The Besties: How Video Game Movies Got Good – A Post Games Bonus

Date: August 25, 2025
Host: Chris Plante (A), with guest Patrick H. Willems (B)

Overview

In this special feed drop from Chris Plante’s new show Post Games, Plante interviews video essayist and filmmaker Patrick H. Willems to unravel the history and evolution of video game movie adaptations over the past 30 years. Together, they chart five distinct eras—from early failures and camp classics, through Hollywood’s awkward stabs, to the recent box-office triumphs of Mario, Sonic, and more. The episode analyzes how studios went from treating these adaptations as quick cash-grabs to billion-dollar phenomena, the relationship between games and movies as media, and what the future may hold.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introduction: Setting the Stage ([00:00-05:19])

• Chris Plante introduces "Post Games," describing it as "a show about how and why we love video games — NPR/BBC/New York Times, but for the stuff that we love."

• He teases other Post Games topics (NSFW games, Atari’s comeback, YouTube critic Dunkey) and frames this episode as especially Besties-friendly, focused on video game adaptations.

• The episode features a “tour” with Patrick H. Willems structured into five eras:

  • Act 1: The Doomed Decades
  • Act 2: Hollywood Hits
  • Act 3: The news of the week

Act 1 – The Doomed Decades: 1993–1999 (The "Zeitgeist" Era) ([05:27-18:02])

Early Adaptations and Industry Attitudes

Movies: Super Mario Bros. (1993), Double Dragon, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat (1995), Wing Commander

• Narrative Simplicity: Early games had little story or character depth ("just two or three bullet points that could be written on the side of an arcade cabinet" - Plante, [09:52]), so movies padded out content.
• Willems notes that studios cared little about fidelity to the games or their fans. Instead, they saw adaptations as another way to tap a huge child and teen audience.
• Patrick H. Willems:

  "They just back then did not care about fans wanting faithful adaptations. They're just like, whatever. This silly game, it's like a starting point. Who cares if the film barely resembles the source material?" ([08:27])

The Impact of Batman (1989)

• Patrick marks Tim Burton’s Batman as a cinematic turning point:

  "I think one of just the major pivot points in western cinema is Tim Burton's Batman in 1989... truly like western cinema, you can look at it as pre and post Batman." ([10:28])

Faithfulness in Adaptation

• "Faithful" meant retaining narrative beats and visual iconography (preference for costumes, special moves in Mortal Kombat).
• Unfaithful: Mario Bros., with only superficial resemblance.
• Faithful: Mortal Kombat (1995) is cited as the first real "fan-forward" adaptation.

  "[Mortal Kombat] feels like it was made by a fan of the games, aiming at other fans." ([13:08])

No Dead Periods

• Remarkable consistency: “There is no off year, basically. People have quite literally been running this playbook nonstop since Mario.” (Plante, [12:22])

Act 2 – The Grown-Up Games Era: 2001–2008 ([18:02-29:45])

Key Directors: Paul W.S. Anderson and Uwe Boll
Key Films: Tomb Raider, Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Doom, Postal

Paul W.S. Anderson

• British director credited with launching Jude Law’s career in "Shopping."
• Anderson’s Mortal Kombat was the first "hit," paving the way for his long-running Resident Evil series starring Milla Jovovich.
• Notable for the evolving way Anderson films his (now wife) Jovovich:

  "You really can watch in this... the way he films his wife changes. And it is fascinating..." (Plante, [21:20])

Uwe Boll

• Known for rapid-fire, low-budget, often reviled adaptations ("single-digit Rotten Tomatoes scores": House of the Dead, Alone in the Dark, BloodRayne, Postal).
• Movies often seemed like “money laundering schemes,” using recognizably B- and C-list celebrities.
• Notorious for boxing critics who panned his films:

  "Uwe Boll has actually, like, trained as a boxer for years, and he beat the shit out of a bunch of movie critics, which is weird... and, like, morally questionable but funny as well." (Willems, [24:43])

Standout Films

• Resident Evil franchise becomes the 2000s' dominant series, despite diverging from the games' core horror vibe.
• Silent Hill (Christophe Gans) is cited as the era’s rare artistic highlight.
• Willems on critical reception:

  "No video game adaptation has a Rotten Tomatoes score even above 50% until 2018... Even when these movies would make money... none was to most audiences viewed as a home run." ([29:06])

Act 3 – The Botched Blockbuster Era: 2010–2016 ([30:22-39:45])

Key Films: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (Disney), Need for Speed, Warcraft, Assassin's Creed

Comic Book Movie Influence

• Hollywood "perfected" the comic book formula, aiming to replicate that success with video games:

  "At this point in time, comic book movies had kind of been... perfected. Make movies that got Oscar noms, were blockbusters, got good reviews... Now apply the same formula to video games." (Willems, [30:54])

Oscar Talent, Disappointing Results

• Studios used A-list actors and respected directors (Jake Gyllenhaal, Ben Kingsley, Duncan Jones, Michael Fassbender), but the films underperformed.
• Warcraft and Assassin's Creed took fidelity to the source material "to a fault," resulting in convoluted plots meant to serve fan knowledge rather than mass audience cohesion.

