Movies have always inspired video games. In fact, a huge number of films that had a promising storyline have been made into action/adventure video games by leading game developers over the years—giving fans an opportunity to relive the cinematic experience and control their favourite characters on-screen.
But on an opposite note, are you aware of the movies that actually found their inspiration in some of the most successful video game franchises in the past? From third-person shooters to illicit street racing, some of the biggest AAA video-game titles surprisingly found their way into mainstream cinema and wooed their fans. Here we take a look at 7 such movies and compare their success with that of their video-game counterparts:
1. ‘Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time’ (2010)
The first modern “Prince of Persia” video game, published by Ubisoft, was launched in 2003 across a range of gaming platforms trending in the market at that time. As a result of its incredible success in the gaming world, Ubisoft launched two more games in 2004 and 2005 as a continuation of this franchise, thus giving birth to a widely successful trilogy.
However, the video game’s 2010 movie remake “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time”—starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton—received mixed reviews from critics who couldn’t see much scope for a continuation or possible extension of its story. The movie, however, was appreciated for its rich visuals, thrilling action, and game-like detailed characters. This action-adventure film by Walt Disney was directed by Mike Newell and released in 2010.
“Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” is available for watching on Prime Video.
2. ‘Hitman’ (2007) and ‘Hitman: Agent 47’ (2015)
IO Interactive’s “Hitman” started a new era of mission-based third-person shooter games when it arrived in the year 2000 as “Hitman: Codename 47,” and, with all its successors until present, remains one of the pioneers of stealth-action video games. It gave players an entirely new experience to control a genetically altered man who travels the world on his covert missions to assassinate high-level targets.
Both its 2007 and 2015 film adaptations as “Hitman” and “Hitman: Agent 47,” respectively, garnered an overall negative response from fans and critics alike. Comparing the two films, it was “Hitman” (2007) that was a bigger financial success, reaching $101 million worldwide, in collections against a budget of $24 million. The 2015 film, on the other hand, merely reached $82 million worldwide, against its $35 million production cost (source: Wikipedia).
“Hitman” (2007) is available for watching on Prime Video.
3. ‘Tomb Raider’
Angelina Jolie’s striking avatar as the fearless Lara Croft was a huge hit when “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” hit the screens in 2001. Similar to Eidos Interactive’s long-running “Tomb Raider” video-game series, “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” also took the audience through the same ruins, jungles, and ancient tombs in Lara’s adventurous journey to unravel hidden artifacts.
The movie was a box-office success and is considered one of the highest-grossing film adaptations of video games ever. The year 2003 brought a sequel to the film, “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider—The Cradle of Life,” which unexpectedly received less positive ratings than its predecessor. In 2018, a new “Tomb Raider” film was released in theatres, largely based on the 2013 video game with the same title. This new-age “Tomb Raider” movie brought more to the screen, and as a coincidence, reached $274 million in worldwide collections, an amount strikingly similar to the 2001 film’s collection figures (source: Wikipedia).
*Read our full review of “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” (2001) here. “Tomb Raider” (2018) is available for watching on Prime Video.
4. ‘Need for Speed’ (2014)
Being one of the most successful game franchises in the history of video games, Electronic Art’s “Need for Speed” found its film adaptation in 2014, with Aaron Paul and Dominic Cooper playing the lead roles in the film. The film adopted the unique DNA of the racing game, featuring fast-paced car races and run-and-chase sequences.
The film received a mixed response, with a large share of critics tilting toward the negative side. However, it performed well commercially, finishing with over $203 million in global Box Office collection, which was more than three times its production cost of $66 million (source: Wikipedia). The movie was directed by Scott Waugh and distributed worldwide.
“Need for Speed” is available for watching on Prime Video.
5. ‘Max Payne’ (2008)
“Max Payne” has been one of the classics in third-person shooter action games. It enjoyed great fandom among gamers, owing to its cinematic storyline, unique slow-motion action stunts, and a three-part franchise—with each game bringing massive improvements over its predecessor.
The 2008 film “Max Payne” is based on the first two games in the series, i.e., “Max Payne” (2001) and “Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne” (2003), bringing to the screen the same story of a veteran NYPD officer seeking revenge for the execution of his wife and child.
Although not exactly the kind of film that gains critics’ hats-off salute, this neo-noir action thriller directed by John Moore remains one of Mark Wahlberg’s most watchable action films till date.
“Max Payne” is available for watching on Prime Video.
6. ‘Assassin’s Creed’ (2016)
If there’s one video game developed in the last two decades that has set new definitions for artistic talent and ground-breaking computer technology, it is Ubisoft’s “Assassin’s Creed.” Starting in 2007, “Assassin’s Creed’s” journey as an international video-game franchise has been incredibly successful, with 11 games launched between 2007 and 2020, and having generated a lifetime revenue of more than $4 billion as in 2020 (source: Wikipedia).
In an age when one success paves the way for another, Michael Fassbender attempted the knife-wielding, robe-wearing, secret assassin’s luck in wooing the audience in film. However, the film didn’t see as much success as the video game and received average ratings across media channels—coming out as one of the less successful film adaptations of modern video games.
*Read our full review of “Assassin’s Creed” here. The movie is available for watching on Netflix.
7. ‘The Witcher’ (2019 TV series)
In a world once ruled by “Game of Thrones,” “The Witcher” attempted to mark its own distinct territory in 2019, offering its viewers an immersive plot, fantastically developed characters, and moving soundtracks. “The Witcher” TV series, starring Henry Cavill, Anya Chalotra, and Freya Allan, among others, is originally based on a collection of novels and short stories written by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski, which, before the film adaptation, had been made into a three-part action/adventure RPG video game series—(i) “The Witcher,” (ii) “The Witcher: Assasins of Kings,” and (iii) “The Witcher: Wild Hunt,” by Polish game developer CD Projekt Red.
The key elements used in the TV series, including deep forests, old castles, and charming character outfits, were highly inspired by the video games. Post huge success of Season 1 in 2019, filming for the next season was in progress during 2020 exactly when Covid-19 lockdown restrictions were imposed across most of its shooting locations in Europe. Upon possible completion of the remaining part of shooting, Season 2 is now expected to air in the summer of 2021 (source: Forbes).
“The Witcher” (Season 1) is available for watching on Netflix.
