Video game adaptations are tough, but these portrayals were spot on! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at the best character performances in Video Game adaptations.
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00:00 "Have you ever played this?
00:02 Buggle?
00:03 It's a word game."
00:05 Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're looking at the best performances in video game adaptations.
00:12 "You're doing great Chuck."
00:16 Number 10, Detective Pikachu.
00:18 Pokemon Detective Pikachu.
00:20 Nintendo has traditionally been incredibly cautious about allowing their characters to
00:24 be adapted to film with over a quarter century passing since they had previously made a live
00:29 action feature.
00:30 "If that thing came from you, then we're looking at the most powerful Pokemon in the world."
00:35 The wait would prove to be worth it however, as the beloved worldwide phenomenon of Pokemon
00:41 was brilliantly brought to screen giving audiences the realistic versions of Pokemon they had
00:45 been dreaming of for decades.
00:47 The most notable of course was the title character of the film and the longtime Pokemon mascot,
00:53 Pikachu.
00:54 "I feel that in my jellies."
00:55 "What is that?
00:56 What is that?"
00:57 "It's the jellies.
00:58 It's that thing.
00:59 You feel it when you really believe in something."
01:01 With the indelible Ryan Reynolds providing his voice, the fluffy electric detective was
01:05 imbued with personality and humor, giving Pokefans everything they could have hoped
01:10 for.
01:11 "Nice catch kid.
01:12 Let's get out of here."
01:16 Number 9, Lara Croft.
01:18 Tomb Raider.
01:19 Coming off her Oscar winning turn in The Danish Girl and critically acclaimed performance
01:22 in Ex Machina, Alicia Vikander was a perfect choice to bring one of video games most iconic
01:28 women back to the big screen.
01:29 "Give me the bag."
01:31 The reboot was in line with more recent portrayals of the famed video game adventurer Lara Croft,
01:36 which focused less on objectifying the character and more on making her a gritty and capable
01:41 action heroine.
01:49 No stranger to action films after appearing in Jason Bourne, Vikander delivered on both
01:53 the emotional and physical aspects required of the role.
01:56 "I'll take two."
01:59 Number 8, Dr. Robotnik.
02:00 Sonic the Hedgehog franchise.
02:02 Over his long and illustrious career, Jim Carrey had done it all.
02:06 Comedy, drama, playing over the top buffoons and quiet introverts.
02:10 One thing he had never done however, was play a character that had originated in a video
02:14 game.
02:15 That is until he stepped into the shoes of the mad scientist, Dr. Robotnik.
02:19 "I'm sorry Major, what was your name?"
02:22 "Benny-" "Nobody cares!
02:24 Nobody cares."
02:25 Carrey managed to put his own stamp on the villainous role, reminiscent of his parts
02:29 in the 90s, while still managing to stay true to the roots of the character.
02:33 "The time for talking is over!"
02:34 "It's time to push buttons."
02:36 After a great performance in the first film, Carrey brought things to the next level when
02:40 he returned in the sequel, giving Robotnik his iconic bald head, goggles and wild mustache.
02:46 "And what kind of genius shows up to Siberia in a convertible?"
02:49 "The kind of genius that can turn up the heat, with a flick of a switch."
02:57 Number 7, Scorpion - Mortal Kombat
02:59 A standout in the long and storied history of Mortal Kombat games, Scorpion is known
03:04 as much for his compelling backstory as his legendary catchphrase.
03:08 The 2021 adaptation opened on that backstory, featuring Hiroyuki Sanada as Hanzo Hasashi,
03:14 a 17th century warrior who was murdered alongside his family.
03:17 "I know this much.
03:20 I will kill you."
03:22 Returning as the vengeful specter known as Scorpion, Sanada imbued the role of the spectral
03:26 yellow-clad ninja with an astounding amount of pathos.
03:30 "I was resurrected from hell to kill you."
03:34 On a quest for revenge, it wouldn't be fair to call Scorpion either a hero or a villain.
03:39 Perhaps put best by Sanada himself, he is a family man changed to a fighting machine.
03:44 Perhaps best of all about Sanada's stellar performance was his utterance of the iconic
03:48 line, "Get over here!"
03:55 Number 6, Bowser - Super Mario Bros.
03:59 Mario's greatest nemesis has always walked the tightrope between being imposing and a
04:04 little bit ridiculous.
04:05 "Open the gates, or die."
