# Movies from Video Games: Are There Any Good Ones? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 8, 2006, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-from-video-games-are-there-any-good-ones/343605 "2006-02-08T22:37:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-from-video-games-are-there-any-good-ones/343605/1 "2006-02-08T22:37:22Z")
I was thinking today that quite a few movies have been made that were based on video games. Last night I saw a commercial for the DVD version of the movie “Doom” and it looked like absolute garbage. For the most part, these movies are ghastly. “Super Mario Bros.”, “Wing Commander” and others are putrid, horrid junk. The best one I can think of was “Final Fantasy” and it was still pretty bad. Have any movies ever been made based on video games that were not crap? ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-from-video-games-are-there-any-good-ones/343605/2 "2006-02-08T22:45:23Z")
Final Fantasy is pure torture. Mortal Kombat is a pretty good movie and the first Resident Evil definitely captures the feeling of the game, but I think after that you’re in crapsville. Of course I have a friend who swears Street Fighter is cinematic genius. YM will most definitely fucking V ---
**Author:** ![andrewdt85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/71e660/32.png) [@andrewdt85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewdt85)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-from-video-games-are-there-any-good-ones/343605/3 "2006-02-08T22:46:01Z")
Ebert says the sequel to Tomb Raider (Cradle of Life) was good. ---
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-from-video-games-are-there-any-good-ones/343605/4 "2006-02-08T23:10:49Z")
I have one question. Was Tron a video game before it was a movie? If it wasn’t, the answer is no. If it was, allow me to go to bat for Tron, which was about the coolest thing going when I saw it…at the age of 6. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-from-video-games-are-there-any-good-ones/343605/5 "2006-02-08T23:27:47Z")
I liked Resident evil. It was nice to see a zombie movie with highly trained soldiers in it and it worked pretty well. I still think the computer was the hero of the movie though. Until the dawn of the dead remake and shaun of the dead came out, it was one of my favorite zombie movies. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-from-video-games-are-there-any-good-ones/343605/6 "2006-02-08T23:30:06Z")
> [@Birdmonster](#): > > I have one question. Was Tron a video game before it was a movie? I think they were co-existant. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-from-video-games-are-there-any-good-ones/343605/7 "2006-02-08T23:32:35Z")
Street Fighter and Double Dragon are both pretty good if you get that they’re not meant to be taken at all seriously. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-from-video-games-are-there-any-good-ones/343605/8 "2006-02-08T23:37:08Z")
> [@andrewdt85](#): > > Ebert says the sequel to Tomb Raider (Cradle of Life) was good. And this wouldn’t be the first time he was dead dead wrong. There is one good moment where there’s a misdirect with the ape guardians. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-from-video-games-are-there-any-good-ones/343605/9 "2006-02-08T23:52:28Z")
Mortl Kombat is pretty good. It’s a B-movie, but a good one. It’s a little campy, but with good visuals, solid choreography, surprisingly nice set effects, and a decent (albeit not spectacular) plot. ---
**Author:** ![Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stark_Raven_Mad)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-from-video-games-are-there-any-good-ones/343605/10 "2006-02-09T01:12:21Z")
Advent Children, which is a movie sequel to the game Final Fantasy VII, is pretty damned good. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-from-video-games-are-there-any-good-ones/343605/11 "2006-02-09T01:21:45Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > Street Fighter and Double Dragon are both pretty good if you get that they’re not meant to be taken at all seriously. And I own _Street Fighter_. The movie. Where else can you hear great bits of dialogue such as: ## Chun Li: My father saved his village at the cost of his own life. You had him shot as you ran away. A hero at a thousand paces! Bison: I’m sorry… I don’t remember any of it. Chun Li: You don’t remember? Bison: For you, the day Bison graced your village was the most important day of your life. But for me… it was Tuesday. ## Bison: I hoped to face Guile face-to-face on the battlefield, where we could engage each other in respectful combat. Then I would snap his spine. ## Colonel William F. Guile: It’s the Collection Agency, Bison. Your ass is six months over due, and it’s mine. Bison: What’s the matter? You come to fight a madman, and instead find a god? Do you still refuse to accept my godhood? Keep your God! In fact, now may be a good time to pray to Him! For I beheld Satan as he came down from Heaven! ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-from-video-games-are-there-any-good-ones/343605/12 "2006-02-09T02:04:42Z")
