20 Video Game Movies That Should've Never Been Made

Some things should just remain video games.

Video game adaptations in film have not had the best of luck when it comes to critics or fans alike; for the most part, they are usually really, really bad.

Warner Bros. / Via giphy.com

With Uncharted being slated to be released this year and Netflix's Arcane series being such a hit, it could almost make you forget about the dreaded curse that's plagued video game films for decades now. 

Luckily, I'm here to remind us how bad it's really been. I figured we could take a trip down memory lane of some of the absolute worst video game movies to ever be released. I make this offer in hopes that this curse doesn't bleed into HBO's Last of Us series or Paramount's Halo.

20. Prince of Persia: Sands of Time (2010)

Disney

The best of the worst on this list, Jake Gyllenhaal leads this all-star cast, which provided moments of entertainment if that means anything to you. Most of this film proves to be a mess with its flawed characters and messy storylines, although it's the only movie on this list that you might watch until the credits.   

19. D.O.A.: Dead or Alive (2006)

Weinstein Co.

Dead or Alive was a fighting game that at one point was as popular as Tekken and Street Fighter, although it might be for other reasons than just the good fight mechanics. The overall acting and story of the film is something that'll make you cringe and laugh at how bad it is, but maybe if you watch it on mute you can possibly enjoy some of the fight choreography and get through the whole thing. I recommend pairing some alcohol to numb yourself through the experience. 

18. Super Mario Bros. (1993)

Buena Vista Pictures

I feel bad for this film considering how often it's referred to when it comes to bad films in general, let alone a video game movie. I think the sheer fact that they strayed so far from the source material and the rumors of how toxic the environment was doomed this movie from the beginning. It's a shame that actors John Leguizamo and late actor Bob Hoskins were attached to this monstrosity, seeing how talented they are; I just hope the next Super Mario movie learns from this one's mistakes. 

17. Need for Speed (2014)

Walt Disney Studios Pictures

With the success of Breaking Bad, Aaron Paul was given the task of trying to help make this video game franchise into a successful film. Unfortunately, the bad writing and horrible plot led to this film bombing in the box office and adding to the statistic of bad video game movies. Crazy to see Rami Malek in the movie considering his career really took off a year later when he would start on his own show, Mr. Robot.

16. Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)

Sony Pictures

I could probably take up half of this list with the Resident Evil franchise alone, but I picked this one since it not only wasn't received well by critics but by audiences as well. Resident Evil: Apocalypse scored worst on Rotten Tomatoes but was actually liked by audiences, so I kept it off the list in favor of this one. I give them credit for paying homage to the game, specifically with the Wesker fight scene, but other than that it's a pointless sequel with laughable acting and even funnier plot twists. 

15. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)

Paramount Pictures

Angelina Jolie was the best person at the time to play this role — unfortunately, besides some of the action sequences, there's not much else going for this movie. A pointless plot that makes you wonder how in the hell they could deliver on a sequel, but where there's a will there's a way.

14. Assassin's Creed (2016)

20th Century Fox

You would think with the vast amount of content they have from the video games that they would've used more of that for the film. Like many others on this list, it seems that studios just don't want to be too tied to the game they're adapting for whatever reason. They did flash back and forth from present-day to 15th-century Spain, but with the messy plot and the newly designed animus, fans were not impressed.  

13. Doom (2005)

Universal Pictures

In the video games, Doom deals with demons that have spawned from hell; in the movie, they are genetically enhanced humanoids. I'm not saying this would have made this film any better, but the fact that they didn't want anything to do with the original source material is telling of how out of touch they are with the game they wanted to adapt. The only saving grace of the film is the homage they give by having a full-on first-person view of Duke as he goes on a killing spree in a short part of the film.  

12. Max Payne (2008)

20th Century Fox

When I first saw the trailer I remember getting Sin City vibes, but after watching the movie it was clear it was just a ploy to get people in seats. Though it might have been stylistically cool to visually at times, the plot made no damn sense, and even the bullet time that's synonymous with the IP couldn't get fans on board. 

11. Street Fighter (1994)

Universal Pictures

The only two of the same franchise that I included, since they were so far apart and both had egregious things that I had to include on this list. Obviously, the plot was never going to make sense, but the fights were going to be great, right? Wrong, and on top of that, Guile, who is supposed to be as American as apple pie, is played by none other than Jean-Claude Van Damme, whose Belgian accent couldn't be hidden if the movie depended on it — which is probably why it bombed so badly. 

10. Silent Hill: Revelation (2012)

Alliance Films

There's a theory floating around that this movie bombed due to actor Sean Bean's character surviving both films. I can't speak on that, but I know the weird cult plot and lack of scares for a horror film adapting a horror game really fell flat overall. Cool to see two Game of Thrones alumni if you want to watch it for that alone. 

