Top 8 Video Games Turned into Movies

Some video game plots are so epic they could be movies in and of themselves. Wait - some of them have already become movies! Here's the short list of video games that became movies in one capacity or another.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Critics derided Jake Gyllenhaal for playing a pale Persian with a terrible British accent, but in all fairness, Jake stole the show in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. With the lovely Gemma Arterton (of Quantum of Solace Bond girl fame) as his feisty and albeit reluctant sidekick, Jake's CGI guys had him leaping across rooftops, scaling walls and surviving jumps fatal to any other mere mortal without so much as a blink.

Pokémon

First there was just a Pokémon TV series. Then there was Pokémon the Movie in a couple different installments and languages - English and Japanese, chiefly. And of course, how can we forget Pokémon: Power of One? And what were they all about? Oh yes. That little yellow and red character that permeated television waves and made its way into every kid's meal package at McDonald's for years it seemed.

Max Payne

Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis headlined this iconic video game, which has made its name in movies as well as music (remember Dead Celebrity Status's Max Payne name drop in "Messiah?). Some thought it too harsh for the PG-13 movie it was, seeing as the video game it's based off of had a "Mature" rating. But if you liked Mark Wahlberg in Shooter, you're sure to enjoy watching Max Payne.

Hitman

If you don't mind unbelievable shooting sequences and a shaven-headed lead, you'll love the video-game-turned-movie, Hitman. The video game itself boasts an entire series, including Contracts, Blood Money, and Silent Assassin but the movie was based off of a different plot altogether. The film stars Olga Kurylenko (also of Quantum of Solace Bond girl fame) as well as Dougray Scott (Mission Impossible 2) and Timothy Olyphant. You have to admit, Timothy looks a little better with hair than without.

Lara Croft

Who can forget Angelina Jolie's curvaceous character, Lara Croft? Even if you never played the video games, you are certainly familiar with the movie and its title character. Jon Voight, her real-life father, stars in the movie as her dad and the source of her inheritance. Daniel Craig and Gerard Butler play her former love interests in the first and second movies, respectively. If you like a lot of motorcycle action and - surprise! - more unbelievable action sequences, you'll enjoy the movies as much as you liked the games.

Resident Evil

There are nearly as many Resident Evil movies as there are video games. Milla Jovovich plays the tough-as-nails lead who looks more realistic in ripped, burnt and filthy clothing than many other Hollywood sweethearts who have tried to do the same (can anyone say Megan Fox in Transformers?). Once you reach Resident Evil 5 you're kind of getting sick of the plots (or lack thereof, as some would posture) but when you're a video game junkie, who cares about the plot?

Dragon Ballz

Emmy Rossum, who played Christine in Phantom of the Opera, wields outer-worldly weapons alongside James Marsters and Justin Chatwin in Dragonball: Evolution. No, you probably didn't see it, and if you're not a gamer, you probably didn't even hear about it. It was that bad. But nonetheless, if you're a Dragon Ballz fan, you might watch it if you can't sleep some night. But don't expect much of a plot - the whole movie is based on the premise of a few orbs and that whole "save the world" routine.

Uncharted

Okay, so Uncharted hasn't been made into a movie yet. But it's in the works. Word has it Mark Wahlberg will don his video game gear once more and step into the lead as Nathan Drake. But if you ask me, he's a bit long on the tooth to play a guy so young. I myself would fancy someone like Alex O'Loughlin from the new "Hawaii Five-0" series or James Lafferty from "One Tree Hill" instead. But then again, when was the last time a Hollywood director asked me for my advice...

All in all, video games aren't always a recipe for a great movie. But once in a while, you get fortunate - like with Prince of Persia. Let's hope they make Uncharted even better!

Source:

IMDB.com