The best video game movies of all time

For as long as video games have existed, film producers have adapted them for the big screen. The rationale behind these decisions is clear, as big-name video game properties have the potential to bring a lot of fans into the theater. But they have seen limited success over the years.

Some video game movie adaptations have managed to capture the spirit of their source material and deliver an exciting take on the franchise. Others, however, have treated the video games as a vague reference point, resulting in underwhelming films that disappointed the average moviegoer, as well as longtime players.

The pendulum has started to shift, however, as more adaptations are falling on the good-to-great side of the spectrum. It has never been a better time to be a video game movie fan. These are the best video game movies.

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1. The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Spoiler alert: the best and worst video game movies are both based on the Mario franchise. Even though this version thankfully took the animated direction over live-action, there was still a bit of concern over how it would turn out. While most of the casting was considered spot-on, having Chris Pratt voice Mario drew some concern. Having Mario speak would be difficult enough to pull off, but replacing his only voice actor for a movie star felt like a bridge too far. Despite all that, the end result is a fantastic and whimsical adventure through the Mushroom Kingdom that feels like it does the entire franchise justice.

2. Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Sorry Sonic, but you’re coming in second to Mario one more time. This sequel fixes a lot of the mistakes of the original, which was quite good in its own right and helped kick off the trend of game adaptations being high quality. The sequel smartly shifts more focus to Sonic and his story than the human characters, though there is still some slow moments devoted to them.