Adapting a video game into a feature length movie and vice versa used to be such a rare sight. I remember the first time I noticed this cross-over was when Super Mario got the Hollywood treatment. I was still playing on my NES at the time (yes, I know the SNES was out already!) and thought that it was so exciting being able to see my favourite video game character brought to life on the big screen.

Man, was I disappointed! 15 years after it’s theatrical release and I still can’t like it, even on an ironic level. The problem with these adaptations is trying to be truthful to the original yet still make it work on a completely different level of reality.
In the world of Super Mario, running off to save a princess from a weird looking turtle thing and eating funny mushrooms along the way without battering an eyelid is relatively normal. Don’t forget about the fact that the podgy plumber dabbles in pyromania every time he picks up a flower. All fine. But do any of this in real life and you’ve got to ask yourself some serious questions.

The problem I remember with the Mario Bros. Movie is they tried to cram in as many recognisable objects/characters from the games as they could. This might sound like the ideal method to try and “keep it real” but what it actually did was make things appear out of place and in there for the sake of being in there.

In the 1990s, there were only several movies made that were based on video games. Super Mario Bros., Street Fighter, Double Dragon, Mortal Kombat to name a few. As you can see, there were several adaptations of beat ‘em up games.
Fast forward to the new millennium, and there is a significant increase in the number of adaptations as well as the genre that they are structured in. No longer are the majority of them based on beat ‘em ups, now we have survival horrors, first- person shoot ‘em ups, noir action games, espionage etc.

The process of suspending our belief when watching movies is critical in determining which adaptations are seen as acceptable and which ones are ridiculous. In this decade alone, we are seeing films with a more grittier coating to accompany the narrative. Perhaps we subconsciously see these portrayals more realistic than something that has been toned down or down played. Or maybe we choose to produce films that “darker” in nature to reflect the state of today’s society. A sort of subconscious continuation of the German Expressionism era.
Tim Burton’s Batman movies were always revered as the “best” because they weren’t as camp and “polished” as the later sequels and whilst containing subtle humour in them, they were still dark in nature at times. That is until Christopher Nolan came along and raised the bar even higher.

Even the cut-scenes in today’s games are more atmospheric and cinematic. If you look closely at the credits of modern video games, very often you’ll see a director and/or director of photography. The whole thing reads like a movie credit.
Maybe that’s just the way is. As console technology gets better and capable of rendering more objects, developers are understandably becoming more adventurous and expressive. After-all, when you’re not actually playing, you’re watching, right?

So where are we now? Well, Resident Evil is arguably the most successful video game to movie adaptation to date as it has spawned three live action movies and one animated feature length. Street Fighter is set to return to the silver screen; this time focusing on the character of Chun-Li. Alone in the Dark is also returning for a sequel.

What about the other way round? How come we see so much less of movies being adapted into video games? I can think of TV shows, but not many films…well, not any.
CSI, The X-Files and Lost have all had video game spin-offs. I assume the money hungry suits in charge want to milk a successful franchise for all its got.
Yes, I know I’ve ignored the obvious ones like Deal or no Deal, Millionaire etc, but they don’t count in my eyes as they’re game shows and not constructed narratives. However, I suppose I should stick with movies as the title suggests…

Do video games and movies go hand in hand? Well, from what we’ve seen in less than two decades since the trend started, I have to say, so far no. That’s not to say I don’t think they shouldn’t. I just think most of the time they’re lacking something due to poor execution. I cannot think of a single adaptation where I thought to myself, “I’m glad they made that!”
I don’t think it’s the actual act of adapting something. Books/graphic novels have been adapted into films for decades now. What I think we need to do is distance the adaption from the original accordingly. Try to view the two as separate entities as the two mediums are very different. It’s easy to let our emotional attachment of one affect our judgement of the other.
I’m reminded of Alan Moore declaring himself as having nothing to do with the upcoming film adaption of his highly acclaimed graphic novel, Watchmen. Whether people will perceive it as a good product or not, I think Moore is making it clear that the two are separate and although he’s the creator, the line must be drawn.
On a side note – I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a Watchmen video game very soon. The suits love their milk.

So what kind of approach would I like to see being taken in the future? Well, with any story telling, the story must be good and it must be told well. So I would like to see less of the rubbish that so is weak in content; the only reason it exists is to make cash off the back of a well known name.
All too often, the film has so little to do with the game, they could have called it anything and it would have made as much sense. Tagging the name of the franchise to the title seems arbitrary.

Maybe one day we’ll see a lot more adaptations that transfer a lot more successfully. Whether it’s the video games or movie industry, each seems to want a piece of the other’s pie….

What adaptations would you like to see being made, if any? Who would you like to be involved if such projects were to be a reality?