Video Game Movies and TV

Ubisoft's popular video-game series of the same name gets adapted for the big screen in this sweeping fantasy adventure starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton. The setting is sixth century Persia. A nefarious nobleman covets the Sands of Time, a legendary gift from the gods that allows its possessor to turn back time. Whoever owns the Sands of Time has the power to rule the world, and this villainous lord would use that power to enslave all of humanity. The only person capable of defeating this tyrant and saving the world is Dastan (Gyllenhaal), a youthful prince. Now, with plucky princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton) by his side, Dastan will attempt to prevent the Sands of Time from falling into the wrong hands. Mike Newell (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) directs a script penned by Carlo Bernard, Doug Miro, Jordan Mechner, and Boaz Yakin. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A brilliant hacker inadvertently sets the wheels of World War III into motion after hacking into a restricted online gaming network and learning of a national defense system designed to identify fledgling terrorist cells in this belated sequel to the popular 1982 thriller. There isn't a system on the planet that Will Farmer (Matt Lanter) can't hack into with a little work, so when he manages to breach the security of a restricted online gaming network known as R.I.P.L.E.Y., he's convinced that his skills are still as sharp as ever. But what Matt hasn't realized is that R.I.P.L.E.Y. is actually a highly classified government defense system, and he's just become its next target. Now the system knows his identity, and his entire hometown faces the threat of an automated military response. In order to clear his name, Matt will have to beat the computer at its own game. The game turns deadly, however, when R.I.P.L.E.Y. suddenly raises the stakes, threatening Armageddon in a time when the world is already dangerously unstable. With no time left to lose before the missiles start to fly, Matt must now use his formidable hacking skills to save the world from the government's own hopelessly flawed doomsday device. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Uwe Boll's fantasy adventure film In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale stars Jason Statham as Farmer, a simple man from the Kingdom of Ehb whose goal as the story begins is to care for his family. However, when the power-hungry Gallian (Ray Liotta) invades the kingdom, Farmer must abandon his simple existence in order to rescue his wife (Claire Forlani) and save his king (Burt Reynolds). This film is a cinematic adaptation of the video game Dungeon Siege. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

An international assassin known only as Agent 47 (Timothy Olyphant) carries out high-profile hits for a mysterious organization known only as "The Agency" in this adaptation of the popular Eidos Interactive video-game series. Agent 47 is an elite, genetically engineered assassin who takes great pride in his work. His lethal grace, steady shot, and unparalleled precision have all served to make him one of the most sought-after assassins in the world. But when the killer without a conscience is faced with an unanticipated series of developments, his entire perception of reality begins to shift. On assignment to take out Russian head of state Belicoff (Ulrich Thomsen), Agent 47 is caught off guard by the appearance of presidential look-alikes. When the high-profile hit captures the attention of such powerful intelligence organizations as the CIA and Interpol, agent Mike Whittier (Dougray Scott) is dispatched to rein Agent 47 in. Meanwhile, a mysterious Russian prostitute named Nika (Olga Kurylenko) has walked into Agent 47's life, causing the methodical killer to become overwhelmed by emotions that were previously foreign to him. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Notorious, critic-boxing director Uwe Boll takes the helm for this adaptation of the controversial video game that ignited controversy across the globe and is actually illegal to own in Australia and New Zealand. Dude (Zack Ward) is an unemployed slacker currently subsisting on Social Security until he lands his next job. Dude's uncle Dave (Dave Foley) is a cult leader currently in dire financial straits. When Uncle Dave hatches a plan to rip off a local amusement park, Dude sees the heist as the perfect opportunity to make a little extra cash. Unfortunately for Dude and Uncle Dave, the Taliban are all set to execute the exact same heist. Erick Avari, Seymour Cassel, Verne Troyer, Larry Thomas, and J.K. Simmons star in a deliberately over-the-top action comedy that is sure to garner as much controversy as the video game that inspired it. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Seth Gordon's documentary The King of Kong follows the exploits of the two best Donkey Kong players in America. Billy Mitchell has held the world record for the popular video game for over 20 years. The film covers his rise to prominence, and the circle of associates he keeps in the Twin Galaxies organization, which serves as the official referee and scorekeeper of the electronic gaming world; within the organization, Mitchell is highly revered for his prowess at a number of games. Eventually Steve Wiebe, with time on his hands now that he finds himself without a job, decides to seriously hunker down and challenge Mitchell's record. Gordon gets close to both men, and shows how the passionate arcade subculture harbors very powerful feelings about both of them. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Can the world's oldest adolescent maintain his cool while living with his grandmother? Alex (Allen Covert) is a 35-year-old video-game fanatic who gave up a career in accounting to take a job testing games for Brainasium, the company behind the wildly popular game "Eternal Death Slayer." While Alex took a big pay cut to land his dream job, he's happy with his work and is making ends meet -- until he discovers that his roommate hasn't paid the rent for the last six months, using the money to finance repeated visits to a local massage parlor. After running out of friends who will let him sleep on their couch, Alex swallows his pride and moves in with his grandma Lily (Doris Roberts), who loves Alex and is happy to give him a place to stay in exchange for doing chores around the house. Lily shares her home with two friends, perpetually confused Bea (Shirley Knight) and sexually adventurous Grace (Shirley Jones), and between the three of them, there's always work to be done, keeping Alex busy nearly every night. While Alex tells his co-workers he's living with three attractive women who are running him ragged, they don't know the real story; in the meantime, Alex is trying to charm Brainasium's beautiful new executive, Samantha (Linda Cardellini), while butting heads with the firm's space-case CEO Cheezle (Kevin Nealon) and J.P. (Joel David Moore), a teenage game designer who is no longer in touch with reality. Grandma's Boy was the first feature film from director Nicholaus Goossen. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A crack commando squad investigates a college campus inflected with a zombie virus in House of the Dead 2, a film that boldly continues where Uwe Boll's inept first film left off. When a demented professor (Sid Haig) starts to conduct experiments on fresh corpses, all hell breaks loose at Cuesta Verde University as hordes of undead college kids roam the secluded school. Now it's up to government agents Alex (Emmanuelle Vaugier) and Ellis (Ed Quinn) to find the zombie blood strain that initially started the epidemic so that a cure can be discovered. In their way are a student body of flesh-eating zombies and an inexperienced army unit headed by Dalton (Sticky Fingaz) that is assigned to aide them. Broadcast as a Sci-fi Channel exclusive in early 2006, the film was released to DVD in all its gory goodness shortly thereafter. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

