Movies based on video games have been a common occurrence as early as the 80s, with a big
screen rendition of Nintendo hit Super Mario Bros. — pre-Chris Pratt’s voice acting endeavors
— released in 1986. Since then, thanks to the powers of CGI and developments, video game-
based movies have continued to grow in scale and frequency. Live-action films based on video
games also rose to popularity in the 90s and 2000s, when gamers and viewers witnessed iconic
video game characters like Lara Croft grace the big screen.
However, not all gaming-themed films are created and enjoyed equally. Unfortunately, some
video game-based movies tend to miss the mark or have trouble translating video game
narratives and lore to feature-length standards. In our Boy Kills World review, we highlighted the
movie’s promising premise and how it falls short of reaching that perfect blend between the
ultraviolence of 90s action flicks and elements from the video game world. Boy Kills World also
highlights a common problem of video game movies casting good actors in worlds that tend to
need a little more fleshing out.
Still, this doesn’t mean that all video game-based films are bad. In this post, we’ll take a closer
look at some gaming-themed films that simply get gaming right while not overwhelming their plot or script with pacing or world-building issues. While these may seem debatable to film
aficionados, the movies listed in this post are more love letters to gamers than anything:
Wreck-It Ralph
While not technically based on a real video game, Wreck-It Ralph excels in its world-building
while still paying homage to the world of gaming and arcades. Namely, the film focuses on the
bad guys we tend to meet in video games and even features a cheeky cameo from Nintendo’s
household villain Bowser. In building the weird and colorful world of Wreck-It Ralph, the film
aims to answer the very Toy Story-like question: What do video game characters do when we’re
not gaming?
Despite its seemingly simplistic concept and premise, Wreck-It Ralph has a lot of heart. The film
centering on video game villains also automatically creates that ragtag dynamic between its
characters, which the film’s equally loved sequel further explores later. More than anything,
Wreck-It Ralph succeeds in being a well-balanced video game film, even if the games it’s based
on are fictional.
The Family Plan
By no means a critically acclaimed film, The Family Plan is a Mark Wahlberg-led action comedy
film that heavily features the real-life first-person shooter game Valorant. Aside from being
central to the plot, the film’s use of Valorant is a crucial step forward in the history of video
game-based movie in that it features the esports side of gaming.
Esports is a rapidly growing segment of the video game industry and has quickly become its
own form of entertainment. As a result, the film was welcomed by the continually growing
Valorant player count — over 19.1 million monthly active players as of May 2024 — 70% of
whom belong to Gen Z. By heavily featuring esports as part of the film’s story, the movie is a
shoutout to the modern gamer’s spirit and strays away from the usual bleak depiction of the
Cheetos-infused, basement-dwelling gamer (see: Thor in Avengers: Endgame). To ensure the
movie got esports right, they even cast real-life Valorant gamers and content creators.
Free Guy
Much like Wreck-It Ralph, Free Guy‘s success as a gaming-themed movie follows a similar
premise. Instead of focusing on the bad guys in video games, Free Guy explores the inner
workings of a video game’s non-playable character (NPC) and what happens when one goes
rogue.
In talking about Free Guy‘s world design, filmmaker Shawn Levy named real video games like
Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty as inspirations for developing the film’s video game world,
balancing the animated feel of video games with cartoony and outlandish gameplay. At the
center of it all, though, is an absurd love story between the NPC and a real player’s in-game
character, as well as the triumphant message that we can all become the main characters of our
story by taking control.
Scott Pilgrim vs The World
Finally, instead of taking you into a fictional video game world, Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim
stands out by establishing that the movie’s world is a video game — completely subverting the
subgenre. At the same time, Scott Pilgrim is also an homage to comicbooks, drawing on comic
visuals throughout its runtime. This resulted in a wacky, colorful, and quick-witted film led by a
star-studded ensemble, including entertaining performances from pre-MCU Chris Evans and
Brie Larson.
More than a decade after the film’s release, many still applaud the movie’s many moments of
mischief, like a supervillain ex-boyfriend exploding into coins after his defeat, as well as the film
— and source material — treating its villains like video games treat final bosses. Later, Scott
Pilgrim would re-enter pop culture through a Netflix animated series, in which the original cast
returned to voice their cartoon characters, along with a significant twist in how Scott Pilgrim‘s
story is told.
