The Game Is On in Hollywood

Even as Avengers: Endgame was creating new box-office records, Pokémon: Detective Pikachu made a little history of its own by becoming the highest-rated live-action adaptation of a video game on Rotten Tomatoes. A 66 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes is generally considered middling, which is why Detective Pikachu’s pole position among cinematic adaptations of video games points to the chequered history of the sub-genre. “Most film adaptations of video games have not been successful because they have strayed away from the formula that made those games popular,” says Rohin Bhaumik, a gaming content creator. The last two Avengers films — which received wide acclaim — are entirely about Thanos’ goal to “fix” overpopulation.