Filmmakers have taken inspiration from personal experiences to novels, cartoons, and newspaper clippings and now, toys and board games, it appears, are proving to be powerful inspirations too.

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Toying around

Transformers: The Last Knight that’s releasing this Friday, follows a long list of films that have been inspired by toys and board games

Gopinath Rajendran

Updated:29th Jun, 2017 at 12:37 AM

Battleship (2012) - Battleship is a pencil and paper game for two which dates back to World War 1.

The on-screen adaptation, with the same name, was a military science fiction based on the story of a World War 2 battle ship and her crew. The cast included Taylor Kitsch, Rihanna and Liam Neeson

Clue (1985) - Based on the 67 year-old multiplayer board game, Cluedo. The game’s objective is to determine the murderer of the game’s victim, the location of the crime, and the weapon used.

In keeping with the nature of the board game, the theatrical release of Clue included three possible endings, with different theatres receiving one of the three endings.

Dungeons & Dragons (2000) - Yet another legendary game, Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game that’s usually recognised as the father of the role-playing game industry.

The 2000 film, despite having a cameo by Richard O’Brien (of The Crystal Maze TV show fame) and Tom Baker (Doctor Who), bombed at the box office.

G.I. Joe (2009) - The iconic action figures that represented the four branches of the U.S. armed forces is one of the most successful brands in the gaming industry.

One of the few game-to-film adaptations that have been financially profitable, the two-part series, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) and G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013), saw an ensemble cast

Mars Attacks! (1996) - Mars Attacks is a trading card series with a story arc that tells of the invasion of Earth by evil Martians.

The film adaptation was a comic sci-fi directed by Tim Burton, featuring Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Pierce Brosnan, Danny DeVito, Sarah Jessica Parker and Natalie Portman

Masters of the Universe (1987) - The emblematic action figurines of the Masters of the Universe, which includes characters such as He-Man and Skeletor, are as famous in our country as in the West.

The 1987 fantasy action film saw Dolph Lundgren of Rocky IV fame playing the iconic role of He-Man. Though a commercial failure, the film enjoys cult status today with a reboot coming in 2019

Max Steel (2016) - Max Steel is a line of action figures that became an instant hit, thanks to the super-hit animated series based on them.

This paved way for a superhero film in 2016. The film, however, was a failure.

Transformers (2007) - The Transformers was a line of toys, whose success led the way for a number of comic book series, animated TV series, and five live-action films directed by Michael Bay

Though criticised for weak plots, crude humour and overuse of product placements, Transformers is the 11th highest-grossing film series. The last two films alone made over $1 billion

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