It seems like the concept of an era of “bad video game adaptations” may finally be ending. HBO’s The Last of Us is going down well with critics and fans alike, and is now the network’s second biggest premiere since 2010, being beaten only by House of the Dragon.
The history of video game adaptations is known to be a bit messy. The infamous live-action Super Mario Bros. movie of 1993 is widely hailed as the best example of how bad they can be, thanks to negative reviews at the time. When I remember that its contemporaries include the live-action Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter films, then yes. It’s easy to see why we’re not looking back at the 90s as a golden era.
It’s only in recent years that video game adaptations have managed to receive positive reception from critics and fans. Netflix’s The Witcher has already been renewed for Season 4, with Season 3 yet to be aired later this year. Despite the lukewarm reception to Paramount’s trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog (and his bizarre design – no really, why would you do that to him??) back in 2019, it did pretty well at the box office, and there’s even a third movie on the way.
