Who knew that board games would get their own genre of inspired movies in cinema? Turns out board games have plenty of setups, puzzles, and mysteries to translate to the screen.
For decades, several movies have embraced the unpredictability of board games, incorporating them into haunted houses and murder mysteries, and forcing us to ask, what if the stakes were real? When a filmmaker succeeds in doing that while remaining true to the source, the results are entertaining and pure fun.
Encapsulating the spirit of board games with top-notch storytelling, here are seven of the best movies inspired by board games that’ll dazzle you.
7 Best Movies Inspired by Board Games That Are Equally Fun
1. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
With a 91% Rotten Tomatoes score, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is a fantasy comedy with clever enough plot points and stakes to keep you hooked.
Directed by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, this highly rated board game adaptation follows a charming thief, Edgin Darvis (Chris Pine), and his team, as they set out on a fantasy adventure to retrieve a lost Helm, powerful enough to break all other magic.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves balances thrill with comedy as it doesn’t take itself too seriously and is as unpredictable as its counterpart game.
2. The Seventh Seal (1957)
The legendary director Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal is not a direct adaptation of a commercial board game, but it is surely loosely inspired by chess in both a literal and symbolic sense.
The story follows a knight, Antonius Block (Max von Sydow), who has returned from a crusade and finds his country in the grips of Death’s trap. He challenges Death itself in a chess match and buys some time to perform one act of redemption before accepting his fate.
In the plague-ridden world, the chess game becomes a metaphor for humanity’s struggle against mortality. It is filled with haunting visuals, bleak humor, and philosophical ideas of love, life, death, good and evil. The Seventh Seal truly is one of Ingmar Bergman’s greatest works of all time, where God might have turned his back on humanity.
3. Clue (1985)
Jonathan Lynn’s 1985 cult classic Clue perfectly understands its source—the board game—more than most movies.
The plot follows a dinner hosted by Mr. Boddy (Lee Ving) with six other important guests. When Mr. Boddy is mysteriously killed, everyone is a suspect, and together, they figure out who the killer is.
Lynn takes the whodunit setup of Clue and goes all out in this screwball comedy. The humor is sharp, hilarious, and Tim Curry’s unhinged performance should not be missed. Moreover, with repeated viewing, Clue becomes more rewarding with its three different endings.
4. Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016)
Outperforming its predecessor, Mike Flanagan’s supernatural horror, Ouija: Origin of Evil, could have been another gimmicky, cheap horror movie, but it ends up being surprisingly emotional and haunting.
The story is set in 1967 Los Angeles, where a widow, Alice (Elizabeth Reaser), runs a séance scam. To enhance their business, they use the Ouija board and unintentionally invite a spirit that possesses her younger daughter, Doris (Lulu Wilson), and the real horror begins.
Flanagan adds emotional weight to the characters and their relationships by playing with grief and loss. The movie dabbles between a haunted house thriller, an exorcism drama, and a period piece.
5. Jumanji (1995)
Based on one of the most popular board games, Jumanji reeks of nostalgia and features Robin Williams in a survival game. And even thirty years later, Jumanji still holds up as a thrilling blend of practical effects, digital innovation, and a childlike adventure.
Once, the magical board sends Alan Parrish (Robin Williams) into a jungle for 26 years, and it is discovered by two kids who free Alan.
Jumanji was not afraid to go a bit dark and scare kids while also sending them on an adventure. It’s thrilling, funny, and emotional, especially with its themes of fear and growing up. More than that, the movie perfectly captured children’s imaginations and belief that a game can become a reality.
6. Escape Room (2019)
Escape Room is not based on a traditional board game, but it adapts the idea of a tabletop game culture, aiming to solve puzzles.
The movie follows six people from all walks of life who participate in an escape room to win $10,000. But little do they realize that they are trapped in a sadistic game of life and death.
The production design in the movie is fantastic at creating complex interactive puzzles, making it a fun watch with friends. Moreover, no character seems to be too likable or too dislikable, so you never know who’s going to die next.
7. Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005)
Adapted from Chris Van Allsburg’s 2002 book, Jon Favreau’s Zathura: A Space Adventure seems like a spiritual sequel to Jumanji.
When two young boys, Walter (Josh Hutcherson) and Danny (Jonah Bobo), are left alone at home in the care of their teenage sister, Lisa (Kristen Stewart), they discover and start playing the board game, eventually finding their house suspended in space. Now, they have to complete the game to return.
This engaging, family adventure, which only a few millennials know about, could have been a mere CGI fest, but Favreau’s commitment to practical effects made it a deserving watch. At the core, the movie succeeds in mirroring the two brothers’ journey and their reconciliation.
Summing It Up
For a successful board-game-inspired movie, one should either embrace the game’s thematic core or use it as a premise to delve into deeper existential ideas, as The Seventh Seal did.
As long as they remain true to their source material, viewers can relate to them, and the director can anchor the audience with their own twists and turns.