Video game movies blasé

Posted Dec. 29, 2021

Written for Dec. 9, 2021 print edition

By Graciela Del Rosario

Staff Editor

As video game movie adaptations rise in popularity and it begs the question: are they doing games justice?

Adaptations are common nowadays as companies like Sony and Blizzard have entered the film industry; Nintendo led the charge with Super Mario Bros. in 1993. Producing animated movies like Sony’s Ratchet & Clank is one thing, but making them live-action is a whole different ballpark.

I applaud efforts trying to bring video games’ loveable characters to life; cosplayers and artists already do a fantastic job. However, handing over characters like Mario and Sonic to movie studios like Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures is not only risky for character fans but general movie fans. They can generate mass revenue because of the name and face, but plunge in reviews and have the plot and character design be called into question.

An example is Nintendo’s, Detective Pikachu. Pikachu was adorable and having Ryan Reynolds voice him was the cherry on top. The hyper-realistic Pokémon CGI looked fantastic: Psyduck, Bulbasaur, Charizard, and many others were designed excellently compared with their 2D equivalents. However, the story was one-note compared to its video game counterpart. The movie was rated 68% on Rotten Tomatoes and the overall consensus agreed it wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t great. I played Pokémon since Emerald and all 14 hours of the original Detective Pikachu, but the movie felt… off compared to it. I’d rather watch Reynolds sadly sing the “Pokémon Theme Song” than the entire movie again.

Another example is SEGA’s Sonic the Hedgehog Movie. Since 1991, Sonic has been revered as SEGA’s mascot, and making a movie seemed destined. Although, before proper movie promotions could ensue, backlash over Sonic’s original movie design (deemed as nightmare fuel for most) caused Director Jeff Fowler and his team to redesign Sonic’s entire appearance to be faithful to his original appearance. Besides the humanoid hedgehog disaster, the story-plotting was like Detective Pikachu, albeit a touch more mediocre. Considering it doesn’t follow a specific Sonic title, the plot of the movie felt more niche to even me who played games like Sonic and the Black Knight, Sonic Unleashed, and the notorious Sonic the Hedgehog (2006). Again, the movie wasn’t bad, but the writers could’ve gone further.

Overall, video game live-action adaptations are huge risks for companies. There is pressure for not only movie studios to satisfy fans, but the games’ companies as well. For the past 30 years, they’ve been hit or miss. With this in mind, how is Nintendo going to handle their upcoming 2022 Super Mario Bros. Movie with Chris Pratt as Mario himself?