For the last 34 years, the arcade sensation Mortal Kombat has lit up gamers in their quest to defeat the evil Shao Khan, emperor of Outworld, in his quest to claim Earthrealm for his own. Of course, one could side… Read More ›
video game
It’s showtime anytime with “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” on home video.
Since Scott Cawthorn’s horror survival game Five Nights at Freddy’s (FNaF) released in 2011, a fan base has arisen around the murderous animatronics and the new security guards whom try to make it through their shifts. Including the initial outing,… Read More ›
“The Mortuary Assistant” undercuts its audience experience by keeping us in the observation room instead of elbows-deep at the slab.
We’re only slightly over a month into 2026 and it has already been a *rough* year for video game adaptations. First we had Return to Silent Hill, which our very own EoM Senior Critic Hunter Heilman, fan of the franchise,… Read More ›
Even with Christophe Gans back in the director’s chair, “Return to Silent Hill” struggles to meet its own potential.
Asking me to describe my relationship with the Silent Hill franchise is opening a Pandora’s Box of epic proportions. The series, centered around a cursed ghost town in rural Maine, has haunted, compelled, comforted, entertained, frightened, and shaped me in… Read More ›
The play’s the thing when it comes to comedic documentary “Grand Theft Hamlet.” [SXSW]
The pandemic did a lot of things to the citizens of the world in the early years, the least of which was take thousands of lives. Those who remained in those initial months and years dealt with physical isolation, financial… Read More ›
With delicacy and care, Jane M. Wagner’s “Break the Game” presents a tale of an adventurer on one last quest. [Tribeca Film Festival]
February 21st, 1986, an action/fantasy RPG-like game released on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) called The Legend of Zelda. Unlike the console’s mascot, the Italian plumber Mario, who jumped, stomped, and power-uped his way through one obstacle or another on… Read More ›
Illumination’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” will have gaming audiences shouting “Wahooo!” on their way out of the theater.
Let me paint you a picture: It’s May 1993 and Walt Disney, via distributor Buena Vista Pictures, is about to release a film co-written by Ed Solomon (Men in Black/Bill & Ted franchise), starring Bob Hoskins (Who Framed Roger Rabbit?),… Read More ›
Despite the beautiful music, video game adaptation “DEEMO Memorial Keys” strikes as off-key, overlong, and uninspiring.
For those not in the know, the video game subgenre “rhythm” is of a music-oriented or music-centric design, the intent being to get the player to engage with music in some way. This could be by using one’s feet to… Read More ›
Oh crap! Director Ruben Fleischer’s “Uncharted” game adaptation is out on home video.
November 2007 saw the release of game developer Naughty Dog’s action/adventure third-person perspective game Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. Since then, the series has developed six more titles that function as either sequels or spin-offs, tracking the adventures of Nathan Drake, Vincent… Read More ›
“Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City” 4K UHD Giveaway
Between 2002 and 2017, there have been six Resident Evil films, each one starring Milla Jovovich, each one seemingly going deeper into the lore of the games. Except, they were really just action/adventure films dressed in horror. Attempting to reboot the entire… Read More ›
Tour the home release of “Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City” through the lens of a franchise fan.
Listen, I was there in the era between Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. We were truly out here in the trenches as fans. You think you can hurt me? I bought Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D on… Read More ›
The unique atmosphere of video game adaptation “Detention (返校)” evokes that helpless feeling of a good survival horror game.
When you think of a movie based on a video game, do pleasant thoughts come to mind? Despite some genuinely great films based on video games (Silent Hill’s 32% on Rotten Tomatoes is a homophobic microaggression; Silent Hill: Revelation’s 6%… Read More ›
The prophecy complete and the tournament on the horizon, it must mean 2021’s “Mortal Kombat” is out on home video.
29 years after the debut of the Ed Boon and John Tobias’s arcade cabinet classic Mortal Kombat, director Simon McQuoid and writers Greg Russo and David Callaham (Godzilla vs. Kong) unleash the third live-action adaption of the beloved martial arts… Read More ›
Everyone’s a little suss when there are “Werewolves Within.”
When it comes to adapting games, especially video games, for cinema, the track record is low for success. While there’s some fun to be had in Doom (2005) or Mortal Kombat (1995), it’s best not to mention any appreciation for… Read More ›
In honor of the 20th anniversary of Angelina Jolie’s “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” snag both adventures in a new 4K UHD 2-pack.
Its 1996 and British gaming company Core Design has released action-adventure game Tomb Raider for PC, PlayStation, and Sega Saturn consoles. Centered around archeologist/adventurer Lara Croft, the title challenged gamers to solve puzzles and confront strange enemies in pursuit of… Read More ›
Simon McQuoid’s “Mortal Kombat” is not a flawless victory.
Debuting in 1992, Ed Boon and John Tobias’s arcade game Mortal Kombat shook the foundation of popular kulture almost immediately. It wasn’t just the karacter design (digitized versions of real people known as “sprites”) or the in-game mythos, but the… Read More ›
Director Paul W.S. Anderson’s video game adaptation “Monster Hunter” possesses the potential to be the start of something grand.
I’m a recent convert, but I love me some Monster Hunter videogames. They’re simple on the surface, but nearly impossible to truly master without pouring countless hours grinding and studying the habits and weaknesses of each bit of prey assigned… Read More ›
Get over here and watch the latest Warner Bros. Animation home release “Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge.”
There are a handful of video games who proved so resilient, they seemed to transcend their release date and extend into generations of play. We’re talking Nintendo’s Super Mario franchise, Sega’s Sonic, Capcom’s Street Fighter, and, the series that just… Read More ›