(Image via msn.com / Game Rant)
In the past few years, there has been a surge of video game adaptations in the form of movies and TV shows. Some have been absolute hits, and others have been disappointing to say the least.
2025 is no exception from the trend, coming in with a few new additions, with one being a live-action version of the hit interactive horror drama Until Dawn.
Released in 2015, Until Dawn has been a favorite amongst streamers and YouTubers for its choice-based story. Anyone can easily find themselves enjoying the game, as it boasts various different routes the player can go down.
Playthroughs differ from each other, giving each player a unique experience and often times a different ending. The game features a Saw-style story, maintaining a looming horror-driven aspect. The main characters are forced to work together to beat evils of all kinds, both man-made and otherworldly.
The fact that Until Dawn‘s story had no one canon ending has left those anticipating the film to guess how the story will play out.
The movie is directed by David F. Sandberg. Sandberg has tried his hand at other horror films, most notably Annabelle: Creation and Lights Out, both receiving decent scores from critics.
Only time will tell whether his newest recreation will remain faithful or will be another video game flop.
A strange note to the movie is that the original characters and voice actors are seemingly not recasting. Two famous actors that took part in the original game, Rami Malek and Hayden Panettiere, are missing from the cast list and the trailer.
This could ultimately mean that the game is a prequel or a sequel to the story, leaving much room to ponder and much to be discussed about the movie’s direction.
Ever since video games started receiving adaptations, it’s no surprise that many viewers are skeptical of Until Dawn’s movie release due to past failures in the subject.
Some of the most recent video game adaptations are the Five Nights at Freddy’s film and Borderlands, both scoring around the 5/10 star rating on IMDb. Both films were controversial at best, either being seen as a fun wild movie or as a completely unfaithful and disgusting conversion of the once beloved video games.
Another is the ever-continuing series Resident Evil. This series has many different movies and a few different TV spinoffs, all receiving fairly poor scores.
Two of its most recent attempts were in 2021 with the movie Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City and in 2022 with the Netflix series Resident Evil. Both received poor scores from the reviews, leaving little room for any sort of continuation.
With that being said, there are plenty of examples with faithful, amazing recreations done in the way that gamers like to see. Some include Fallout, Arcane, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, The Last of Us.
A lot of these adaptations have been well-liked and have received enough appreciation to have more seasons or even a second/third movie. This proves just how well a video game franchise can perform when presented in the right light albeit a different medium.
The reality of this is that video game adaptations are here to stay, likely not going anywhere anytime soon.
Some could call the films/series lazy for using existing media that fans have already come to love and appreciate. It could also be said that without their existence, we would not get the ability to witness more of our favorite franchises in stories that we have never seen before.
Although shows like The Last of Us are almost complete recreations of the video games, fans still love to see the action that was once experienced vicariously through their controller on the screen and more in a story-focused manner.
It’s easy to get wrapped up in the combat or level styles of the games without realizing just how beautiful the game you’re playing actually is. Shows and movies have allowed gamers to take their hands off of the controller and watch as the world they’re used to playing incomes to life in a hopefully respectful manner.
The Until Dawn movie is set to release on April 25th along with A Minecraft Movie. Now all that is left to do is wait and review the respective movies when they finally hit the silver screen.
Hopefully, there is enough respect for the video games for the movies to create the media in new yet recognizable fashion, allowing gamers of all kinds to enjoy the movies.