Summary
Adapting a video game into a major motion picture is far from an easy feat, but talented filmmakers continue to push the boundaries of what they can do. As a result, some movies interpret the games with their artistic vision of the world and characters, which has succeeded in some cases, while others strive toreplicate the visualsseen in the games.
Fans can be volatile if a movie’s visuals are not a proper representation of how the games look and feel, but thankfully, years of video game adaptations have improved to appeal to fans and general audiences alike. In some cases, it has helped that the movies are also made by or in partnership with the actual studios that made the games in the first place.
Making a moviebased on a mobile gameis an odd choice, considering there is little to no plot, since it’s just flinging birds with different abilities to destroy structures and the pigs that built them. However,The Angry Birds Movieturned out to be a fun comedy for kids and adults that still maintains the overall concept of the source material.
The characters inThe Angry Birds Movielook straight out of the game, even with the 3D animation. From Red to Bomb to the green pigs, each featuring their signature abilities but adapted to a more cinematic style. One of the best examples is the speedy Chuck, who is given a super-speed reminiscent of Quicksilver from theX-Menmovies.
It helps when the people who worked on the game are involved in the Hollywood production, such as withFive Nights at Freddy’s, which had the game’s creator, Scott Cawthon. Plus, withtheFive Nights at Freddy’sgamesbecoming a phenomenon, the movie needed to look like the games or risk major backlash from a legion of fans.
Fortunately, between the haunting Freddy Fazbear’s restaurant and the designs of the animatronic characters by the Jim Henson Company,Five Nights at Freddy’sproved to be a loyal adaptation. It maintains the feel that the location is meant to be a place of wonder for children, but when the lights go out, it is nightmarish, especially when the yellow rabbit known as SpringBonnie shows up.
Half of what makesSilent Hillso iconic is its otherworldly atmosphere, and while the movie may not follow the story of the games, the filmmakers understood the assignment in terms of visuals. The foggy town of Silent Hill is already a haunting place, as it feels like it went through an apocalypse from the moment the characters enter it.
However, whenSilent Hillgets darker and the world transforms into its hellish counterpart filled with various monsters, the movie still nails it. From the environment rotting to the designs of the creatures,including the iconic Pyramid Head, theSilent Hillmovie knocks it out of the park and feels like a fan was involved in the making.
The live-action characters inA Minecraft Moviecaused controversy at first, but fans came around over time, especially after finally seeing the movie because of its faithful recreation of the games. Even though pixelated visuals would have been preferred, the Overworld with all its biomes, mines, and NPCs was treated with respect, keeping their blocky look but with realistic textures.
A Creeper looks like a Creeper, and the same can be said for pickaxes, villagers, chicken jockeys, and blocks of materials.There were even deep-cut references, such as homages to famous Minecraft content creators, which combined with a fun family adventure, turned A Minecraft Movie into an ideal movie for fans and general audiences.
Dead Space: Downfallis aptly titled, as it gives fans the story of how the U.S.G. Ishimura became overrun with Necromorphs, setting up the events of the first game. As a result, most people should expect an unhappy ending, but the titular downfall proves to be a suspenseful mix of cosmic and psychological horror, just like in the games.
As an anime,Dead Space: Downfallcaptures the dark and gritty style of theDead Spaceuniverse with its 2D animation. Even before the Necromorphs infest it, the Ishimura has an unappealing and claustrophobic design, which helpswith the psychological horror aspectas characters fall apart due to the Marker and its influence on the crew.
When the Sonic movies began, the only part that felt like the games was Sonic himself, but with each new entry in the franchise, the world gradually looked more and more like the games. InSonic The Hedgehog 3, the filmmakers went all out in trying to make it look like something seen inSonic Adventuregames,Shadow The Hedgehog, orSonic Heroes.
Seeing how the director, Jeff Fowler, worked on cinematics for Sonic games, it makes sense that he can bring them to life so well. Dr. Robotnik looked more like his game counterpart than ever, the fights between Sonic and Shadow were on par withthe best Marvel Cinematic Universe battles, and even little things like the technology and gadgets looked straight out of the games.
Not only was Blizzard heavily involved in theWarcraftmovie, but many of the cast and crew were fans of the games. This contributed to making the movie feel more authentic through dedicated performances and the digital and practical effects that brought the world of Azeroth to life on par with Blizzard’s own cinematics.
Even the stylistic choices of the games were translated into live action, such as the ridiculously large armor and weapons for humans and the colorful yet dazzling appearance of magic spells.WarCraftalso utilized performance captureto depict the orc charactersas closely as possible to the games, and even the film’s biggest critics praised the orcs as the highlight of the movie.
As a partnership, Illumination and Nintendo worked together to createThe Super Mario Bros. Movie, and that proved to be fruitful, with the movie becoming an instant hit with all generations who grew up with Mario. Almost every scene is designed to appeal to someone, whether it’s an Easter Egg in the background or an entire portion of a game brought to life using high-quality animation.
The Super Mario Bros. Moviecould have chosen one particular game to base its visuals on, but alldecades of the Mario universecan be seen in the movie. The originalSuper Mario Bros.,Super Mario 3D World,Mario Kart 8,Luigi’s Mansion, andDonkey Kong Countryare noticeable influences on the movie, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
