Many of you know that I have 4 sons, so needless to say, our home is a video gamer haven. When my kids were really little, it was a constant battle to get them to do anything other than play video games all day long, especially in the summer when they didn’t have school and homework. One of my sons practically lived for video games and I remember telling him all the time, “You’ve played video games for enough hours today. Now you need to spend some time developing a talent or skill for your future career.” Guess what his career is today? Yep, he designs video games!!! I had no idea back then it would be such a lucrative career! I’m so proud of him. He does what he loves and gets paid very well for it.
I remember when my dad first brought home an Atari. Yeah….I’m THAT old. It blew our minds and we didn’t even have great games back then! We started with Pong and quickly became obsessed with Space Invaders and Pac Man. While I don’t have a ton of time to play video games anymore, I still find myself drawn to quick and easy games on my PC, like the free ones found at websites like Plays.org I tend to go for the old-school games there like Brick Out, Mini Golf, and Neon Invaders. They have tons of games to choose from and I’m able to slip and out for a few minutes when I need a mental break from my work at my desk.
It’s truly unbelievable how amazing the graphics, stories, and musical scores are now in video games. In 2020, the revenue from the worldwide gaming market on PC’s was about 37 billion U.S. dollars, while the mobile gaming market generated over $77 billion!
So, it’s no wonder that Hollywood wants to cash into this very profitable fanbase. Then, why are movies based on video games so notoriously terrible? They’ve developed a bad reputation for a reason. I suppose the first reason could likely be the same as when fans of a best-selling book complain the movie adaptation isn’t nearly as good as what’s on the pages: extremely high expectations.
Another big problem is that it almost seems like those who make the films have never even played the video games themselves, so they don’t understand the characters, energy, or culture of the game that needs to be translated into a feature film. A perfect and recent example is when Milla Jovovich starred in Monster Hunter, a movie adaptation of the popular video game that released in select theaters in December 2020 to a monstrous thud. Gamers and non-gamers were disappointed. The film just didn’t capture the spirit of the game at all.
The 1995 Mortal Kombat movie wasn’t the greatest film ever made, but my kids and I loved it. Even better, it got them interested in learning martial arts, so they got up and moved their bodies instead of sitting for hours playing the video game. Four of us in the family even earned our black belts! Unfortunately, its sequel Mortal Kombat 2: Annihilation is generally regarded as one of the worst video game movies ever made. So, my fingers are seriously crossed, hoping that the 2021 reboot will be good. Fans of the game and original movie have generated some excited buzz when they learned that Australian director Simon McQuoid will be teaming up with horror maestro James Wan as the producer. Unlike the original film, this one is said to earn a hard rating of R in order to give the hardcore fans the blood, violence, and gore they love in the game. It’s supposed to hit theaters and streaming this month on April 23, 2021.
Another video game sequel that’s supposed to come out this year is Tomb Raider 2. Due to Covid-19, its release date keeps getting pushed back, and there has been some juggling around of cast and crew since the 2018 version of Tomb Raider that starred the gorgeous Alicia Vikander. Lovecraft Country director Misha Green will be directing the new sequel with rumors that Angelina Jolie might even make a cameo performance to reward fans for hanging in there for years.
So, how about YOU? What’s your favorite video game movie? Can a good one be made?
I’d love to hear your comments below!
Also, be sure to subscribe to my Movie Review Mom YouTube channel where you can watch my reviews and get the latest scoop on films and trailers almost every day!
@TrinaBoice
New contest announced!
It’s time for another fun contest with prizes! Every month, everyone who posts a comment...