Think of the children
This week the critically lampooned Pixels movie opens in theaters nationwide in the United States, and if you’d rather spend your time and money on movies that don’t blow consider these other video game-related films. Don’t worry though, this list won’t just be the movies you’ve all seen before, because I’m so much cooler than that.
Ace Attorney (Gyakuten Saiban)
Whether or not you’re a fan of the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney games, the movie based on the series is pretty decent. All the characters look and act like their game counterparts and even with the subtitles the movie still nails the games’ humor. Sadly the film has never officially been released for sale in the US, but if you have a way to watch it I highly recommend it.
Sweet Home
Sweet Home had a Famicom game by the same name, which Resident Evil was planned as a spiritual sequel to. It might not be the best horror film but it is certainly worth a watch. Those who go in thinking the movie will be a Resident Evil movie will be disappointed, as this is more a haunted mansion story than a zombie story. The Sweet Home game influenced a lot of survival horror games and could be painted as the original survival horror game.
The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
This documentary follows Steve Wiebe as he attempts to take the world record high score in Donkey Kong from (at the time) current champion Billy Mitchell. While that alone may not sound exciting, the real life characters in the movie make it something special. The film plays more like a drama than a documentary, so much in fact that a scripted film adaptation has been said to be in the works. The documentary was also parodied in a South Park episode where Randy Marsh attempts to take a larger shit than U2 frontman Bono Vox. It’s one of my favorite movies ever and highly recommended.
Dead Rising: Watchtower
When the free-to-watch Dead Rising: Watchtower was announced I wasn’t too excited, and upon release I went into it with low expectations. Turns out it is a rather competent zombie film and has enough fan service to make Dead Rising fans happy. Frank West may not be the lead character but he makes many appearances throughout the film as part of a news program, dickish charm intact.
Animal Crossing (Dōbutsu no Mori)
Does anime count? Well I’m saying it does and you should watch the Animal Crossing anime film that was released in Japanese theaters. The anime follows the same plot as the games; a new girl moves to town, is an indentured servant to Tom Nook, and befriends and helps the other animals in town. Animal Crossing’s anime adaptation was never officially released outside of Japan but a fan dubbed version is out there somewhere.
The Lawnmower Man
What list of video game-related movies would be complete without The Lawnmower Man, a movie that is more relevant now than when it came out as it deals with virtual reality headsets. A dumb dumb lawnmower man in town is approached by a scientist to be his human guinea pig in an experiment using drugs and a VR headset, and this somehow turns him into a genius with magical powers…
I remember watching the movie when it came out and being amazed at the cutting edge special effects, though today they look extremely dated. Strangely enough the effects were made by Angel Studios, which later became Rockstar San Diego and went on to make Red Dead Redemption, L.A. Noire, and Grand Theft Auto V.
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
Whether or not you’ve read the graphic novel series you should give the Michael Cera-led Scott Pilgrim vs. the World a shot, as it may be the best video game movie out there. The film is basically oozing with references to video games from band names, to Zelda music, to epic fight scenes that would feel at home in any beat ’em up. Speaking of which, if you haven’t already, give the game a try because it is just as good as the film and plays very similarly to one of the greatest beat ’em ups of all time, River City Ransom.
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These are some of the best video game-related movies I’ve seen and surprisingly I don’t see them getting the credit they deserve. Also don’t let me stop you from watching Pixels, by all means tell Hollywood you want more garbage Adam Sandler films if you so wish. I know I’ll probably be watching Pixels sometime this weekend because clearly I’m a masochist, and I’m part of the problem.
