Could Streaming Services be the 1-Up that Video Game Adaptations Needed?
"The movie has been 'inspired by' the famous video game. No, I haven't played it, and I never will, but I know how it feels not to play it because I've seen the movie…”Robert Ebert - Review of “Doom” motion pictureSummer is usually the pinnacle season for movie blockbusters and usually, Hollywood scores big with audiences everywhere. In recent years, however, the video game industry has been buckling down and taking over all facets of our capitalistic society, with some major gaming studios even outmatching the movie studios in regard to revenue earned. One of the most common recent releases to screens everywhere are video game adaptations. We all know the trend: video game adaptations are usually either classified as complete garbage or simply average, but hardly memorable. We have seen an unfortunate downfall in both the quality and quantity of video game movies from the 90s and 2000s. It’s not only because Hollywood has been slaughtered by critics and fans alike that their favorite video game does not do it justice of adapting from the small screen to the big screen. Other notable reasons could be:
The cost of making these projects is substantially higher.
The pressure of not only appealing to critics but to a large fanbase of devoted video game fanatics.
The stress of managing the overall production; making sure everything runs smoothly, from pre-production/writing to post-production & distribution without any issues.
The quality of the film over time does not hold up, or being classified as cheaply produced and overdramatized.
One or all of these factors has destroyed the reputation of these types of films as well as their video game counterparts, so no wonder Hollywood is quaking in their boots, just like Luigi every time he explores his ghost-infested mansion.
This concept is far from new, as this trend could be traced back nearly twenty years. The first live-action video game adaptation was 1993’s Super Mario Brothers movie. It was a box office disappointment upon its summer release, grossing $38.9 million worldwide against a budget of $42–48 million. However, with such niche films, a cult following developed over the years for this film, as well as several others. Super Mario Brothers (1993) took the plunge and seemingly failed so that others could soar (even in their own franchise). It’s no surprise then that two decades later, on the dot, the remade animated The Super Mario Brothers (2023) became an overnight success.
Resident Evil, Street Fighter, and the original Mortal Kombat series are other examples of video game giants that got the initial film adaptation treatment in the 1990s. In some cases, with the Resident Evil series, the quality at first was strong but has slowly deteriorated over time and sequels. Even with some of the remakes performing decently at the box office, it seems that Hollywood is trying to capture that good old-fashioned movie magic with little to no fruition.
Super Mario isn’t the only video game adaptation that is getting a second life. A lot of the streaming studios mentioned earlier are taking a gamble at the revive game by remaking video game movies into television series. The recently announced Assassin’s Creed TV series on Amazon Prime could potentially nail the formula and take the heat off of its 2016 film predecessor.
With the turn of the late 2010s and early 2020s, we have seen an uptick in production for video game adaptations, specifically in the digital space and through our numerous streaming services. Why? The advancements in the technology of replicating some of our favorite environments, characters, and storylines could be one factor. Additionally, the juggernaut streaming services i.e., HBO, Max, Amazon, Prime, and Netflix, are taking the plunge into this genre could also be a reason why we are seeing more adaptations being churned out. They have the money to do so, so why should they not invest in a potential gold mine. Additionally, in the format of episodic television showcased through these streaming giants, Hollywood might be figuring out that this formula works better for certain video game adaptations than your traditional narrative film.
Over the last few years, we have seen vast improvements. Some recent examples of video game adaptation successes, for both film and TV, include Detective Pikachu, Arcane, The Witcher (S1), and Werewolves Within. All of these projects took the time to not only do their research and conceive a comprehensive story but devoted their work to capturing the source materials characters, environments, dialogue, and journeys as shown in their original game. Albeit, with The Witcher, we will have to see how Luke Hemsworth fares as Geralt since Henry Cavill departs the series after its upcoming third season.
Not everything runs smoothly on a Hollywood set. From the conception of characters, dialogue, and story within the writer’s room, to the cutting room floors of post-production, each film has seen conflict arise and tackle it head-on. One of the most recent examples of such conflict was in the post-production process of the first Sonic movie (2020). This series, now a trilogy, is based on the beloved kid's game from the 90s. It was finally brought to the big screen, but not without road bumps along the way. Before Sonic, it was very rare for an audience to have any kind of influence over a film or television project. One of the most fundamental examples of how a fanbase can sway a movie studio was the design of Sonic. Because of the outcry from fans on social media to change the appearance of Sonic to better match the description and not scare off potential audiences, the studio took into their demands and made the appropriate changes. Because the studio did listen, the film was successful, and thus, spanned two sequels and a recently rumored spin-off. Had the studio not heeded the fans’ demands, I can only imagine the downfall, and the movie studio's potential squander of money. Of course, with the many flops, there have been a few gems that become beloved to fellow fans and general audiences everywhere.
In the realm of TV, one of the most recent examples of a critical darling is The Last of Us, the HBO adaptation of the famous 2013 PlayStation exclusive. It has, not surprisingly, been greenlit for a second season, aptly named The Last of Us, Part II, and this is planned to take several seasons to tell the story of the sequel video game. But going back to the original, which premiered earlier this year, everything was done with precision and intriguing storytelling. The game and the series as depicted by HBO Max, are nearly identical. The characters, the story, the setting, the premise, and the overall aesthetic were replicated nearly immaculately. But this was not the main reason why fans fell in love with the series. I believe that the reason they did fall in love, and the series had a great reception was because of the dedication behind the scenes. Most of the time studios and big-name producers do not take the time to check into the source material and really reflect on not only how will they do it justice, but how they modified it for audiences to understand. Even with the slight changes between the source material and the TV series were significant enough to be noticed, but still welcomed by audiences everywhere.
There is a fundamental difference between creating something because you want the money and creating something because it pays service to its fan base. I believe that is one of the many reasons why initial game-based adaptations have failed in the past. Within the next few years, we have a laundry list of TV shows and films to look forward to, both from the comfort of the cinema and our own couches. The most anticipated one, in my personal opinion, is the Fallout TV series coming to Prime. With the continuing growth of streaming services, the advancements in entertainment technology, and the ever-churning creative imaginations of the video game and film industries, it is my sincerest hope that this time around, the RNG gods provide us with more loot-worthy entertainment, and pray we don’t rage quit video game adaptations for good.
