Vidgame.net: Videogame Movie Time

Let's Go Out to the Movies!

So we here at Vidgame.net were sitting around one day and though, "Let's make reviews of all the videogame related movies that have been made." So that's exactly what we're doing. Below you will find various movies that have been based off of videogames or ones that have videogames playing a major role in it. We've implied our own rating system based on 5 astericks (*). 1 being you should take our word for it, don't waste your own time watching it. 5 means you should immediately go to the closest DVD/VHS retailer and purchase it. Now, RIGHT NOW!

Alone in the Dark /R/96 minutes/2004/NA

Edward Carnby is a private investigator specializing in unexplainable supernatural phenomena. His cases delve into the dark corners of the world, searching for truth in the occult remnants of ancient civilizations. Now, the greatest mystery of his past is about to become the most dangerous case he has ever faced. With the help of his ex-girlfriend, archaeologist Aline Cedrac, and his bitter rival, government agent Richard Burke, Edward is about to learn that just because you don't believe in something doesn't mean it cannot kill you!

Waiting to Watch.

Alone in the Dark 2/NA Rating/NA minutes/2009/NA

In Production

Bloodrayne/R/99 minutes/2005/NA

Waiting to Watch.

Image from www.amazon.com

Bloodrayne 2: Deliverence /Unrated/89 minutes/2007/NA

It's a hundred years later, and the vampire Rayne has arrived in the town of Deliverance, Montana where a group of vampire cowboys have emerged. Led by Billy the Kid, hell bent on creating his own kingdom, he slaughters townspeople and rounds up children. He spares the life of Chicago Chronicle reporter Newton Pyles. Rayne aligns herself with Pat Garret, a member of the long-thought dead Brimstone society, a dishonest preacher, and a low life named Franson, to stop Billy the Kid and show the world how the West was really won.

Waiting to Watch.

Cloak & Dagger /PG/102 minutes/1984/NA

Based on the Atari Game.

Waiting to Watch.

Image from Worst Previews

Dead or Alive /PG-13/86 minutes/2006/NA

4 Women are invited to a fighting tournament on a remote island. Wait, haven't we heard of this concept before, ten years ago?

Waiting to Watch.

Doom/R/113 minutes/2005/NA

A frantic call for help from a remote research station on Mars sends a team of mercenary Marines into action. Led by The Rock and Karl Urban, they descend into the Olduvai Research Station, where they find a legion of nightmarish creatures, lurking in the darkness killing at will. Once there, the Marines must use an arsenal of firepower to carry out their mission: nothing gets out alive.

Waiting to Watch.

Image from www.amazon.com

Double Dragon/93 minutes/1994/ **.5

New Angeles 2004: By day, police patrol the streets... by night, the city erupts with crime and destruction. The evil force behind this terror wears one half of the mystical Double Dragon pendant, a symbol of his ever increasing power. Now he is threatening to unleash his Shadow Warriors in the daylight hours. But he hasn't reckoned on teenage twins Billy and Jimmy Lee, champions in the martial arts. Under the tutelage of their beautiful Asian mentor, keeper of the other half of the Double Dragon, the brothers gather a band of good-hearted rebels to fight the underlord's forces. Only when the brothers unite the halves of the Double Dragon can they free their city and destroy the underlord forever.

There really is no excuse about how bad the fashion etc. is in this movie. It was mid-1990's and I don't remember anything being that bad. The fashion was bad, but it didn't reach extreme cheesy-ness till the end. If you see Billy & Jimmy's costumes, you'll know what I mean. ^_~ The movie itself isn't too bad, aside from the previously mentioned problem, if you can get passed all the unnecessary "ooo", "ahh", "ahahah", and such. But I think this movie wins the awards for most "On Camera Knuckle Cracking", "Best Use of Emboss Filters", and "Most Nut Kicking" in a movie. There is a pre-Fat Bastard/Austin Powers moment in the movie plus a car that looks similar in ways to the Ghostbusters's car. Throw in some Twisted Metal-esq. vehicles and early CG, this was a bit before it's time in some ways. There were character stats available in the 2007 cars (which I might add, is the closest and most conceivable future planning I've seen in a movie so far--way better than 1984 or the Jetsons.) There are cameos of Vanna White, Andy Dick, George Hamilton, and "John Doggit" from X-Files. Also mentioned were Madonna and Tom Arnold. I think this movie has the most senseless acts of violence towards videogames I've seen. Far worse than what Funcoland does to their games out back. Funny how every marquee on the arcade cabs was spray-painted out, except for the Double Dragon Taito cab. Double Dragon cross between the Goonies and Tank Girl, with elements of Monster Garage.

