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From Super Mario Bros in 1993 to the latest iteration of Tomb Raider, films and series based on popular video games have always been highly anticipated. They’re either roundly criticised or universally loved by the gamers who have spent hours immersed in the worlds they bring to life.
For movie producers, bringing the worlds of video games and movies together is one of the most daunting challenges in Hollywood. And while films of the past based on fan favourite games haven’t always been top quality, we’re seeing some huge changes.
Producers and studios have finally begun to understand that adapting a game or delving into the gamer sub-genre for the big or silver screen needs focus and work. With renewed appreciation of striking the balance between appealing to both avid gamer fans and making them accessible to first-time viewers, the task of bringing popular games to life and mixing the two genres is being taken more seriously than ever. And Future Man, now streaming only on Showmax, takes views and gamers one step further by letting them be part of a game - on screen.
Josh Futturman (Josh Hutcherson of Hunger Games fame) is a janitor whose only claim to fame is his skill at Biotic Wars, a dystopian video game so difficult that everyone else has given up. After he defeats the game, two visitors from the future appear, claiming that the world is in danger and the game was a test to find the one person that can save it.
What follows is a time-travelling fish-out-of-water comedy that has been labelled “the perfect comedy/science-fiction hybrid” by Den of Geek and received an 82% critics rating and 88% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Showmax is the only place you’ll find it.
Read More: https://www.channel24.co.za/TV/News/josh-hutcherson-stars-in-hit-sci-fi-comedy-future-man-20181106
Now, check out this list of video game movies that rose to the challenge of bringing cult gaming classics successfully to our screens – and sink your teeth into these all-time favourites on Showmax:
This was one of Hollywood’s first attempts to bring a successful interactive video game character to the big screen. Starring Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie as the titular heroine, the movie managed to stay true to the games while also being exciting for “newbies” as it captured the spirit of the globe-trotting, puzzle-solving, kick-ass adventurer. The action scenes are explosive and keep building to a fun crescendo that's unusually good for a video game movie.
2. Resident Evil and Resident Evil 2: Apocalypse
Loosely based on the Japanese video game franchise of the same name, the action video series follows special unit forces that must fight a powerful, out-of-control supercomputer and hundreds of scientists who have turned into flesh-eating monsters after an accident in a laboratory.
The film launched the most enduring and successful video game movie franchise of all time - partly due to the charisma of star Milla Jovovich. The movie streamlined the game by focusing on a portion of Resi’s sprawling lore, and it was a great script decision to keep the emphasis on the action and on moving the storyline forward. It still holds up today and is well worth a re-watch.
3. Doom
Doom is a film that pays homage to its first-person shooter game origins, even transitioning to a straight first-person shooter mode at one point. The movie focuses on space marines who are sent to investigate weird events at a research facility on Mars, and stars The Rock and Karl Urban.
Both lead actors ooze that x-factor, movie-star quality that makes them the perfect space badasses and brilliantly brings this gamer story to life. There's also that first-person segmentation during the climax of the movie that remains a genre-mixing gem – something new for movie watchers and a nod to the die-hard gamer fans.
Watch all these films and the entertaining series Future Man on Showmax now.
Get a free 14-day trial if you are a first-time user when you sign up for Showmax, and if you’re a DStv Premium subscriber,get Showmax at no extra cost.?DStv Compact and Compact Plus subscribers get Showmax for R49.
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This post is sponsored by Showmax and produced by Brandstudio24 for Channel24.
