Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information, you confirm you are aged 16 or over, have read our Privacy Policy and agree to the Terms & Conditions. Geographical rules apply.

Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Buying Guides
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Video
    • Videos
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
    • G+RLS Podcast
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
  • Home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Buying Guides
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Video
    • View Video
    • Videos
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
    • G+RLS Podcast
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
Your movies and TV digest from the team at GamesRadar+

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies

50 Worst Movie Adaptations

Features
By Joshua Winning
Published 5 October 2011

Why did they even bother?

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Subscribe to our newsletter

The Time Machine (2002)

The Adaptation: The thinking caps come off in favour of daft action set-pieces for this new adaptation of H.G. Wells’ influential sci-fi.

What They Got Most Wrong: It’s all down to the cast again, as Samantha Mumba and a mad-eyed Jeremy Irons do nothing to support poor old Guy Pearce.

Super Mario Bros (1993)

The Adaptation: Very loosely based on the videogame, Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo play the Italian brothers – here plumbers who are going out of business thanks to a mafia-like construction company.

What They Got Most Wrong: Every. Single. Thing. The casting. The tone. The story. So bad that even the film’s cast hate it.

Howling IV: The Original Nightmare (1988)

The Adaptation: A more loyal adaptation of Gary Brandner’s pulp werewolf novel than Joe Dante’s first Howling , this new nightmare changes the names and a few of the events for a pointless, futile exercise.

What They Got Most Wrong: Taking everything far too seriously – at least Dante’s film had suitably biting humour.

Latest Videos FromGamesRadar+
Watch full video here:

Yogi Bear (2011)

The Adaptation: The mayor wants to shut down Jellystone Park, or something, in this live-action re-do of the beloved kids cartoon.

What They Got Most Wrong: Following the CGI trend and turning Yogi into a horrible, fake-looking computer creation.

Batman & Robin (1997)

The Adaptation: Joel Schumacher has another go at destroying the Batman mythology with George Clooney now in the batsuit. We’ve never seen so much neon in our lives.

What They Got Most Wrong: Putting nipples on the Batsuit. Oh, you want something real? We’re not sure we have the energy to list everything here.

You may like
  • Austin Abrams as Bryan in Resident Evil Resident Evil is the most successful video game movie yet, and should be the template for game adaptations going forward
  • The Super Mario Movie 10 Best video game movies of all time, ranked
  • Borderlands Borderlands director says his 10% Rotten Tomatoes-rated video game adaptation went wrong because it "belonged to nobody"

Double Dragon (1994)

The Adaptation: Live-action adaptation of the video game series that mostly just grabs the name for marketing purposes and then ignores the games entirely.

What They Got Most Wrong: New Angeles? Seriously?

Steel (1997)

The Adaptation: Basketball sensation Shaquille O’Neal shrugs on a big suit of armour to transform into the DC Comics character.

What They Got Most Wrong: Failing to include anything of entertainment merit – that includes Shaq.

Your movies and TV digest from the team at GamesRadar+

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we’ve got you covered.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Captain Corellis Mandolin (2001)

The Adaptation: John Madden’s filmic interpretation of Louis De Bernieres’s WW2-set romance.

What They Got Most Wrong: Casting Nic Cage, whose overblown attempt at portraying an Italian is so bad it’s almost farcical.

Catwoman (2004)

The Adaptation: Halle Berry flexes her claws and (cat)fights with Sharon Stone in surely the worst comic-book adaptation of our time.

What They Got Most Wrong: If we’re going to pick on anything, it’ll be the atrocious costume, which makes Catwoman look like some sort of bondage sex worker.

Thunderbirds (2004)

The Adaptation: There’s not a puppet in sight in Jonathan Frakes’ ‘modernisation’ of Gerry Anderson’s classic TV caper. Instead, we get a cast of 12-year-olds. And Bill Paxton.

What They Got Most Wrong: Pissing off Anderson. “It’s the biggest load of crap I have ever seen in my entire life,” was his condemnation of the movie.

What do you think is the worst movie adaptation ever made? Drop us your thoughts below...

