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Video game adaptations have had a bit of a hot streak lately. Between The Last of Us, Arcane, and upcoming promising projects like Super Mario Bros. and Gran Turismo, the video game adaptation curse is finally gone. Specific audiences however may tell you that this curse has been long gone, and there have been many great video game movies that critics didn’t appreciate the way fans could.
While far from a perfect unit of measurement, the Tomatometer and audience score on Rotten Tomatoes allowed for a good visualizer of the difference of opinion between critics and audiences. Whether it’s a movie that critics only thought was ok or a movie critics thought was terrible, audiences have definitely let it be known when critics were wrong about adaptations that got it right.
1 ‘Pokémon: The First Movie’ (1998)
Pokémon: The First Movie is the rare “double adaptation” working as an adaptation of both the beloved Pokémon video game franchise and its anime adaptation counterpart. It’s also only the first film in what would soon become a long line of numerous Pokémon movies, each with Ash and Pikachu dealing with another legendary Pokémon. In The First Movie, Ash and company deal with the likes of Mewtwo, an experiment gone wrong who is looking to take his revenge on the trainers of the Pokémon world.
Overall critics were not a fan of The First Movie and its lack of summarization to those who weren’t already familiar with both Pokémon and the animated series. While the critics Tomatometer is a low 16%, the audiences who went in already knowing what they need to know about the Pokémon helped it achieve an audience score of 64%.
2 ‘Resident Evil’ (2002)
Based on Capcom’s horror game franchise, the first Resident Evil film was the latest adaptation from director Paul W. S. Anderson, known for his work in Mortal Kombat. The film finds a balance between both horror and action following the story of Alice (played by Milla Jovovich) and the virus leaked from the Umbrella Corporation. It’s a film that would spawn numerous sequels that would continue to build their own storylines mostly separate from the games.
While Resident Evil‘s blend of horror and action wasn’t able to find a stepping stone with critics, getting a 35% on the Tomatometer, it was able to find an approving audience. Audiences were much more enthralled and captivated by the flashy action on screen, leading to Resident Evil getting a 67% Audience Score.
3 ‘Silent Hill’ (2006)
Following the success of Resident Evil‘s jump to cinemas, it makes sense that the other massive horror game franchise of the early 2000s would have its turn in the spotlight. Based on the first game in Konami’s iconic franchise, Silent Hill is a supernatural horror film that revolves around the haunted and mysterious town of Silent Hill.
The twists and mysteries of Silent Hill made for an experience that many critics simply couldn’t get into. However, the respect for the source material and its story made the film sit right with fans of the games. While the Tomatometer for Silent Hill only reaches 31%, the audience score is over double, getting a respectable 63%.
4 ‘Warcraft’ (2016)
While videogame adaptations were mostly left on the back burner in the late 2000s and early 2010s, Blizzard’s Warcraft was an attempt at a modern-day high-budget adaptation. Based on the massively popular series, the Warcraft movie attempted to bring the sprawling Warcraft world onto the big screen. The film a point of being accurate to the lore and story set up by the Warcraft games, doing justice to numerous fan-favorite characters.
While critics were able to get behind the impressive visuals of Warcraft, the overall lack of understanding and prior knowledge made many critics write off Warcraft. Audiences however who were able to pick up on the many intricacies and details fell in love with just how the movie accurately portrayed the massive scale of Warcraft’s world. While critics’ backlash resulted in a 29% on the Tomatometer, the audience score goes much higher and reaches 76%.
5 ‘Rampage’ (2018)
While Rampage technically does find its origin based on the classic 8-bit arcade game franchise, the film is mostly its own entity. It mostly just uses the game’s premise of big monsters in a city as an excuse to have another movie with Dwayne Johnson surviving a city being destroyed. In that sense, the film delivers that fantasy in spades and more, showing giant mutated monsters destroying a city with Johnson’s charisma bringing it all together.