04:09 When it came time for Jack Black to lend his voice to Bowser, he walked that tightrope
04:13 to perfection.
04:15 Giving the fire-breathing lizard a gruffly commanding, yet slightly goofy presence.
04:19 "You really thought I'd marry you?"
04:23 "Kinda."
04:24 Black truly went the extra mile, embodying Bowser in more than just voice, as evidenced
04:29 by his off-screen antics promoting the film.
04:32 Despite his dastardly deeds, Bowser felt tragic and relatable, perhaps most of all in his
04:37 ballad "Peaches," which unsurprisingly went viral.
04:49 Number 5, Sweet Tooth - Twisted Metal
04:52 Taking a page out of Darth Vader's book, this masked villain is actually two performances
04:57 in one.
04:58 Professional wrestler Samoa Joe is the body of Sweet Tooth, bringing the masked killer
05:02 a brutal presence, while Will Arnett used his gravelly voice to give him a darkly comedic
05:07 menace.
05:10 As the nightmarish clown that owns the streets of a post-apocalyptic Las Vegas, Sweet Tooth
05:15 manages to be a memorable and imposing villain both in and outside of his car.
05:24 Sweet Tooth's look is a dead ringer for the games, with plenty of easter eggs over
05:28 the course of the series for fans to scoop up.
05:36 Number 4, Trevor Belmont - Castlevania
05:39 Seasoned actor of the screen and stage, Richard Armitage provided his iconic baritone voice
05:44 to the vampire hunter Trevor Belmont.
05:49 In line with the video game's Japanese roots, the show was animated to be reminiscent of
05:54 anime as well as artwork from Ayame Kojima originally done for the games.
05:59 That art style combined with the booming voice of Armitage helped perfectly translate Belmont
06:04 into a new medium.
06:09 Drawing from the plot of Castlevania III and later Curse of Darkness, Belmont was a dark
06:14 and brooding figure with a real sense of gravitas not possible in the days of pixels and text
06:19 boxes.
06:27 Number 3, Geralt of Rivia - The Witcher
06:30 Originally a series of novels by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher franchise found
06:35 newfound popularity with the release of the massively popular series of video games based
06:40 on the bestsellers.
06:42 One of the many fans of The Witcher games was avid gamer Henry Cavill, who actively
06:46 campaigned for and received that lead role.
06:55 He proved to be perfect for the part, possessing both the muscular physical build to effectively
07:00 inhabit Geralt and the nerd cred to exist in the world of magic and monsters.
07:07 Perhaps more importantly however, his natural talent as an actor showed through, helping
07:12 to make the show a certified hit.
07:19 Number 2, Jinx - Arcane
07:29 The world of League of Legends is brilliantly depicted in a game full of fascinating characters
07:33 and rich settings.
07:35 However, due to the nature of the game's multiplayer format, there isn't much opportunity
07:39 to delve into the world building and character backstories.
07:42 That's what made a television show set in the world so intriguing, allowing for the
07:46 first time an exploration of the characters and world that had captured the player's
07:51 imaginations.
07:57 The show chose fan-favorite Jinx as its primary protagonist, chronicling her slow descent
08:03 into madness and violence brought to life by voice actress Ella Purnell.
08:10 Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
08:13 M. Bison - Street Fighter A final performance for the ages from Raul
08:18 Julia.
08:32 Phoenix Wright - Ace Attorney Hiroki Narumiya is perfect in this adaptation
08:37 of an over-the-top classic.
08:41 Dora Tan - Warcraft A haunting and powerful motion capture role
08:46 by Toby Kevill.
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09:07 Joel - The Last of Us If there ever needed an argument to be made
09:12 for video games as a worthwhile art form, one would need to look no further than The
09:17 Last of Us.
09:18 Featuring characters imbued with all the best and worst aspects of humanity, often at the
09:24 same time, an actor with real range would need to play Joel in the adaptation.
09:30 Pedro Pascal fully rose to the occasion displaying those complex emotions and embodying his difficult
09:36 but powerful character art.
09:38 For his effort, Pascal received both Emmy and Golden Globe nominations, as did Bella
09:43 Ramsey who gave a powerhouse performance as Ellie.
09:53 The pair helped to make The Last of Us one of the greatest pieces of television ever.
10:04 Did we forget a best portrayal of a video game character that you love?
10:08 Let us know in the comments down below.
10:21 Thanks for watching.