Skip to main content
Games Radar
  • Newsarama
  • Total Film
  • Edge
  • Retro Gamer
  • PLAY
  • SFX
Total Film The smarter take on movies
Subscribe
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12.99
View
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Subscribe
  • Podcast
  • Newsletter
  • Magazines
    • About Us
    • Retro Gamer
    • Play
    • Total Film
    • Edge
    • SFX
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best Netflix Shows

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

  1. Home
  2. Movies

7 Classic Arcade Games That Could Be Movies

By Total Film
published 6 July 2009

Asteroids has been greenlit. These will be next...

  • Comments
Paperboy (1984)

Paperboy (1984)

The Game: The titular Paperboy has to deliver papers, dodging bees, fire hydrants, storm drains, and, er, break dancers along the way.

Studio Pitch:
"We take Mark Wahlberg. We CGI him young. We get him to swat bees with the New York Times. We win Oscars. If Wahlberg's busy, get Nic Cage."

Key Scene: Nic Cage's newspaper-sack is on fire. He drops to his knees, bellowing: "How'd it get burned? How'd it get burned?"

In the background, Mark Walhberg swipes the air with a rolled up magazine. The audience stands up and applauds.

Page 1 of 7
Page 1 of 7
Frogger (1981)

Frogger (1981)

The Game: Frog wants to cross road. Cars want to turn him into a splat stain. Game on!

The Studio Pitch:
"Let’s paint Tom Cruise green and get him to cross a road. In the future. With, like, laser-tanks trying to run him over. And robots, lots of robots. We can get 240 minutes out of that, surely?"

Key Scene:
Tom Cruise leaps onto a traffic island, as a massive robot explodes behind him. He lands next to a family of frogs. It's a brilliant in-joke.

Page 2 of 7
Page 2 of 7
Ms. Pacman (1981)

Ms. Pacman (1981)

The Game: Ms. Pacman gotta eat. Ghosts gotta stop her. Game on!

Studio Pitch: "I can see it now. Cameron Diaz is Ms. Pacman, a junkie hooker who’s addicted to painkillers.

But when the ghosts of her dead junkie friends start to haunt her, Ms. Pacman has to dodge them in order to keep her habit going. That's the sort of garbage the Academy laps up."

Key Scene: Diaz is gulping down pills like there's no tomorrow. She accidentally picks up some cherries, looks at the camera, and smiles.

Page 3 of 7
Page 3 of 7
Contra (1987)

Contra (1987)

The Game: Essentially Rambo, Aliens and Predator combined (check the box art to the left for proof) Contra sees our soldier heroes going to an island inhabited by alien invaders.

Y'know, so they can shoot them.

Studio Pitch: "Cancel The Expendables, it has literally no brand awareness.

Sign up Arnie and Sly, get their old costumes out of storage, grab an Alien from the prop cupboard, and let’s do this."

Key Scene: Arnie runs into the jungle, shouting "I'll be back." Sly calls after him: "Stop, or my mom will shoot!" Nothing makes sense.

Page 4 of 7
Page 4 of 7
Tempest (1981)

Tempest (1981)

The Game: An abstract geometrical shape is attacked by enemy abstract geometrical shapes. Game on!

Studio Pitch: "Matt Damon wakes up to find he's mutated into an abstract geometrical shape and is being stalked by a bunch of multicoloured cloned assassin shapes all played by Seth Rogen.

"It's like frickin' Kafka only with abstract geometrical shapes. Let's get that crazy Gaspar Noe guy! Charlie Kaufman on script!"

Key Scene: Rhombus Steven Seagal ignores the warning of Trapezium Stephen Hawking and kicks Rogen-Shape and Damon-Shape's angular asses, before giving an inspirational pro-geometry speech, banging their sharply angled heads together and causing a quantum reacion that destroys the world.

Page 5 of 7
Page 5 of 7
Q*bert (1982)

Q*bert (1982)

The Game: A little blobby fella with a big nose who swears a lot jumps around a pyramid of cubes being chased by a snake. Game WTF?!

Studio Pitch: "Time to revive Joe Pesci's career! He's the go-to curse-word guy, right?

"So, he's a kind of R-rated Indiana Jones. He goes to Egypt to find treasure hidden in one of the pyramids. But evil rival explorer and snake expert Steve Buscemi gets there first, frustrating Joe Pesci's attempts to add (painted) colours to a hieroglyphic mural by hiding snakes everywhere."

