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The 15 worst video game movies of all time ranked by the critics
Video game movies haven't had much luck in Hollywood.
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The majority of video game adaptations have been panned by critics and shunned by moviegoers. "Hitman: Agent 47," which comes out on August 20, isn't having any luck either.
Based on the popular "Hitman" video game series, "Agent 47" already has just 7% on Rotten Tomatoes.
It is hard to identify why Hollywood can't quite bridge the gap between video game and film audiences. Some of the movies on this list have faded into obscurity. Others remain memorable simply because of their poor quality.
Here are the worst movies based on video games, ranked based on their Tomatometer score:
"Prince of Persia" had a lot going for it with popularity and the backing of Disney. In the United States, it grossed only $90 million but ended up pulling in an impressive $336.4 million worldwide. It remains a weak spot in in the otherwise impressive career of lead actor Jake Gyllenhaal.
Based on the popular game, "Resident Evil" grossed $102.4 million worldwide and launched a franchise. While it is still at a rotten rating, it currently holds 33% on Rotten Tomatoes, better than most of the other movies on this list.
Giving Nintendo's trademark game a live action adaptation is about as bad an idea as it sounds. The film went through a troubled production, and has been disowned by just about everyone who was involved. The late Bob Hoskins, who played Mario, called it "the worst thing [he] ever did."
Between a successful hosting gig on "SNL," a new movie, and an HBO series, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has had a pretty good year. So maybe it is for the better that we all forget 2005's "Doom" adaptation.
For a star as big as The Rock, it is surprising to see that the trailer only shows him about two times.
"Max Payne" couldn't live up to the star power of Mark Wahlberg. Despite being universally panned, "Payne" still racked up $85 million worldwide, more than enough to make up for its $35 million budget.
Maybe that is why so many video game movies get made despite diminishing results: most of them seem to be relatively cheap to make.
The new "Agent 47" is a reboot of "Hitman." It is set to replace a canceled sequel that might have been better off left for dead.
Despite the mostly negative feedback, it still grossed close to $100 million. Plus, one of the most respected critics of all time actually had something nice to say about it.
"'Hitman' stands right on the threshold between video games and art. On the wrong side of the threshold, but still, give it credit," Roger Ebert declared in a three star review.
Despite the fact that this was directed by Chris Roberts, the man who created the "Wing Commander" video game, this adaptation still did not translate well on the big screen.
In his review of "Wing Commander," James Berardinelli perhaps pointed out one of the biggest problems with video game adaptations.
"The plot has all the depth and originality of a video game without the fun of the interactivity." Berardinelli said.
Uwe Boll's "Postal" is an action comedy that stars Osama bin Laden. This satire was not greeted kindly by either critics or moviegoers. However, it received some positive feedback from a few prominent sites.
This is far from the last time you will see director Uwe Boll on this list.
Based on a Japanese video game, the largely forgotten "Double Dragon" placed on Time Magazine's list for the 10 worst video game adaptations of all time.
Yet another installment in the "Street Fighter" series, "The Legend of Chun-Li" made critics lament for the days that Jean-Claude Van Damme helmed the franchise.
Maybe the most interesting thing about Boll is that he seems to span a lot of different genres within the world of video game adaptations. From horror to comedy to fantasy, Boll has covered it all. "In the Name of the King" clocks in at 4% on Rotten Tomatoes, about the average score for Boll's video game adaptations.
Another effort by Boll that was only slightly less hated by critics, "BloodRayne" still managed to launch a sequel in 2011 called "BloodRayne: The Third Reich."
Boll's first video game adaptation was a sign of bad things to come. The BBC was one of many to call this "one of the worst zombie movies ever made."
Everybody remembers playing "Mortal Kombat" on Sega or at a local arcade.
The first "Mortal Kombat" movie might be described as mediocre at best. Yet, it has something of a cult following. The Hollywood Reporter recently ran an extensive oral history for its 20th anniversary.
However, the mostly forgotten sequel holds a dismal 3% on Rotten Tomatoes. Meanwhile, a majority of the roles from the first movie had to be recast, making this one almost unrecognizable next to its predecessor.
German director Uwe Boll has built a strong reputation as a modern Ed Wood: a director who makes his movies without a lot of outside help, but is ultimately terrible at what he does. In the mid-2000s, Boll built up a bad reputation for some terrible video game adaptations.
"Alone in the Dark," which stars Tara Reid as an an archaeologist, currently holds a staggering 1% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The reason it doesn't have zero percent is because it has one positive review. This review proclaims, "'Alone In The Dark' isn't going to set the world on fire, but it largely succeeds with what it has to work with."
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