The Best and Worst Movie Adaptations of Video Games

Whil Gorumba

3/7/20257 min read

Video game movies have a pretty rough track record. For every decent adaptation, there’s a cringeworthy disaster that makes you question why Hollywood even tries. But some adaptations did get it right—or at least didn’t completely blow it. Today, we’re ranking the best and worst video game movies based on a few key criteria: fidelity to the source material, storytelling, acting, audience and critics’ reception, and box office performance.

So grab some popcorn and let’s jump in!

The Best Video Game Movies

Critics’ Score: 68% on Rotten Tomatoes
Box Office: $433 million worldwide

This movie had no right to be as good as it was, but it pulled it off. Detective Pikachu embraced the weirdness of Pokémon, blending a noir detective story with adorable CGI creatures. Ryan Reynolds voicing Pikachu was a gamble that paid off, adding humor and charm without getting too campy. The world-building was impressive, making Rhyme City feel like a place where people and Pokémon actually coexist.

Why It Worked:

Fidelity: It didn’t try to reinvent the wheel and respected the Pokémon lore.
Storytelling: A buddy-cop narrative that didn’t require a Pokémon Master-level understanding of the franchise.
Acting: Ryan Reynolds’ wit and timing nailed it.

Critics’ Score: 69% on Rotten Tomatoes
Box Office: $405 million worldwide

After that horrifying first Sonic design (let’s never talk about that again), the sequel proved the franchise could sprint past the finish line. Sonic 2 leaned into the game’s mythology with Tails and Knuckles, pleasing both fans and newcomers. Idris Elba as Knuckles was a genius move—because who doesn’t want more Idris Elba in their life?

Why It Worked:

Fidelity: Chaos Emeralds, Master Emerald, and actual game levels.
Storytelling: Simple but effective, with a mix of humor and heart.
Acting: Jim Carrey’s Dr. Robotnik was delightfully unhinged.

But for every surprise hit, there’s a trainwreck waiting just around the corner. While some video game movies managed to level up, others failed so spectacularly they deserve a game-over screen of their own. So, let’s switch gears and dive into the absolute worst adaptations that made us question why Hollywood keeps hitting ‘Continue.’

Critics’ Score: 11% on Rotten Tomatoes
Box Office: $99 million worldwide (against a $35 million budget)

Jean-Claude Van Damme as Guile was peak 90s casting. Unfortunately, no amount of roundhouse kicks could save Street Fighter from a mess of a script and costumes that looked like a Spirit Halloween clearance rack.

Why It Failed:

Fidelity: Characters were there, but the story wasn’t.
Storytelling: A convoluted plot that felt more like a bad G.I. Joe episode.
Acting: Raul Julia’s M. Bison deserved better—rest in peace, legend.

Critics’ Score: 52% on Rotten Tomatoes
Box Office: $275 million worldwide

Not amazing, but not bad either. Tomb Raider gave us a decent reboot with Alicia Vikander’s gritty take on Lara Croft. It played it safe but captured enough of the game’s spirit to avoid the “worst” list.

The legacy of retro classics lives on, only here at Raised by Retro. Stay in the loop with all things retro gaming — follow The Console Quest on social media for daily updates!

Critics’ Score: 1% on Rotten Tomatoes
Box Office: $12 million worldwide (against a $20 million budget)

Directed by Uwe Boll, a man responsible for more bad video game movies than we can count, Alone in the Dark was a horror in every sense of the word. Bad CGI, terrible dialogue, and a plot that seemed randomly generated.

Why It Failed:

Fidelity: Almost none to speak of.
Storytelling: Confusing and barely coherent.
Acting: Christian Slater looked like he wanted to respawn somewhere else.

1. Detective Pikachu (2019)

2. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022)

3. Mortal Kombat (1995)

Critics’ Score: 45% on Rotten Tomatoes
Box Office: $122 million worldwide

Okay, it’s not Oscar material, but Mortal Kombat was a blast—cheesy dialogue and all. Unlike its 2021 reboot, the 1995 version knew exactly what it was: a martial arts tournament movie with fatalities and a banging techno soundtrack.

Why It Worked:

Fidelity: Kept key characters, fatalities, and the tournament structure.
Storytelling: Basic, but hey, it’s Mortal Kombat.
Acting: Christopher Lambert’s Raiden was... a choice, but it worked.