Critics simply weren’t into the mindless fun and nonstop action style of Rampage, while audiences were able to go into the film and love it for those exact reasons. While critics gave Rampage a higher Tomatometer than most other video game movies at 51%, it still pales in comparison to the film’s 72% audience score.
6 ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ (2020)
The blue blur’s jump to the big screen left many audiences pleasantly surprised and wanting even more. Sonic the Hedgehog follows the origin story of the titular hedgehog and his adventures of finding a family in the small town of Green Hills. Complete with a show-stealing performance from Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik, and you have a smash hit that was one of the highest-grossing for a video game adaptation.
While critics were far from disliking the original Sonic the Hedgehog, their enthusiasm and enjoyment for the film was nothing compared to the outcry of love from fans and audiences. While it’s still one of the highest Tomatometers for a video game movie at 63%, the massive audience score of 93% is what really paints the full picture. Both the Tomatometer and audience scores took slight increases a few years later for Sonic the Hedgehog 2, so we will see if it can get even higher with Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
7 ‘Monster Hunter’ (2020)
After a slew of many other Resident Evil sequels, Capcom trusted Paul W. S. Anderson with the reigns for the adaptation of another one of their popular global franchises. Monster Hunter follows a story very unlike the game franchise, following a unit of soldiers who are suddenly transported to a world of giant deadly monsters. The film has an increased focus on high-stakes action, complete with giant overly sized weapons used in battles.
In a similar vein to Rampage, critics were well aware of Monster Hunter‘s intentions as a flashy action-filled time first and everything else second. While this approach didn’t appeal very much to critics, a number of audiences were able to accept this new take on Monster Hunter. While the Tomatometer only goes as high as 44%, the Audience score earns a much more appreciative 70%.
8 ‘Mortal Kombat’ (2021)
Mortal Kombat is based on both the classic bloody fighting game franchise and a reboot of the original 1995 adaptation. The film follows the original character Cole Young who soon joins Earth’s greatest champions to prepare for the tournament between universes, Mortal Kombat. Especially compared to previous adaptations of the series, this Mortal Kombat film is R-rated and doesn’t shy away from the absurd blood and finishing moves the series is famous for.
Critics mostly weren’t able to move past the weaker story and overreliance on fan service found within the film, while fans were able to brush flaws aside and enjoy the film as a gory thrill ride. While the film got a 54% on the Tomatometer, relatively high compared to other video game adaptations, the audience score is a much higher 86%.
9 ‘Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City’ (2021)
While previous attempts at bringing Resident Evil to the big screen were mostly their own original stories, this reboot was much more direct with its adaptation style. Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City acts as a direct adaptation of the first 2 games in the series and uses a multitude of set-pieces and monsters from those games. The film follows fan-favorite characters from both games such as Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, and Leon Kennedy as they deal with an outbreak of zombies in Raccoon City.
Critics overall weren’t a fan of Welcome to Raccoon City‘s pacing issues and structure, despite how faithful the film was to its source material. This negativity resulted in a low 30% on the Tomatometer, although fans who appreciated the accuracy and commitment to the original story were much more favorable. This resulted in Raccoon City’s much higher audience score of 65%.
10 ‘Uncharted’ (2022)
Playstation’s Uncharted series has always been described as the video game version of adventure movies like Indiana Jones, so it only makes sense that it would make the jump to the big screen. Uncharted follows the origin story of the series’ leading man Nathan Drake (played by Tom Holland) on his first adventure to find a lost treasure and Drake’s long-lost brother. It’s a film that takes many famous set-pieces from the series, such as the cargo plane, and spins a new original adventure story out of it.
Critics weren’t able to escape the comparisons between Uncharted and the great action adventure movies that inspired it, leading to an overall distaste for the film as a whole. However, many audiences found themselves enjoying the thrill ride and lovable banter between Nathan Drake and Sully (played by Mark Wahlberg). While the Tomatometer for the film is a below average 41%, audiences were much more positive, earning the film a massive 90% audience score.
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