Films have a direct correlation to a video game franchise appear to have a clear path to success. An adoring fan base eager to buy tickets would seem to guarantee financial success. The advancements in computer generated graphics more easily bridge the game content to the big screen. The equation is primed for triumph. The following are ten adaptations that woefully missed the mark.
10. Doom
Dwayne Johnson and Karl Urban have rebounded from this pothole in both of their careers. Strict adherence to the game play of the Doom game franchise is not up for debate. The problem occurs when realism to the game sacrifices all semblance of plot and script. When an online stream of Doom game play rivals what a movie company delivers on the screen, bomb does not describe the power to numb the audience in this abomination.
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9. Hitman
Helicopters dancing in a myriad of explosions. That is it. The plot deviated greatly from any known game play idea in the Hitman series. Creative control decided to rely on pyrotechnics and nothing else. The audiences decided to save their money and stayed at home watching police chase videos on their televisions.
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8. Street Fighter
Video games that are based only on violence have a difficult time being cast in a PG-13 mold. The main goal was to find talent who looked like the video game characters. After that nothing else mattered. Bland action and phone in performances by Jean Claude and Raul Julia plummet this to the abyss of film making.
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7. House of the Dead
With the reemergence of the horror genre, House of the Dead is a particular disappointment. Director Uwe Boll is the poster child for bad video game adaptations. Zombies are supposed to be disjointed not the movie plot. Somehow, the director did his best to use gratuitous nudity but failed to improve this utter mess.
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6. Postal
A notorious video game that was spun off as a comedy film. A heist that is sure to go bad is planned and executed at the same moment the Taliban does the same thing in the film. Hijinks ensue and the movie quickly heads for the lowest common denominator. A scathing attempt at comedy that is an irritant. The crowds stayed home in droves.
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5. Far Cry
Uwe Boll attempts to meld Nazi gold and James Bond. The creature born of this unholy union died quickly at the box office.
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4. Max Payne
This film had certifiable star power in Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis. The translation to script from game presented some substantial hurdles. Winged creatures and a miracle drug story do not blend well together. The movie plodded along like a person walking through continual snow drifts.
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3. Wing Commander
Every stereotype that exists for a space opera movie is in this film. Brash numbskulls leaping into every action head first. A beautiful woman who hates the hero but eventually falls for him. Every part of a successful movie was put into a blender and the viewer is forced to chug it all down.
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2. Double Dragon
The video game could be beat by just doing the upper elbow attack. Audiences have been known to use this maneuver in the attempt to immediately escape the Double Dragon movie experience. This movie is beyond bad.
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1. Super Mario Brothers
The undisputed video game franchise is crowned the worst adaptation of a video game to film. Big name stars could not save it. 44 million dollar budget frittered away. The only way to understand this movie is to accidentally suffer carbon monoxide exposure. The dying brain cells might see the kinship to whomever drafted this script. The money, actors, and script all combine to ascend to the mountaintop of disappointment.