Top 10 Video Game Movie Adaptations
8. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Review
Jake Gyllenhaal plays Dustan, a Persian street urchin (think Boy Band Aladdin), who is falsely accused of killing the king of Persia (and his adoptive father) by the evil Sir Ben Kingsley. Luckily though, Dustan comes into possession of an ancient dagger with the ability to manipulate time, allowing him to rewind certain events, save the world and hook up with the feisty princess of Alamut played by Gemma Arterton.
As game-to-movie adaptations go, this one is certainly one of the more entertaining entries on the list (Gyllenhaal’s whitewashing, notwithstanding), and provides just enough fun fantasy-adventure without getting completely buried in the sand. With a little too much reliance on special effects and not enough on plot and character, Prince of Persia is a goofy albeit entertaining piece of disposable cinema.
7. Assassin’s Creed (2016)
When present day criminal Cal Lynch (Fassbender) learns he is the descendant of a 15th century assassin, known as Aguilar, his mind is used to unlock the memories of his ancestor and help the Abstergo Foundation find the magical ‘Apple of Eden’ which can control free will.
Assassin’s Creed was Hollywood’s attempt to take video game movies out of the fan-only genre market and make them truly mainstream. Going out of their way to cast Oscar calibre talent in Marion Cotillard, Michael Fassbender and Michael K. Williams, the hugely popular game series was looking like a real contender to not only be an all-time great video game movie, but a great movie altogether.
Unfortunately, things didn’t pan out quite so cushty. The film was met with criticism, citing an overly complicated plot, unlikable characters and a general lack of excitement (all of which were not features of the game).
Still, there is some fun to be had with the cool action sequences set in 15th century Spain.
6. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
While the awe-inspiring computer graphics of the time may not quite hold up with today’s CGI blockbusters, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is still a beautiful looking animation, and one that dared to stray from its video game roots, providing the world with a more thoughtful game-to-film experience.
The film follows Dr Aki Ross as she tries to save the Earth from mysterious alien beings with the ability to kill any human with just the slightest touch (Phantoms). It’s up to Ross and a team of marines to find out what the Phantoms want, and how to save the human race from extinction.
An all-star cast lend their voices to this fun Final Fantasy inspired, rather than adapted, version of the global hit video game – a movie that pushed digital graphics to their limit and paved the way for future CGI film making.
