Board games have been in existence for a long time, with several iconic ones being patented and trademarked in the last century. This has led to related merchandise by the board game companies, including multimedia ventures, like motion pictures.
Most of the films based on board games have had a mixed record. Some have given a fresh spin to the game, while others turned out to be shameless marketing opportunities. Apart from these, there are also several documentary films that offer deep insight into the history and playing of games, like Monopoly and Scrabble.
10 Dungeons & Dragons (2000) – 3.6
Based on the iconic tabletop role-playing game, Dungeons & Dragons, the fantasy film revolves around an empress on a quest for a mythical object that will aid her in fighting an evil warlock. The ensemble cast included Marlon Wayans and Jeremy Irons, but nothing seemed to save this film from being a major disappointment.
Dungeons & Dragons was panned for its cheap-looking practical and special effects. Wayans’ character was also seen as reminiscent of Black stereotypes from older films. The film spawned one TV movie and a direct-to-DVD sequel that received similar reactions from audiences and critics alike.
9 Ouija (2014) – 4.5
The Ouija board is an interesting yet spooky device that many believe helps one talk to spirits. This ability to talk to spirits via an Ouija board was shown in Ouija, a horror by Blumhouse Productions and Hasbro Studios. While the film was a massive box office success, it eventually fell flat as a cliched horror flick.
A group of friends tries to talk to their dead friend using the titular board, but they end up calling spirits from a dark dimension instead. To promote the film, special editions of the Ouija board, along with a novelization, were released.
8 Battleship (2012) – 5.8
Battleship could have been a strategic film on naval warfare, much like the board game of strategy and deduction it is based on. However, director Peter Berg went for a more blockbuster approach, adapting the game into a military action film with elements of sci-fi.
The film is centered around a ship crew who are forced to confront extraterrestrial naval fleets. Battleship was seen as being too formulaic and similar to other films that dealt with alien invasion. It starred Liam Neeson, Berg’s frequent collaborator Taylor Kitsch, and it marked the acting debut of Rihanna. Hasbro also released movie tie-in editions of the board game that included alien vessels.
7 Ouija: Origin Of Evil (2016) – 6.1
Horror maestro Mike Flanagan’s Ouija: Origin Of Evil massively improved upon its predecessor by crafting an engaging, and haunting prequel to the first Ouija film. Origin Of Evil is set in the year 1967, in which a widowed mother and her two daughters run a phony business of communicating with spirits and scamming customers with an Ouija board.
Even though they don’t seem to have any belief in the supernatural powers of the board they possess, a series of creepy encounters alarms the family. An attempt by one of the daughters to meet the spirit of her deceased father also unleashes tormented souls that might have a connection with the very house they live in. Even though the film played with several familiar tropes of horror, the storyline and execution hooked viewers.
6 Candy Land: The Great Lollipop Adventure (2005) – 6.6
Candy Land is a board game by Hasbro that’s aimed at younger players and it requires minimal reading and basic counting skills. The direct-to-DVD film Candy Land: The Great Lollipop Adventure expands the mythos of the game by adding several fantasy characters, like a gingerbread boy, a princess, and several other characters made out of confectionaries and sweets, as they battle an evil lord to restore the utopian world of Candy Land to its former glory.
A live-action film based on the game was in the works by Sony and Adam Sandler was slated to star. However, production halted when a company credited for creating the game’s characters sued Hasbro in 2014. Not much is known about the new film since then.
5 TIE: Under The Boardwalk: The Monopoly Story (2010) – 6.2
The business game Monopoly is one of Funskool’s biggest hits and a titan in the board game industry. Under The Boardwalk is a documentary that attempts to cover several stories about the game of Monopoly, and its extremely competitive side. Interviews involve a focus on several state-level champions of the game from the U.S.
The film not only covers the excitement behind the game, but also the psychology of the players and their preferred strategies. An added bonus for fans of the game is the section that solely focuses on die-hard collectors of the game’s innumerable editions.
4 TIE: Going Cardboard (2012) – 6.2
Going Cardboard is an extensive board game documentary that seeks to explore the journey of German-style board games and how they spread to other countries, like the U.S.A. The film’s highlight is the 2009 coverage of Spiel, a four-day boardgame fair held annually in the city of Essen, Germany. This event brings board game players and sellers from Germany and abroad. It’s also a great destination for introducing new board games.
The documentary interviews entrepreneurs, players, and experts in the world of board games. Funded by a Kickstarter campaign, Going Cardboard was directed by Lorien Green, who was introduced to specialized board games by her husband.
3 The Surrounding Game (2017) – 6.6
Go is a complex strategy game that has been played all over the world. It originated in China and is played between two players. The International Go Federation sets the standard for the game’s competitions, with most of its players and champions hailing from East Asian countries.
The Surrounding Game is a documentary that traces the growth of American players of the game who strive to become the first professional American Go champion. Apart from a child prodigy and other aspiring champions, it also featured a cameo by Go Seigen, who is often considered the greatest Go player of the last century.
2 Word Wars (2004) – 6.9
The word game Scrabble has survived for decades as one of the most popular board games of all time. Word Wars is an Emmy-nominated documentary directed by Eric Chaikin, who was a tournament Scrabble player himself. Word Wars explores the practice and aspirations of four Scrabble players for nine months as they prepare for the National Scrabble Championship (the largest Scrabble tournament in North America) in the year 2002.
Even though there have been other documentaries on Scrabble, Word Wars tends to be the most charming, adding a human element to the players’ journey, rather than just interpreting the strategies and history of the game.
1 Clue (1985) – 7.3
Clue is a dark comedy based on the board game Clue (also known as Cluedo). The film plays with classic whodunit themes and would interest viewers who are into such mystery films and novels. The classic setting includes a dinner party in which the host dies under mysterious circumstances and it’s up to the guests and the house staff to solve the murder.
It stays true to the game in terms of the setting and characters, and its theatrical release also had three possible endings. Different theatres received one of the three endings at random – a promotion strategy to engage viewers and be a fitting tribute to the board game.
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