An otherworldly investigator learns of a secret which could mean the end of civilization as we know it in this thriller based on the popular video game Alone in the Dark. Edward Carnby (Christian Slater) is a detective with Bureau 713, a secret investigative team affiliated with the United States government that explores supernatural and paranormal events. One of Carnby's assignments leads him to discover the secrets of the Abskani, an ancient tribe that worshiped demonic forces which gave them incredible powers. Carnby's findings suggest that the Abskani are poised to return to take over the world, and only one person has the knowledge to stop them -- archeologist Aline Cedrac (Tara Reid), who happens to be Carnby's former girlfriend. But Carnby's psyche has been tainted by his encounter with the Abskani demons, and he must now fight against their attempts to take over his mind as well as their attempts to conquer the Earth. Alone in the Dark also stars Stephen Dorff, Will Sanderson, and Françoise Yip. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A strange disease is decimating the land and it's up to the Hero cloud to emerge from solitude and defeat a new breed of enemy in the computer animated feature that picks up where Final Fantasy VII left off. It has been two years since the events of Final Fantasy VII, and though the ruins of Midger still stand to show the sacrifices made for peace, a new threat to mankind has arrived. With the citizens of the countryside falling deathly ill and old enemies rising from the ashes to seek revenge, Cloud must leap back into action and help his fellow men lest his solitude leave all of mankind vulnerable to another devastating attack. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A reclusive video game tester discovers a revolutionary new console system with the power to feed on the player's most intimate hopes and fears in directors David and Scott Hillenbrand's virtual reality thriller. Charlie Nash (Nate Richert) is one of the best video game testers in the business, but when his girlfriend Kate (Danielle Fishel) is ruthlessly gunned down by crooked cop Ronald Hobbes (Patrick Kilpatrick) the pain of Charlie's loss becomes too overwhelming to bear. Subsequently withdrawing into his work as a means of maintaining his sanity, Charlie is surprised to find a mysterious package on his doorstep containing a console system labeled GameBox 1.0. In addition to featuring a wireless headset, the mysterious game system also sports a camera with which Charlie is encouraged to photograph his friends so they may become characters in the game. Compelled by the prospect of escaping reality and truly immersing himself in a realistic, three-dimensional environment, Charlie obliges and casts Ronald Hobbes as the main villain. As the game begins, Charlie is stunned to find his senses completely overwhelmed. Not only does Hobbes appear as a samurai warrior intent on destroying the awe-stricken gamer, but Kate also turns up in the game as a character named Princess despite the fact that Charlie never loaded her photograph into the system. Frightened by the unnerving development and disturbed to feel real pain when he is injured in the game, Charlie realizes that the game is feeding on his memories and immediately turns the system off. Once started the game must be played to completion, however, and after suffering a disorienting series of hallucinations Charlie slips into a coma from which the only escape is to defeat the evil samurai while leading Princess through a formidable gauntlet of dangerous levels including an alien war zone, a zombie-infested forest, and a lawless concrete jungle. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Jeff Lieberman, celebrated by horror film buffs for his imaginative cult favorites Squirm and Blue Sunshine, returns to filmmaking with this offbeat shocker. It's late October, and Douglas (Alexander Brickel), like most nine-year-olds, is looking forward to Halloween, especially trick or treating. Doug's mother (Amanda Plummer) has made him a costume based on a character from his favorite video game, Satan's Little Helper, and his big sister Jenna (Katheryn Winnick) will be home from college to collect candy with him. But Douglas is angry when Jenna's new boyfriend, Alex (Stephen Graham), tags along, and he soon ditches his sister to go trick or treating alone. While making the rounds, Douglas happens upon a serial killer (Joshua Annex) dressed up like a monster from his video game; Douglas admires the killer's grisly handiwork, and offers to act as his assistant, just like in the game. First Douglas leads the maniac to Alex, whom he soon kills, and then he brings him home, where Jenna and Mom think the masked killer is just Alex in his Halloween costume. Shot on digital video, Satan's Little Helper was screened at the 2004 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The first American theatrically released 3-D movie from a major studio since 1991's Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare, Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over is the third entry in three years in Robert Rodriguez's family-oriented action-adventure series. Along with the four members of the Cortez family, played by Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino, Alexa Vega, and Daryl Sabara, most of the characters from the first two films have returned, including Fegan Floop (Alan Cumming), Romero (Steve Buscemi), Machete (Danny Trejo), Dinky Winks (Bill Paxton), and Donnagon (Mike Judge). This time around, Carmen (Vega) is kidnapped by the evil Toymaker (Sylvester Stallone) and imprisoned inside a virtual-reality game. It's then up to Juni (Sabara) to venture into the game and save his sister from the villain's clutches. The film's three-dimensional segments take place inside the game. Also starring Salma Hayek, Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over is actually the first of two 2003 films directed by Rodriguez that complete a trilogy, the other being Once Upon a Time in Mexico, the third installment in the El Mariachi saga. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi