater writing the screenplay. The movie’s plot reveals Lin Kuei assassins led by Bi-Han kill the warriors of the rival Shirai Ryu ninja clan in 17th century Japan.

5. Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018)

Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
Shadow Of The Tomb Raider

Like in the case of the movies mentioned above, this movie too was inspired by the action-adventure video game series that was created by Core Design, a popular British gaming company. The movie is also known by other names: Lara Croft: Tomb Raider or Just Tomb Raider. The franchise focuses on Lara Croft, a British archaeologist who was in search of lost items, visiting dangerous tombs in the process. The movie had been originally released in 1996 as Tomb Raider.

In 2022, the game’s franchise had sold over 88 million copies worldwide. It has been met with critical acclaim, with Lara Croft becoming one of the most famous video game protagonists. She has won accolades and places on the Walk of Game and in other places. Her sex appeal has been controversial, as critics claim her sex appeal is being used for marketing purposes. We have no word on its Box Office success.

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6. Rampage (2018)

Rampage
Rampage

This is an action-adventure movie that was released in the United States on the 13th April 2018. The movie runtime is one hour and 47 minutes. It is based on a video game of the same name, released by Midway Games. Directed by Brad Peyton, it grossed $428 million at the Box Office against a budget of $120 – 140 million. The beautiful story was told by Ryan Engle. There’s praise for its performance, yet it got mixed reviews from the critics. The areas hit by critics were the screenplay, pacing, and storyline. The plot of the movie reveals the destruction of a space station owned by a gene-manipulation company called Energyne by mutilated rats that wreaked great havoc.

7. Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019)

Detective Pikachu
Detective Pikachu

Pokémon Detective Pikachu is based on the Pokémon franchise, though it is seen as a loose adaptation of the 2016 video game Detective Pikachu. The film was directed by Rob Letterman and written by himself, Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit, and Derek Connolly. This is the first live-action Pokémon movie, and also the first based on a Nintendo game property since Super Mario which was released in 1993. The movie stars Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, and other actors.

It had a success of $433.9 million against a budget of $150 million, which shows that the movie is a very successful one. Pokémon Detective Pikachu was first revealed to members of the public in May 2019 in the United States. The movie runs for 104 minutes. It is about a man who gave up his dream of being a Pokémon trainer following the death of his mother, and the estrangement of his father.

8. Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)

Sonic The Hedgehog
Sonic The Hedgehog

We mentioned the latest Hedgehog movie above. This one was released two years earlier. This movie was inspired by the eponymous video game series published by Sega. Sonic movie was directed by Jeff Fowler and written by Pat Cassey and Josh Miller. The movie stars Ben Schwartz, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, and Jim Carrey. The movie was released on January 26, 2020, by Paramount Theatre in the USA, and sometime later in Japan. Its running time is 99 minutes. Also, it grossed $319.7 million at the Box Office, against a budget of $85 million.

It set its own record as the biggest movie opening for the weekend when it comes to a video game film in the USA and Canada. It maintained that level until 2022 when that record was broken by its sequel. The plot shows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog running at supersonic speed, and being followed by a tribe of echidnas, getting a bag of warp rings from his guardian. He was sent to earth to survive alone.

9. Monster Hunter (2020)

Monster Hunter
Monster Hunter

Like many other movies, this one was inspired by a movie of the same name. This movie comes before the film, Monster Hunter: Legends of the Guild. Monster Hunter was written, directed, and produced by Paul W. S. Anderson. The movie stars Milla Jovovich, Tony Jaa, Meagan Good, and others. It was released on December 3, 2020, in the Netherlands, and thereafter it was released in other countries. It runs for 103 minutes.

The movie failed from performing as expected, as the budget is $60 million but it opened at $44.5 million at the Box Office. It opened to mixed reviews while receiving accolades for the action sequence, visual effects, and musical score, but it had criticism for the direction and editing. The movie is about a New World where humans co-exist with a wide variety of large and savage monsters. But the hunter trained to hunt and kill those savage animals was separated from his team.

10. Uncharted (2022)

Uncharted
Uncharted

Uncharted is based on the video game franchise developed by Naughty Dog. It is an adventure film directed by Ruben Fleischer. The movie stars Tom Holland, who acted as Nathan Drake, while Mark Wahlberg acted as Victor Sullivan. It runs for 116 minutes, released in 2022 with a budget of $120 million but it grossed $400.8 million at the Box Office. The movie could have been released in December 2020 but it was postponed several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The movie received mixed reviews as well from critics. The screenplay, casting, and other aspects were criticized severely. It drew an unfavorable comparison to the video game that inspired it. Yet, this movie as now is the fourth highest-grossing film in 2022. The plot has it that two brothers are caught by museum security for trying to steal the first map made after an expedition. The orphanage where they live kicked one out. The one kicked out promises his younger brother that he will return. He leaves him a ring that belonged to their ancestor.

11. Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016)

Resident Evil
Resident Evil

This is the sixth installment of the film and the final in the original series. Resident Evil: The Final Chapter is based on a video game of the same name. The movie had multiple producers and runs for 106 minutes and was first filmed in 2D and later post-converted to stereoscopic 3D. The movie hit the public first in Japan, and Germany, and was later released in the UK, USA, France, Canada, and Australia. There was a budget of $40 million but it grossed $312.2 million at the Box Office. The movie has a reboot called Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. It was released on November 24, 2021. In the movie, a man had a daughter who was dying of progeria. Desperate to save her, he confiscated an untested embryonic Umbrella project originally created by a colleague.

12. Warcraft (2016)

Warcraft
Warcraft

This movie is also called Warcraft: The Beginning. It is an American action-fantasy film that was based on a video game of the same name. The film stars Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Ben Foster, and others. It was written by Charles Leavitt and Jones. Warcraft was released on May 24, 2016, in the United States, and runs a good 123 minutes. It was produced by Universal Pictures with a budget of $160 million but it grossed $439 million at the Box Office, showing how successful it was. It underperformed at the domestic Box Office and received negative reviews. However, the movie was a success as it managed to gross $439 million worldwide. It is reputed to be the highest-grossing video game adaptation of all time. Draenor is being torn apart by a mysterious force called fel magic. A leader unites the citizens to fight the war.

13. Need for Speed (2014)

Need For Speed
Need For Speed

Like most other movies, this one also bears the same name as the video game that inspired it. Need for Speed is an action thriller film directed by Scott Waugh and written by George and John Gatins. The Need for Speed stars are Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, Scott Mescudi, and others. Released on March 7, 2014, in the USA, the movie runs for 130 minutes. The NFS movie was created on a budget of $66 million but grossed $203.3 million at the Box Office. The movie was criticized for its direction, storyline, and unrealistic action scenes. The movie is about a race car driver who struggles to make ends meet. He mustered the help of friends to build a rare Ford Shelby Mustang that was later displayed for auction.

Conclusion

The tradition of putting video game movies up on the screen started in 1993. Since then so much has happened that if one tries to know everything, it will be overwhelming. Yet, we have also seen where this led us in 2022. No doubt, more of these movies will occur in the future as well. For now, let’s enjoy these video game-inspired movies listed here.

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About Author

Samuel Afolabi is a lazy tech-savvy that loves writing almost all tech-related kinds of stuff. He is the Editor-in-Chief of TechVaz. You can connect with him socially :)