Far Cry /NA Rating/NA minutes/2008/NA

In Production

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within/PG-13/106 minutes/2001/NA

The year is 2065 AD. The Earth is infested with alien spirits, and mankind faces total extinction. Led by a strange dream and guided by her mentor, Dr. Sid, scientist Aki Ross struggles to collect the eight spirits in the hope of creating a force powerful enough to protect the planet. With the aid of the Deep Eyes Squadron, Aki must save the Earth from it darkest hate and unleash the spirits within.

So gaming movies got good, then this one hit. I suppose it's a decent movie by itself, if you've never played any of the games. The story is luke warm, it takes place in space (how many of the FF games took place in space?--Well besides that 15 minute part in FF VIII), there are no summons, no chocobos, no moogles. The few points coinciding with the games are the mention of the plant (Gaia, also see Terra) and Sid (no, not Cid, but Sid....I suppose the name is correct, even if the spelling isn't) The character models are very well done for a CG, but they don't quite have the realistic movements down yet. After the major bomb of this movie, Square's movie studios in Honolulu, HI were closed.

Joy Sticks/NA/88 minutes/1983/NA

This antic romp begins when "The Video Arcade's" newest employee, Eugene, arrives pant less for his first day on the job. Teenage heartthrob Jeff, who runs the arcade and Dorfus, the slovenly video game addict, decide to take revenge on the vivacious Alva and Lola for tricking Eugene out of his pants with a wild game of "strip video." But, before they can act, King Vidiot and his sexy troupe of high-tech video addicts invade the arcade, and pandemonium breaks loose. In the midst of the chaos, Joseph Rutter, an influential businessman comes into the arcade looking for his daughter. When he witnesses the madness around him, he vows to see the "den of juvenile delinquency" shut down for good! Will the city council decide to close the arcade and spoil the kids' fun? Or, will Jeff, Eugene and Dorfus manage to turn Rutter's anger with a little help from lovely Alva and Lola?

Waiting to watch.

House of the Dead/R/90 minutes/2003/NA

It's spring break and the college kids just want to party. When they charter a boat to take them to a rave on a nearby island, they find it completely deserted, except for the bloodthirsty zombies that have taken it over. A frantic search begins for weapons to use against the encroaching killers because, as nighttime falls, they realize that their only hope for survival is to win the final battle.

Oh boy....Whew, where do I start with this? Just when videogame to silver screen translations started to get good, this stinker comes along. I don't even think it's good if you disassociate it from the House of the Dead games (I'm not saying they are bad, they are some of my favorite....just ultra cheesy). The movie starts and within the first few minutes there's a number of random breast shots, no rhyme or reason, there just are, then there's the ultra huge SEGA banner that fills half the screen, bad lines, etc. There's tons of blood and zombies, what else did you expect? In keeping with the theme of the film, there was bad acting and misplaced lines (very static, monotone) The one really cool thing is, when one of the main characters was "taken out" everything stopped, the screen went red, and the camera panned around them; sorta like the games did when your character died, except the screen didn't go red. I was clapping when G and the AMS finally showed up and there was mention of Curien. Finally, brace yourself folks: they left it open for a sequel.

Mario Brothers/G/104 minutes/1993/*

Buckle up and hang on tight - the discovery of a parallel universe launches you into the adventure of a lifetime! Mario and Luigi, two wacky plumbers, undertake a daring quest to save a princess in "Dinohatten" - a hidden world where the inhabitants evolved from dinosaurs! Mario and Luigi face deadly challenges from a diabolical lizard king and must battle giant reptilian goombas, outwit misfit thugs and undermine a sinister scheme to take over the world!

