Video game adaptations are really the currency of Hollywood currently. Their narrative potential means that there could be big money in taking pre-established narrative worlds and bringing them into a different medium. However, not every adaptation has actually sought to directly adapt the source material it's inspired by.
Whether there was a lot more creative licensing to have with the property, a lack of clarity of how to adapt such a huge series of titles, or perhaps ignorance on behalf of the studios involved, these video game movies actually ignored major parts of their original releases! That doesn't mean it was always the wrong choice though.
Honorable Mention: Resident Evil Series
It's fair to say that as each ing Resident Evil film was released, it got progressively further from the source material. While the very first movie adaptation was semi-reliant on the video games, the series has ballooned into an entity unto itself.
Its quality is certainly varied although it's gotten a little more back on track in recent years. At this stage, the video games and the films aren't even comparable, with only some of the character archetypes shared between the two. At the very least the premise has largely stuck as the battle between humanity and monsters continues.
Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time (2010)
Prince Of Persia was a genuinely decent attempt to craft a new big-screen franchise. Audiences would have been familiar with the video game series, although the movie did ignore the premise and concept behind the games, in favor of keeping the same aesthetic.
Whereas once players were sent on exciting parkour missions to find important MacGuffins that played into the lore of this world, the movie instead focused in on the corruption and politics of this society. It wasn't exactly an interesting shift and the risk certainly didn't pay off financially or in regards to future Prince of Persia sequels.
Sonic The Hedgehog (2020)
The Sonic The Hedgehog franchise thus far has been an absolute delight. It has perfectly taken these characters from the video games onto the big screen and the second installment is arguably better than the first. They are fun adventure movies that the whole family can enjoy.
To get there though, the movies took quite a different approach from the games. The relationships between the characters were changed, the world that Sonic lives in was moved and a brand new human protagonist was brought into the mix. It's what the series truly needed through for it to actually be a viable narrative.
Super Mario Bros. (1993)
Perhaps it isn't quite as bad as people it... ok it is. The Super Mario Bros. movie isn't anything like the source material. First of all, the fantastical world that Mario and Luigi inhabit is replaced by something far grimier that doesn't fit the aesthetic of the games at all.
The characters have been humanized in a way that they are almost unrecognizable, and the villains of the piece might as well be from a completely different series. The essence of Mario was completely removed and what was left was a strange imitation. Perhaps the series can only work in animated form.
Mortal Kombat (2021)
the film moved away from the Mortal Kombat games.
This felt like a soft reboot for the franchise in some ways and didn't actually include the famous tournament that the games are actually known for. Perhaps these changes were for the better, to leave something for the sequel to explore. Was ignoring Johnny Cage as a leading man the right choice though?
Assassin's Creed (2016)
Assassin's Creed was a flop in every sense. It failed to deliver on a quality action blockbuster, it didn't appease any of the fans of the original materials, and ultimately has been forgotten about by audiences. The performances were stellar though despite the poor script.
The reason for all of this though is due to the film moving away from what makes the games so great. The balance between the modern era and the classic Assassin's style combat just wasn't there. Most of the movie took place in the sci-fi-inspired futuristic time period, ignoring what the audience would have really had liked to have seen. The games never make that mistake, instead playing to its strengths.
Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019)
It has to be said that there is a Detective Pikachu game in existence that the film did actually draw a lot of inspiration from. But the left turn that saw Pikachu become the lead's father was definitely not something that the Nintendo title had originally intended.
What's more, the larger Pokémon world, while expanded in some detail, wasn't fully explored like classic titles in the series. Indeed, it seemed odd not to have some proper Gym battles and the like in the first-ever live-action Pokémon experience. Regardless this is still a great adaptation, even if it did depart from what fans were familiar with.
Uncharted (2022)
captured the spirit of the Sony video games. It even managed to touch upon some of the narrative beats. But did it really look to the source material for as much guidance as the end result would indicate? There are a number of massive changes.
The age shift of Nathan Drake is an obvious example of how Sony ignored the premise of the titles. What's more, Sully didn't particularly reflect the version seen in the many releases on PlayStation, with both his appearance and characterization massively changing. Even in spite of these shifts, there's still something brilliant about this action-adventure comedy that seemingly drew just as much from the genre itself.
Injustice (2021)
The Injustice series of games are so wildly loved amongst combat genre and DC Comics fans that an animated movie seemed like a surefire hit. While it did trace some of the same narrative beats and looked to the comics for guidance, it made a number of significant changes.
Those shifts from the source material, from killing off characters like the Flash to involving the Multiverse far less, meant that the Injustice that was ultimately presented felt like a different arc again. Most notably, the ending has been altered which puts the narrative into a completely alternative perspective.
Need For Speed (2014)
First and foremost Need For Speed is a racing franchise. As long as the movies included some automobiles then they would be on the right track. The games themselves have a few different compelling narratives but the movie ignored all of that.
It introduced an original character and brought in a relatively generic storyline that didn't feel too dissimilar to anything else in the genre. Some of the more recent campaigns were ignored in favor of this slightly sub-par narrative instead. Consequently, the film just didn't really resonate with anyone, unfortunately.