1. Super Mario Bros. (1993)

The Worst Video Game Movies

Critics’ Score: 29% on Rotten Tomatoes
Box Office: $38 million worldwide (against a $48 million budget)

It’s been 30 years, and we’re all still trying to forget this one. Super Mario Bros. was a fever dream of a movie that turned Goombas into tiny-headed lizard people and Bowser into Dennis Hopper with bad hair. The plot made about as much sense as a speedrun glitch.

Why It Failed:

Fidelity: Plumbers saving a princess in the Mushroom Kingdom? Not even close.
Storytelling: Confusing dystopian mess.
Acting: Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo did their best, but even they admitted it was a disaster.

2. Street Fighter (1994)

3. Alone in the Dark (2005)

Honorable Mention: Tomb Raider (2018)

Video game adaptations are getting better—slowly but surely. Maybe someday, Hollywood will crack the code. In the meantime, let’s just be grateful we survived the 90s.

Video game movies have a pretty rough track record. For every decent adaptation, there’s a cringeworthy disaster that makes you question why Hollywood even tries. But some adaptations did get it right—or at least didn’t completely blow it. Today, we’re ranking the best and worst video game movies based on a few key criteria: fidelity to the source material, storytelling, acting, audience and critics’ reception, and box office performance.

So grab some popcorn and let’s jump in!

The Best Video Game Movies

Critics’ Score: 68% on Rotten Tomatoes
Box Office: $433 million worldwide

This movie had no right to be as good as it was, but it pulled it off. Detective Pikachu embraced the weirdness of Pokémon, blending a noir detective story with adorable CGI creatures. Ryan Reynolds voicing Pikachu was a gamble that paid off, adding humor and charm without getting too campy. The world-building was impressive, making Rhyme City feel like a place where people and Pokémon actually coexist.

Why It Worked:

Fidelity: It didn’t try to reinvent the wheel and respected the Pokémon lore.
Storytelling: A buddy-cop narrative that didn’t require a Pokémon Master-level understanding of the franchise.
Acting: Ryan Reynolds’ wit and timing nailed it.

Critics’ Score: 69% on Rotten Tomatoes
Box Office: $405 million worldwide

After that horrifying first Sonic design (let’s never talk about that again), the sequel proved the franchise could sprint past the finish line. Sonic 2 leaned into the game’s mythology with Tails and Knuckles, pleasing both fans and newcomers. Idris Elba as Knuckles was a genius move—because who doesn’t want more Idris Elba in their life?

Why It Worked:

Fidelity: Chaos Emeralds, Master Emerald, and actual game levels.
Storytelling: Simple but effective, with a mix of humor and heart.
Acting: Jim Carrey’s Dr. Robotnik was delightfully unhinged.

But for every surprise hit, there’s a trainwreck waiting just around the corner. While some video game movies managed to level up, others failed so spectacularly they deserve a game-over screen of their own. So, let’s switch gears and dive into the absolute worst adaptations that made us question why Hollywood keeps hitting ‘Continue.’

Critics’ Score: 11% on Rotten Tomatoes
Box Office: $99 million worldwide (against a $35 million budget)

Jean-Claude Van Damme as Guile was peak 90s casting. Unfortunately, no amount of roundhouse kicks could save Street Fighter from a mess of a script and costumes that looked like a Spirit Halloween clearance rack.

Why It Failed:

Fidelity: Characters were there, but the story wasn’t.
Storytelling: A convoluted plot that felt more like a bad G.I. Joe episode.
Acting: Raul Julia’s M. Bison deserved better—rest in peace, legend.

Critics’ Score: 52% on Rotten Tomatoes
Box Office: $275 million worldwide

Not amazing, but not bad either. Tomb Raider gave us a decent reboot with Alicia Vikander’s gritty take on Lara Croft. It played it safe but captured enough of the game’s spirit to avoid the “worst” list.

The legacy of retro classics lives on, only here at Raised by Retro. Stay in the loop with all things retro gaming — follow The Console Quest on social media for daily updates!

Critics’ Score: 1% on Rotten Tomatoes
Box Office: $12 million worldwide (against a $20 million budget)

Directed by Uwe Boll, a man responsible for more bad video game movies than we can count, Alone in the Dark was a horror in every sense of the word. Bad CGI, terrible dialogue, and a plot that seemed randomly generated.

Why It Failed:

Fidelity: Almost none to speak of.
Storytelling: Confusing and barely coherent.
Acting: Christian Slater looked like he wanted to respawn somewhere else.