9. Wing Commander (1999)

20th Century Fox

With bland dialogue and one-dimensional characters, Wing Commander is probably best suited for a single episode of some sci-fi show. Luckily for all these actors, they went on to do better projects that fans were more in favor of. 

8. Postal (2007)

Vivendi Entertainment

A controversial movie made by infamous director Uwe Boll, about a controversial game that includes all types of madness that of course seems to be in the movie for the sake of shock humor. Whether it's Verne Troyer being sexually assaulted by monkeys, George Bush and Osama bin Laden skipping and holding hands together in a field, or children being killed in a shootout, there are no bounds this film went to, to try and be as horrible as possible. It's crazy that this film doesn't have a lower Rotten Tomatoes score, but 9% doesn't seem low enough. This is just the first of many for the German director, as his work is known for being the worst of the worst. 

7. Hitman: Agent 47 (2015)

20 Century Fox

You think they would've learned their lesson with the prior Hitman movie. This time they set out to set the bar even lower with horrible product placement and straight betrayal of the character itself. In the video game franchise, you find ways to stealthily kill your targets and escape. It seems that they threw all that out the window in favor of loud action with storylines that don't fit the beloved character fans were hoping to see. 

6. Bloodrayne (2005)

Boll KG Productions

Another Uwe Boll disaster that somehow has Ben Kingsley involved. The fight scenes are a nightmare to watch, with edits badly hiding the awful fight choreography, and the acting is just as atrocious, making you wonder how in the world Ben Kingsley got attached to this. It's wild to know that somehow Uwe Boll still has three more movies more terrible than this one on the list. 

5. In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (2007)

20th Century Fox

This film is based on the Dungeon Siege games, and Uwe Boll yet again is able to find himself some actors of name worth such as Jason Statham, Burt Reynolds, Ray Liotta, and Ron Perlman. Though maybe none were at the peak of their careers, because the decision to sign on to this project has me still scratching my head. Whether it was the low-budget production look of it all or just god-awful dialogue, the actors with all their experience and talent couldn't make this movie a smidge entertaining. 

4. Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997)

New Line Cinema

As a kid, I remember being at least entertained with 1995's Mortal Kombat. The fighting and the music just delivered for me as a kid who loved game and action flicks in general. Seeing the sequel, even as a kid, I knew there was something off. Rewatching it as an adult just opened my eyes as to why. It's almost a parody of itself with the bad special effects, terrible acting, and overall story. 

3. Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009)

20th Century Fox

It's a shame that they did Chun-Li like this; it makes me miss the Belgian Guile, which is saying something. In most video game films let alone movies about fights, the story usually takes a back seat to the fight choreography. In this case it's just as bad — it's as if they had no time to rehearse so they edited it in a way to try to make up for the actor's lack of experience, which even in editing they can't hide. The absolute worst part, though, has to be the dialogue coming from Chris Klein's "Nash," the Interpol agent who seems more like he should be coming out of CSI: Miami than a Street Fighter movie. You can look up a compilation of his lines on YouTube and see if you don't wince while watching. Good luck. 

2. House of the Dead (2003)

Artisan Entertainment

Nothing screams great storytelling like an arcade game that never had a great story to begin with. Then again, if there's someone who can create one, its renowned video game director Uwe Boll, who comes back to direct this horrendous zombie flick that, like a zombie, is mindless and gross to watch. The film is about some teens who are going to a "Fyre Festival" somewhere and who find it to be abandoned and overrun with, you guessed it, zombies. Other than that, there's no real plot, just a lot of gun shooting and zombie running with bad acting. Just another Uwe Boll classic for you.  

1. Alone in the Dark (2005)

Lions Gate Films

Lastly, we have the absolute worst of the worst from Uwe Boll. I'm talking about a 1% score on Rotten Tomatoes, which I feel you have to really work toward to achieve. The Alone in the Dark video game franchise was known for its survival horror gameplay, which had made it pretty successful. Of course, Uwe Boll saw nothing to be gained from this, as he strayed away from the source material and decided to make a horrendous action flick with the only comparison to the game being the title itself. The plot made no sense, the acting made no sense, and the overall mood and tone of the movie made no sense at all. Here's a monster that has the power to be invisible to kill its prey yet chooses to be seen every time it goes to attack somebody. There are also countless times where the action sequences are just repeating shots of the same thing with new action scenes thrown in to try to kill the repetitiveness of what you just saw, which doesn't work. It's fortunate that Stephen Dorff was able to redeem himself with True Detective and Christian Slater with Mr. Robot, because these movies are the types to kill a career sometimes. Thankfully they have come a long way from this piece of work, and if you're lucky you never have to endure watching this movie ever. Unless you want to test your fortitude, then, by all means, go ahead. 

I know there are some I'm sure I left off. Leave them down in the comments below. What are some of the worst moments in some of these films if you can remember? Thanks for reading!