Key Scene: Excavating an ancient tomb, one of Buscemi's ultra-poisonous snakes jumps out and almost bites him. Joe Pesci says stuff like "Motherfucking snake!" and "Goddam prickfuck snake!"

Page 6 of 7
Page 6 of 7
Donkey Kong (1981)

Donkey Kong (1981)

The Game: Big monkey steals woman, small man has to save her, dodging barrels along the way.

Studio Pitch: " A big monkey stealing a woman? That’s the most original idea in movie history! Get Peter Jackson on the phone!"

Key Scene: Donkey Kong (Andy Serkis) kills the small man (Danny DeVito), grabs The Princess (Amy Adams - or maybe Naomi Watts) and imprisons her in a barrel while he goes ice-skating.

Page 7 of 7
Page 7 of 7
  • Comments
Total Film
Social Links Navigation

The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine. 

More about movies
Elemental

Elemental review: "Pixar's latest is sweet-natured but lacks depth"

Arnold Schwarzenegger in FUBAR

The 7 best new movies and shows to stream this weekend

Latest
Tekken 8

Bandai Namco apologizes after a Tekken 8 character was leaked by Bandai Namco itself

See more latest ►
See comments
Most Popular
Alone in the Dark is a self-referential gothic noir, bringing horror remakes full circle

By Jasmine Gould-WilsonMay 26, 2023

Kraven the Hunter: The comic book history of the villain that beat Spider-Man

By George MarstonMay 25, 2023

Marvel's Spider-Man 2: All the heroes and villains confirmed so far

By George MarstonMay 25, 2023

Phantom Blade Zero is the perfect post-Elden Ring tonic I've been waiting for

By Joe DonnellyMay 25, 2023

Hypnotic director Robert Rodriguez talks his decades-in-the-making thriller

By Molly EdwardsMay 25, 2023

PlayStation's Project Q is missing the handheld mark, here's why

By Duncan RobertsonMay 25, 2023

Alan Wake 2 isn't what I was expecting, and it's all the better because of it

By Josh WestMay 25, 2023

If you think the Metal Gear Solid 3 remake reveal was too cheesy you weren't there the first time around

By Joe DonnellyMay 25, 2023

The Ted Lasso cast share their favourite moments from the show

By Emily MurrayMay 25, 2023

PlayStation's Project Q: Everything we know about the new handheld

By Duncan RobertsonMay 25, 2023

I thought Spider-Man 2 couldn't match the first game – it took less than 10 seconds to change my mind

By Joe DonnellyMay 25, 2023

Load Comments
Recommended
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom review – "A rich, robust experience that builds on what came before"
  1. Syntech 6-in-1 Steam Deck Docking Station sitting next to the Steam Deck and packaging for the dock
    1
    Syntech 6-in-1 Steam Deck Docking Station review: "Proof that you should show off your curves"
  2. 2
    The Lord of the Rings: Gollum review: "Not so much an unexpected journey as it is one to avoid altogether"
  3. 3
    Genki Covert Dock Mini review: 'a secret weapon'
  4. 4
    PNY GeForce RTX 4070 review: "A happy medium in the Lovelace line-up"
  5. 5
    After Us review: "A hazy concoction of beauty and ugliness"
  1. Elemental
    1
    Elemental review: "Pixar's latest is sweet-natured but lacks depth"
  2. 2
    The Boogeyman review: "Solid scares, thin plotting"
  3. 3
    Hypnotic review: "Robert Rodriguez takes us on an insubstantial but raucous ride"
  4. 4
    Asteroid City review: "Wes Anderson's close encounter of the quirky kind"
  5. 5
    Carmen review: "Paul Mescal and Melissa Barrera strike sparks"
  1. Sophie Thatcher in Yellowjackets season 2 finale
    1
    Yellowjackets season 2 finale review and recap: "Deliciously nauseating and suspenseful"
  2. 2
    Yellowjackets season 2 episode 8 review and recap: "On its way to a chilling conclusion"
  3. 3
    Yellowjackets season 2 episode 7 review and recap: "We're itching to get to the point"
  4. 4
    Yellowjackets season 2 episode 6 review and recap: "A shift is coming"
  5. 5
    LG OLED G3 review: "King of the OLED jungle"

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

  • 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.