Unlike video games, novel or comic book adaptations, board game adaptations are few and far between. There are plenty of films about board games, with Jumanji as one of the most well-known and beloved. However, actual adaptations of existing board games or films about real-world board games are scarce.

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In this case, though, a lack of quantity does not equal a lack of quality. In fact, it's quite the opposite. The handful of films either adapted from board games or based around real board games are stellar, and Rotten Tomatoes agrees. Surprisingly, throughout this group of films like Clue and Ouija: Origin of Evil, only one board game adaptation is considered Rotten.

'Battleship' (2012) - 33%

Rihanna Gets Ready For A Battle In Battleship
Image via Universal Pictures

No, it wasn't a joke from a season of Entourage or 30 Rock, and no, it also wasn't a collective fever dream shared by everyone who was alive in 2012. Battleship was a real movie that perhaps represents the worst that Hollywood's obsession with adapting existing properties has created.

Although Battleship sunk after its release, earning several Golden Raspberry nominations, the film certainly did a lot of heavy lifting to bulk up the plot, or lack thereof, of its source material. Rather than simply following the age-old tale of one ship shooting at another ship, Peter Berg's film incorporates interstellar communication, aliens, and even Rihanna into the mix.

'Pokémon: Detective Pikachu' (2019) - 68%

Pikachu Doing Detective Work
Image via Legendary Entertainment

Trading cards are almost a board game, right? Based on a video game that was itself based on other video games and trading cards, Pokémon: Detective Pikachu follows a Pikachu with dreams of being a detective who teams up with a former Pokémon trainer to solve the mystery of his father's disappearance.

When Pokémon video games and trading cards burst onto the scene in 1996, no one could have predicted that a mere 26 years later, Pokémon would have expanded to multiple films and TV series. Even more unbelievable is that one of those films would feature Ryan Reynolds, who was making guest appearances on The X-Files and Sabrina the Teenage Witch when Pokémon was created.

'Clue' (1985) - 68%

The Cast Of Clue, Assembled In A Parlor

Not only is Clue based on the famous board game of the same name, the film also incorporated a 'choose your own adventure' style strategy into the making of and release of the film. Three separate endings were shot for Clue. While this practice is common enough today and is often used to prevent leaks, Clue actually sent these different endings to different theaters. While some theaters advertised which ending they had been given, others kept it a secret, meaning audiences had no idea what they were going to get.

Despite not performing well at the box office at the time of its release, Clue has since gained cult classic status and is beloved for being a faithful yet innovative adaptation of a much loved game while also being a game in and of itself.

'Labyrinth' (1986) - 75%

Jennifer Connelly And David Bowie Dance In Labyrinth
Image via Lucasfilm Ltd

Claiming Labyrinth as an adaptation of a classic maze one may solve as part of a board game or on the back of a restaurant menu is perhaps a bit generous (and a bit sneaky). However, the maze as a puzzle, a game or a prison is a concept as old as they come. After all, the myth of Theseus, the Minotaur and the Labyrinth dates back to the first century A.D.

A nearly 2,000 year gap between the story of Theseus and Jim Henson's Labyrinth just goes to show how much the mystery of a maze captures humanity's attention. Mythology aside, Labyrinth is truly a film for board game lovers. Featuring puzzles, riddles, problem-solving, and David Bowie in very tight pants, it's no surprise this gem has a 75% on the Tomatometer.

'Ouija: Origin of Evil' (2016) - 83%

Lulu Wilson holding a Ouija planchette over her eye in Ouija: Origin of Evil
Image via Universal Pictures.

No one expected the 2016 sequel to Ouija to be anything to write home about. However, director Mike Flanagan, who is now known and loved for his work on series like The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass managed to create an amazing and surprising sequel with Ouija: Origin of Evil. While the story, about a widow and her two daughters who accidentally cause a possession after playing with a Ouija board, doesn't sound particularly compelling, this film has managed to land itself an 83% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Ouija boards have a reputation as being spooky and mysterious, however, the Ouija board as we know it is well and truly a board game. Also known as a spirit board or a talking board, the name 'Ouija' was created by an employee of Elijah Bond, the businessman who originally began marketing these boards as parlor games for entertainment.

'Game Night' (2018) - 85%

Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams And Kyle Chandler In Game Night

Sure, it's not based on one specific game, but Game Night owes a lot to many a board game, and certainly couldn't exist without them. Featuring charades, trivia, Scrabble, Pictionary, Jenga and rich people-fight-clubs, Game Night is a film for game-lovers about the thrill of competition, in more ways than one.

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Game Night is also one of the best comedies of the last few years, featuring an all-time classic performance from Jesse Plemons, playing Gary, the awkward and brooding next-door neighbor who can never seem to land an invitation to game night.

'Werewolves Within' (2021) - 86%

The Cast Of Werewolves Within grouped and looking in the same direction.
Image via IFC Films

Trapped in a confined space during a snowstorm, a group of small town residents have to figure out which of them is a werewolf before time runs out. Murder mysteries set in confined spaces with few characters are nothing new, which makes it all the more impressive that Werewolves Within manages to be so fresh and engaging.

Werewolves Within is technically based on a videogame of the same name, however, the videogame takes heavy inspiration from One Night Ultimate Werewolf, a game which combines cards with an app to create a fun experience that will end friendships quicker than Monopoly.

'Ready or Not' (2019) - 88%

Still from 'Ready or Not': The Bride And Groom Hide Behind The Bed
Image via Fox Searchlight Pictures.

In Ready or Not, Grace, played by Samara Weaving, learns that marrying into a wealthy family isn't all it's cracked up to be. Too bad she doesn't discover this until her wedding night when her in-laws begin hunting her as part of a Satanic wedding ritual.

For the record, hide and seek is not a board game, but Ready or Not is centered around a family with a board game empire. This business passed down through the family over generations, gets to the heart of the film's idea about wealth, class, and the perils of family. An added cherry on top is that this family considers life and death to be just another game. Murdering an in-law or two is simply what you have to pay to play.

'Pi' (1998) - 88%

Sean Gullette In Pi

Convinced that everything in nature and life can be explained by a single number, a mathematician slowly loses his mind in Darren Aronofsky's debut feature. With films like Black Swan, The Wrestler and The Fountain, Aronofsky clearly has an interest in obsession and how it drives characters. Pi is no exception.

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Surprising as it may be, Pi is loosely based on the board game Go. Max, the film's protagonist played by Sean Gullette, plays Go with his mentor throughout the film. Despite being simple to learn, the possible configurations of play for a game of Go are endless, much like the number pi. The endlessness of Go and pi should give an indication of how successful Max is in his search for a single number that will unlock all the world's secrets.

'The Seventh Seal' (1957) - 93%

Death and Antonius playing chess

The Seventh Seal is almost as iconic as the game of chess itself. Ingmar Burgman's Swedish classic, titled Det sjunde inseglet in its native language, takes place at the end of the Crusades when a world-weary knight played by Max von Sydow returns to his home to find it ravaged by the plague.

When Death comes for the knight, he challenges Death to a game of chess to try and survive, and perhaps win his own life. The Seventh Seal is perhaps the proto-film about board games, as it hones in on a common motif within these types of films. That is, filmmakers often see games as metaphors for life and death; games that involve challenges, gambles, and an incentive to win at all costs.

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