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Current page: Page 5

Prev Page Page 4
Joshua Winning
Social Links Navigation

Josh Winning has worn a lot of hats over the years. Contributing Editor at Total Film, writer for SFX, and senior film writer at the Radio Times. Josh has also penned a novel about mysteries and monsters, is the co-host of a movie podcast, and has a library of pretty phenomenal stories from visiting some of the biggest TV and film sets in the world. He would also like you to know that he "lives for cat videos..." Don't we all, Josh. Don't we all.  

Read more
Austin Abrams as Bryan in Resident Evil
Horror Movies Resident Evil is the most successful video game movie yet, and should be the template for game adaptations going forward
 
 
The Super Mario Movie
Movies 10 Best video game movies of all time, ranked
 
 
Borderlands
Action Movies Borderlands director says his 10% Rotten Tomatoes-rated video game adaptation went wrong because it "belonged to nobody"
 
 
Chun-Li in the Street Fighter movie
Movies Every upcoming video game movie you need to know about in 2026 and beyond
 
 
Austin Abrams as Bryan in Resident Evil
Horror Movies Resident Evil movie: the biggest similarities and differences from the games
 
 
Austin Abrams as Bryan in Resident Evil
Horror Movies Resident Evil movie review: "The best Resi movie by a distance and the best video game movie full stop"
 
 
Latest in Movies
Saw
Horror Movies Billy the Puppet rises from the dead as Saw 11 finds its director, but fans think the horror franchise is getting an overhaul
 
 
Godzilla Minus Zero trailer still sees kaiju in New York City
Sci-Fi Movies Godzilla Minus One is the first R-rated Godzilla movie for a reason, says director: "Cutting it was just not an option"
 
 
Godzilla in Godzilla Minus Zero
Sci-Fi Movies Godzilla Minus Zero debuts to near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score
 
 
Rey in The Rise of Skywalker
Star Wars Movies Spider-Man filmmaker will direct first movie of new Star Wars trilogy in the Skywalker Saga
 
 
Chris Evans as Captain America in Avengers: Endgame
Marvel Movies Avengers: Endgame will overtake Avatar as the highest-grossing movie very soon after Encore's bumper box office numbers
 
 
Tony Stark in Avengers: Endgame
Marvel Movies Avengers: Endgame may be the only Marvel movie you need to rewatch before Doomsday, and here's why
 
 
Latest in Features
Tony Stark in Avengers: Endgame
Marvel Movies Avengers: Endgame may be the only Marvel movie you need to rewatch before Doomsday, and here's why
 
 
Rap duo Real Dimez in GTA 6 stand in front of microphones
Grand Theft Auto "Having a hand in the game etches you in history": How Grand Theft Auto became a musical tastemaker
 
 
The Blood of Dawnwalker main character Coen looking up after just feeding, with his mouth full of blood and sharp teeth
RPGs I'm too stubborn to wait for The Blood of Dawnwalker devs to fix a gamebreaking bug
 
 
Painted key art by Alex Horley for World of Warcraft, cropped for a header image, depicting the Alliance faction looking out across forests and mountains
World of Warcraft World of Warcraft: Forever gives old school fans nearly everything they could want
 
 
Austin Abrams as Bryan in Resident Evil
Horror Movies Resident Evil is the most successful video game movie yet, and should be the template for game adaptations going forward
 
 
The Blood of Dawnwalker main character Coen looking up after just feeding, with his mouth full of blood and sharp teeth
Action RPGs I fumbled my Blood of Dawnwalker playthrough by losing one ally and accidentally sending another to hell
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan in Lanterns
    1
    Lanterns finale trailer could be setting up a DC villain even more powerful than Sinestro
  2. 2
    Hey amiibo fans - If I were you, I'd grab these diorama accessories while you still have a chance
  3. 3
    WoW: Forever dev says quest drops aren't changing in the MMO, but Blizzard has made them more even
  4. 4
    Where to pre-order God of War Laufey, Faye's journey through The Everywhen hits the shelves (on a disc) tomorrow
  5. 5
    Toem 2 review: "Effortlessly charming with clever puzzling, this photography adventure is worth snapping up"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...