I never went to see this movie in the theaters and that was probably a good thing. It has nothing to do with the games except for character names: Daisy, Bowser, Koopa, Luigi Mario, Mario Mario, Toad, Goomba, Bomb-Obs, Mushroom Kingdom, Yoshi, Iggy, and Spike. Likeness of image doesn't even apply except for Luigi, Mario, Bomb-Ob, and Daisy. What concerns me, is that Dennis Hopper has never played a bad guy with good lines. Don't forget to look for the specially painted Super Scope.

Image from www.amazon.com

Mortal Kombat/PG-13/101 minutes/1995/***

Summoned to a mysterious island, three martial arts warriors engage in the ultimate battle of good against evil - the supernatural tournament of Mortal Kombat.

I think Mortal Kombat was the point where video game movies actually started getting good. While it suffered from the corny mid-1990's costuming and jokes, it did well to uphold the basic premise of the videogame series and the character profiles.

Image from www.rottentomatoes.com

Mortal Kombat Annihilation/PG-13/91 minutes/1997/NA

In defiance of the Elder Lords, the evil Outworlders are back to wreak hell on Earth. Led by the mighty Shao Kahn, their gruesome goal is humanity's complete and utter extinction. Earth's last and only hope is the mighty martial arts warrior Liu Kang and his ferocious fighting friends. They're all that stand between life... and annihilation.

Waiting to watch.

Image from www.amazon.com

Parasite Eve/120 minutes/1997/*

It's not a virus...IT'S EVOLUTION. A virus has been dormant in a woman's body slowly taking her over until she dies in a car accident one day. Her husband helps her live on, while her organs have helped others. Over time, the virus reawakens and has plans to take over the world. Novel>Game>Movie, Fuji Television Network brought to the US by ADV.

Parasite Eve was so incredibly long and perhaps wouldn't have been so if they didn't include every single operation scene. The special effects were good in the Godzilla sort of way. This movie was so boring; I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy. I don't know why it was so boring...it just sort of was...The moral of the story? "Never give a psycho scientist his wife's organs"

Resident Evil/R/100 minutes/2002/*****

A team of paramilitary commandos must battle flesh-eating undead, killer mutant dogs and a supercomputer's deadly defenses before an unleashed virus consumes humanity in this adaptation of the hit video game series!

Truly one of the best videogame based movies to date. It's got guns, hot chicks, and zombies; that has to make it an instant classic right? As a big fan of the videogame series itself, I don't think that the movie is at all unbelievable. When RE was released in theaters, Resident Evil Zero still hadn't been released for Gamecube, so that essentially makes the RE movie a safe venture into what happened and how it started out. It has some really good action-run-and-gun scenes. Zombies and even cerberuses were included.

Resident Evil: Apocalypse/R/101 minutes/2004/***

After narrowly escaping the horrors of the underground Hive facility, Alice is quickly thrust back into a war raging above ground between the living and the Undead. As the city is locked down under quarantine, Alice joins a small band of elite soldiers, led by Valentine and Carlos, enlisted to rescue the missing daughter of Dr. Ashford, the creator of the mutating T-virus. It's a heart-pounding race against time as the group faces off against hordes of blood thirsty zombies, stealthy Lickers, mutant canines and the most sinister foe yet.

Less of the working elements of the first one. The Zombie count was higher, and possibly more action but it was such a cheesy B-rater.

Resident Evil: Extinction/R/95 minutes/2007/NA

Third part of the Resident Evil movie series detailing the character Alice in her life in a world infected with the T-Virus. Waiting for DVD release. Introduces game familers such as Albert Wesker and Claire Valentine.

Waiting to Watch.

Image from Worst Previews

Silent Hill/R/125 minutes/2006/NA

Rose, a desperate mother who takes her adopted daughter, Sharon, to the town of Silent Hill in an attempt to cure her of her ailment. After a violent car crash, Sharon disappears and Rose begins her desperate search to get her back. She descends into a fog of smoldering ash and into the center of the twisted reality of a town's terrible secret. Pursued by grotesquely deformed creatures and a townspeople stuck in permanent purgatory, Rose begins to uncover the truth behind the apocalyptic disaster that burned the town 30 years back.