I’m another one who believes Street Fighter to be one of the best video game movies existant. It knows exactly what it is: a silly movie version of a silly game and plays that to the fullest extent possible. It spends a bunch of time getting ALL the characters into the right costumes and then has fun with the chop-socky stuff. And at the end they all strike their respective poses from the game and a woman’s laughter is heard over everything. I like it. More great quotes: > [@](#): > > Zangief: General Bison is a bad guy? If you know then why do you work for him? > Dee Jay: Because he paid me a freakin fortune, Man! If you know what’s good for you you’ll save your own ass! > Zangief: …you got paid? > [@](#): > > E. Honda: Watch your back, Li. > Chun Li: Oh, I didn’t know you cared. > Balrog: We don’t. You’re the only one who can pay for our expense accounts. > [@](#): > > Dee Jay: Oh, Yes. My mama didn’t raise no fool, baby. > [he sees someone coming] > Dee Jay: Oh man, I should have stayed at Microsoft. ---
**Author:** ![Jet\_Jaguar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jet_jaguar/32/3562_2.png) [@Jet\_Jaguar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jet_Jaguar)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-from-video-games-are-there-any-good-ones/343605/13 "2006-02-09T02:15:01Z")
_Tomb Raider_ is the best movie based on a video game, though that says more about the poor quality of video game based movies than anything good about Tomb Raider. _Mortal Kombat_ also seems to have a bit of a cult following, though I haven’t seen that one myself. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-from-video-games-are-there-any-good-ones/343605/14 "2006-02-09T03:06:02Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > I think they were co-existant. The movie was definitely original. \*Well, not “original” in the sense that it was something new, but it was not based on any specific game or movie. ---
**Author:** ![Queuing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/90ced4/32.png) [@Queuing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queuing)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-from-video-games-are-there-any-good-ones/343605/15 "2006-02-09T03:08:32Z")
Best one I have seen is _Mortal Kombat_. Whether or not that makes the movie itself good I can’t say for sure. It wasn’t terrible. I have seen much worse movies, _American Wedding_ (I am sort of watching it on TV now, my god is it crap), I was forced to go see the most recent Johnny Knoxville movie, _Ringer_ I believe, for this I am much stupider and angry at those who forced me to go. ---
**Author:** ![nevermore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a587f6/32.png) [@nevermore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nevermore)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-from-video-games-are-there-any-good-ones/343605/16 "2006-02-09T04:31:13Z")
I thought **Resident Evil** was really cool, actually. the second one was teh suck to the suckth power, but the first one had just the right balance of suspense, action, and Milla Jovovich to keep me entertained, and I don’t know or care anything about the game. **Mortal Kombat** was cheesy as all hell but I enjoyed it as a kid. I doubt I’d like it now, though; I haven’t seen it since like the year it came out. ---
**Author:** ![DKW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dkw/32/3118_2.png) [@DKW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DKW)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-from-video-games-are-there-any-good-ones/343605/17 "2006-02-09T06:29:52Z")
Jonathan Chance nailed Street Fighter perfectly. Harmless, goofy entertainment and never pretended to be anything other than a low-budget potboiler with a bunch of corny fight scenes. And since no one else seems to want to say this, I think Raul Julia was great in the role of the sinister M.Bison. Battle Arena Toshinden was pretty decent. What a fighting game movie _should_ be about, lots of action, lots of drama, and amazing moves you could never see in real life. And _just_ enough human interest to give it a little depth (you listening, Initial D movie producers?). The animated Street Fighter stuff is kinda meh, but it might be worth a look if you’re really bored. Same with Mortal Kombat. The rest…I’d rather not talk about. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-from-video-games-are-there-any-good-ones/343605/18 "2006-02-09T06:35:18Z")
I actually liked _Resident Evil 2_…I’d guess it strayed pretty far from the games’ story, but on it’s own, it was a pretty decent popcorn movie. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-from-video-games-are-there-any-good-ones/343605/19 "2006-02-09T06:38:43Z")
> [@DKW](#): > > And since no one else seems to want to say this, I think Raul Julia was great in the role of the sinister M.Bison. Actually, I think that M. Bison, as played by Raul Julia, is one of my favorite movie villains ever. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-from-video-games-are-there-any-good-ones/343605/20 "2006-02-09T09:11:05Z")
“Long live the Pax Bisonica!” is all I remember of Street Fighter. That’s enough. Mortal Kombat was intense. Non-stop thumpings. I distinctly remember laughing through the whole thing when it was in theatres. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-from-video-games-are-there-any-good-ones/343605.md?page=2)