A large fraction of my childhood revolved around playing a variety of video games until I led the leaderboards with my all-time highest score. Many of them were adapted for a motion picture and went on to register themselves in the elite list of the highest-grossing films. Out of a varied list, I would pick the The Angry Birds Movie and The Super Mario Bros. Movie as my favourite films based on video games.

From collecting angry birds trading cards to playsets, this popular character holds a very special place in my heart. Centred around the efforts of a flock of flightless birds determined to protect the world from the menacing schemes of evil pigs, each version entertained the players with new adventures, stronger villains and endless entertainment. Each level inspired the players to devise effective strategies to take on the enemies and emerge victorious to unlock the mighty-eagle power-up. Be it the outer space expedition or the picturesque beaches of Rio, the game creators left no stone unturned to showcase their artistic mastery. The films also stood up to my expectations with their engaging plots, funny dialogues and silly adventures proving themselves as some of the best app-to-film adaptations of all time.

Dressed in a blue jumpsuit with a red vest and cap, Super Mario is considered one of the most loved characters of all time. He comes in as a playful plumber who takes his fans on exhilarating joyrides along with his partner in crime Luigi. In Super Mario Bros Movie, the duo land themselves in a fantasy world and get embroiled in a battle between Princess Peach’s Mushroom Kingdom and Bowser’s Koopas. Ranging from fun-shot action sequences to tidbits of innocence, it felt nostalgic to watch my childhood hero enchanting the viewers in his signature style. From video games to films to collectibles, Super Mario easily infuses a dash of buoyancy in our mundane lives with his zappy energy and special abilities. (Which is your favourite film/series based on a video game? ... April 4)

Aayman Anwar Ali

I love Jumanji:Welcome to The Jungle. I’ve watched it more than 10 times since it was released. It keeps me glued to the screen. It is full of adventurous turns and comedy. Four students are sentenced to detention: Spence Gilpin and his former friend Anthony ‘Fridge’ Johnson, Bethany Walker and Martha Kaply. In the school basement, where they are serving their detention, Fridge discovers a discarded video game system, and he and Spencer decide to play. Immediately the four are transported into the video game Jumanji as the avatars they had chosen for playing the game. Spencer turns into Dr. Smolder Bravestone (Dwayne Johnson), a muscular archaeologist. Fridge arrives into the game as Franklin ‘Moose’ Finbar (Kevin Hart), an expert zoologist, but Fridge is upset that his avatar is a foot shorter than he normally is. Martha becomes Ruby Roundhouse (Karen Gillan), the “killer of men”. Bethany is now Dr. Shelly Oberon (Jack Black), a cartographer who Bethany mistook for a woman. They now have new bodies, complete with unique strengths and weaknesses. They also have a mission: to retrieve a precious gem from an evil warlord and return it to the statue from which it came. But there’s another problem. Nobody knows what will happen when it is time for “Game Over”.

Dayita Chakraborty

The movie Game Over starring Taapsee Pannu is my favourite movie. Here the protagonist, Taapsee Pannu aka Swapna, a game designer, lives with her housemaid. Ironically her life also turns out like a video game where she has three lives to survive from the serial killer who is out to murder her. After losing two lives, in her last chance, she is able to save herself from her killer. This was a very engaging thriller and Taapsee always excels in such roles.

Pallabi Chatterjee

My favourite film based on a video game is the 1995 American fantasy action movie Mortal Kombat. The action-packed fantastic film directed by Paul W.S. Anderson and starring Linden Ashby, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Robin Shou, Bridgette Wilson, Talisa Soto and Christopher Lambert, was based on the video game franchise of the same name, which is one of the most popular fighting game franchises of all-time. The gripping storyline of this martial art classic follows three martial artists named Liu Kang, Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade who participate in the eponymous Mortal Kombat tournament to protect Earth from being conquered by evil forces. The martial arts sequences shown in the film are top-class. These scenes — surely one of the major attractions of the movie — made it extremely thrilling and exciting to watch.

Sourish Misra