Waiting to Watch.

Spy Hunter/NA Rating/NA minutes/2009/NA

In Production

Street Fighter /PG-13/102 minutes/1994/NA

Colonel Guile, the Allied Nations commando who leads an elite team of street fighters against the forces of the mad General M. Bison. Bison, who has hatched an evil plan for world domination, takes dozens of relief workers hostage and gives the world only 72 hours to respond to his twisted demands. In that time, Guile must find the captives and confront Bison in an electrifying battle for the fate of the free world.

Waiting to watch.

Thrill Kill/NA/86 minutes/1987/NA

When computer software genius Carly Kendall suddenly vanishes, her sister Bobby is left to unravel the mystery. A devious police detective and a ruthless gang of money-crazed conspirators follow Bobby on the trail of suspense, with all clues leading to a $3.5 million computer theft! As the plot twists and the body count multiplies, both sides race desperately to find a secret computer code, locked deep inside a state-of-the-art video game! A high-tech tale of intrigue, treachery and murder!

Waiting to watch.

Tomb Raider /PG-13/100 minutes/2001/****

Exploring lost empires, finding priceless treasures, punishing villains in mortal combat....it's all in a day's work for adventurer Lara Croft. But a secret from her father's past is about to lead Lara to her greatest challenge: The Triangle of Light, a legendary artifact with the power to alter space and time. Lara must find the Triangle before it falls into the clutches of the Illuminati, a secret society bent on world domination. To stop the Illuminati, Lara will have to survive a cross-continental chase filled with unimaginable danger. But for the Tomb Raider, danger is the name of the game.

Let me start by saying, I don't really care for Angelina Jolie. I don't really care for the Tomb Raider series. But I really liked this movie. It's got good action and run-n-gun sequences.

Image from www.amazon.com

Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life/PG-13/117 minutes/2003/***1/2

Lara Croft is back in action and faces her most perilous mission: to recover what ancient civilization believed to be the essence of all evil, Pandora's Box. She must travel the globe, from Greece to Hong Kong to Kenya and beyond to get to the box before it's found by a maniacal scientist whose plan is to use it for mass annihilation. For this adventure, Lara recruits her ex-partner - Terry Sheridan a dangerous mercenary who has previously betrayed Lara and their country. She knows he's the best for the mission, but can she trust him again?

Well, it started out good. It started out believable. But towards the end, it got a bit far-fetched and unbelievable. Yes, even more than S.I.M.O.N. Otherwise it's a good action film. Still an Indiana Jones for the new generation.

Image from www.amazon.com

Tron/PG/96 minutes/1982/NA

When Flynn hacks the mainframe of his ex-employer to prove his work was stolen by another executive, he finds himself on a much bigger adventure. Beamed inside by a power-hungry Master Control Program, he joins computer gladiators on a deadly game grid, complete with high-velocity"Light Cycles" and Tron, a specialized security program. Together they fight the ultimate battle with the MCP to decide the fate of both the electronic world and the real world!

I need to watch this movie again, it's been awhile.

Image from www.amazon.com

Wing Commander /PG-13/100 minutes/1999/NA

Waiting to Watch.

Image from www.amazon.com

Wizard/G/100 minutes/1989/***

Corey refuses to let his emotionally disturbed younger brother Jimmy to be institutionalized, and the two run off together. They soon join forces with a resourceful girl, who notices that Jimmy has an uncanny knack for video games. Evading their parents and a sinister bounty hunter, the trio head for a climactic showdown at the videogame championships in California, where Jimmy can realize a dream no one believed he was capable of.

I think this movie must be one huge propaganda piece for Nintendo. It was an ok movie, more of a stand alone title, as it wasn't based on any specific game. Every scene there's some bit of Nintendo history poking in: Ninja Gaiden, an NES deck, the Power Glove, Rad Racer, Super Mario Brothers 3, the Nintendo World Championships, among others.