Knowing vs. Unknowing Audience

• Successful adaptations (e.g., MCU) balance fan-service with accessibility:

  "...it's a matter of, I think, training the unknowing audience to become the knowing audience." ([36:13])

• Comic book adaptations are easier compared to games, as superheroes share genre tropes, while games are narratively disparate.

Act 4 – The Passable or Profitable Era: 2018–2022 ([39:06–44:37])

Key Films: Tomb Raider (2018), Rampage, Detective Pikachu, Sonic the Hedgehog, Werewolves Within, Uncharted

"Good Enough" Success

• First era where adaptations achieve passing ("fresh") critical scores.

  "Detective Pikachu is the first one [that does it]." (Willems, [39:59])

• New tone: Instead of aiming for importance, these movies are bright, fun, and accessible, often leveraging star power (Ryan Reynolds in Detective Pikachu, Dwayne Johnson in Rampage, Jim Carrey in Sonic).
• Studio lesson: Don’t overreach—aim for breezy entertainment and recognizable icons.

Sonic's Redesign: Interactive Fan Feedback

• Sonic movie famously retooled character design after fan backlash—indicative of a new era where studios respond to gamer communities.

  "[There was] straight up spending millions of dollars to change the movie before it comes out to appeal to the fans." (Willems, [42:57])

Act 5 – The True Blockbuster Era: 2022–Present ([45:32–56:05])

Key Films: Five Nights at Freddy’s, Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 & 3, Minecraft (2025)

Unprecedented Success

• These films are "actual" blockbusters, grossing billions and attracting all-ages audiences.

Adaptation as "Palimpsestuous" ([46:48])

• Willems introduces the term (from Michael Alexander): Adapting games to film "erases" the core of the original (interactivity), overwriting with narrative/spatial elements.

  "You're inherently getting rid of arguably the primary component of the game, which is that it is an interactive experience ... so what do you replace that with?" ([46:48])

Why Now? Audience Shifts

• Kids/families are a key demo for modern adaptations; these movies succeed by being accessible and leveraging age-old mascots.
• Willems notes the convergence with the "Let's Play" and Twitch generation:

  "...the rise of let's Play videos and Twitch streamers... for many other people, I think the idea of, like, watching a movie that feels like watching someone play a video game is totally fine." ([53:27])

Open Questions on Longevity

• Success may be hard to sustain:

  "Movie series that build as they go on... it's because there is some kind of ongoing narrative... I wonder how much people are going to be invested in the character of Mario and his ongoing story." (Willems, [55:20])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Early Adaptations:

  "Who cares if the film barely resembles the source material? Because the source material is pretty stupid." — Patrick H. Willems ([08:27])

• On Uwe Boll’s Reputation:

  "His movies truly seem like they're like money laundering schemes." — Willems ([22:44])

• On Sonic’s Fan-Inspired Redesign:

  "There was straight up spending millions of dollars to change the movie before it comes out to appeal to the fans. That is its own thing." — Willems ([42:57])

• On the Modern Audience:

  "I think they cracked it. I don't know if this makes for good cinema, but it certainly makes for profitable movies." — Willems ([53:27])

• On the Fundamental Challenge of Adapting Games:

  "[Adapting games to films,] you're inherently getting rid of arguably the primary component of the game, which is that it is an interactive experience ... so what do you replace that with?" — Willems ([46:48])

Important Segment Timestamps

• [05:27] – Introduction of Patrick H. Willems, breakdown of episode structure
• [08:03] – The first era: Zeitgeist (Super Mario Bros. et al.)
• [13:08] – Faithful vs. unfaithful adaptations
• [18:51] – The rise of Paul W.S. Anderson and Uwe Boll
• [24:43] – Uwe Boll's critical reception, infamous boxing stunts
• [29:03] – Rotten Tomatoes scores: Decades of infamy
• [30:22] – Era shift: The botched blockbusters
• [36:13] – Knowing vs. unknowing audience in adaptation
• [39:59] – Detective Pikachu: First “fresh” adaptation
• [42:57] – Sonic and the power of fan feedback
• [46:48] – The challenge of adapting interactivity ("palimpsestuous" debate)
• [53:27] – Youth culture, Let's Plays, and moviegoing habits
• [55:20] – Sequel sustainability and character investment
• [56:05] – Closing thoughts

Bonus/Patreon Content Tease

• Extended chat re: the future of video game adaptations (over 40 in development)!
• A talk on what it means when critics say a movie “feels like a video game.”

News of the Week (Act 3, [56:55–61:12])

• Hollow Knight: Silksong: Release set for September 4 after a seven-year wait, with context on Team Cherry’s small-scale development.
• US Console Prices Rising: Sony, Xbox, and Nintendo models all see $50 increases due to inflation and international economics.
• Garfield Kart 2 announced, generating playful fanfare.

Closing

Chris thanks Patrick H. Willems, previews next week’s episode on “how a video game recreates cable TV,” and plugs both the Patreon and upcoming audiobook on the history of Street Fighter: The Movie.

Summary prepared for The Besties listeners by AI. If you enjoyed this format, support Post Games and check out Patrick H. Willems’s YouTube/Nebula channels for more film and adaptation insights.