Image via Complex Original
Have you seen the movie release calendar for this summer? Captain America, Thor, Green Lantern, X-Men: First Class—it's enough for us to stop smoking weed and going to the movies altogether. There's a glimmer of hope through the comic-book haze, though, now that the Mortal Kombat: Rebirth digital series is a go (and the Dragon Age one too). Sure, it's just the Internet, but we're gonna go ahead and say that it's high time video game adaptations became Hollywood's new blockbuster go-to. That way, even if the movie fails, you can bet that there'll be some quality eye candy in the form of your favorite female characters. Hell, it's been happening for 15 years now—and if you don't believe us, we've got proof. So feast your eyes on the 15 sexiest portrayals of a video-game character in a movie.*
*Original characters from original games only, we mean—no games adapted from movies (e.g., TRON) or characters that weren't in the games (e.g., Alice in the Resident Evil movies). Enough disclaimers for you?
15. Ali Larter as Claire Redfield
Movie: Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)
Likeness Factor: 56%
Complex Says: Sure, Claire didn't make our list of 50 hottest video game characters (being outshined by her Resident Evil sistren Ada Wong and Jill Valentine), but Ali Larter can make anything better. She's kinda like cheese that way. Or whipped cream. And you're gonna want to Google that, because we don't think we can show it.
14. Alyssa Milano as Marian Delario
Movie: Double Dragon (1994)
Likeness Factor: 8 (bit)%
Complex Says: Yes, after Who's The Boss? and long before she became such a baseball...fan, a young (but still legal!) Alyssa joined Scott Wolf (!) and Iron Chef Americ's Mark Dacascos (!!) in the weirdest adaptation of a beat-'em-up evar. While you can't expect to her to look like the tiny pixellated damsel in distress from the original game, we have to give extra points for the Punky Brewster x Special K from Breakin' "ain't I a STINKA?" street urchin aesthetic. Bonkers.
13. Kristanna Loken as Rayne
Movie: Bloodrayne (2006)
Likeness Factor: 46%
Complex Says: Did we see the movie? We did not. Does it matter? Not exactly. Do you know why? There are two reasons why. 1) Uwe Boll made it, so we know we did ourselves a favor; and 2) Kristanna Loken is so ridiculously, sapphically hot that even if she had a horrible red dye job and ill-fitting vinyl pants she'd make this list. Oh, that's exactly what happened? Yes, yes, we see that now.
12. Bridgette Wilson as Sonya Blade
Movie: Mortal Kombat (1995)
Likeness Factor: 29%
Complex Says: 1995 was a big year for Ms. Wilson (now Ms. Wilson-Sampras). Not only did she get to play one of the most badass women in gaming, but she co-starred in the unfickwittable classic Billy Madison. Which of course compels us to say—all together, now—"soooo hot, want to touch the hiney, AROOO!"
11. Emmanuelle Vaugier as Valerie Constantine
Movie: Far Cry (2008)
Likeness Factor: 37
Complex Says: Yeah, there's a Far Cry movie—and it stars the awesome Hugo Stiglitz from Inglourious Basterds! Even better, it stars Emmanuelle Vaugier, who is certified YOWZA status. That's not an acronym or anything, she just makes us say "yowza!"
10. Devon Aoki as Kasumi
Movie: DOA: Dead Or Alive (2007)
Likeness Factor: 52%
Complex Says: Oh, DOA. As a movie you're just as guiltily enjoyable as the game franchise, and no one embodies your appeal like Kasumi. Problem is, she's nowhere near as central to the movie as she is the game franchise, which of course we attribute to the intractable racism of the entertainment industry in this country. Can a woman of country get some top billing in a game movie already?
9. Kylie Minogue as Cammy
Movie: Street Fighter (1994)
Likeness Factor: 82%
Complex Says: One of three bright spots in an otherwise famously dismal adaptation—the other two being Ming Na, who barely missed this list, and the soundtrack's inclusion of Golden State's (i.e., Saafir, Ras Kass, and Ahmad) "Come Widdit." That being said, Cammy's love for buttock-cleaving leotards and a single pullably thick braid made her a lock on this list, even if the woman portraying her hadn't been repeatedly named by the British public as having the best rear view in the world.
8. Holly Valance as Christie Allen
Movie: DOA: Dead Or Alive (2007)
Likeness Factor: 61%
Complex Says: Valance—we actually like to call her Holly Rachel Vukadinovic, since that's her birth name and all—actually (in our opinion) looks much better as the natural brunette she is. So her name's not real, her hair's not real, and she's not an assassin in real life either? *shrug* Guess that's why they call it acting. And by "acting" we mean "looking great in a bikini."
7. Eri Otoguro as Aya
Movie: Oneechanbara: The Movie (2008)
Likeness Factor: 83%
Complex Says: Sure, the Japanese movie never came out in the States, but anything about bikini-clad samurai fighters automatically qualifies for any list we ever do, about any subject, in perpetuity. We could do something on "The Top 2 Blind Czech Blues Guitarists," and something to do with Oneechanbara: The Movie would be No. 2. If not No. 1. DON'T TEST US, IT'LL HAPPEN.
6. Mila Kunis as Mona Sax
Movie: Max Payne (2008)
Likeness Factor: 48%
Complex Says: Mona Sax is a contract assassin. Mila Kunis, similarly, is a mage. Or at least in World of Warcraft she is. Which is why we love her so much.
5. Kristin Kreuk as Chun-Li
Movie: Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li (2009)
Likeness Factor: 35%
Complex Says: If you're looking for physical resemblance only in your Chun-Lis, then that honor has to go to Ming Na (nee Wen Ming-Na) in the original (and horrible) 1994 Street Fighter. But holy krap, Kristin Kreuk is hot.
4. Talisa Soto as Kitana
Movie: Mortal Kombat (1995)
Likeness Factor: 70%
Complex Says: Not only are both women stunning raven-haired beauties, but both are well over 10,000 years old. It's true—Benjamin Bratt likes 'em ripe!
3. Jaime Pressly as Tina Armstrong
Movie: DOA: Dead Or Alive (2007)
Likeness Factor: 55%
Complex Says: The third of the trio is also the best-suited to her character. Tina's a professional wrestler, and Jaime's trained as a...well, as a dancer. Close enough, though, right?
2. Maggie Q as Mai Shiranui
Movie: King of Fighters (2010)
Likeness Factor: 60%
Complex Says: Aside from a couple of very...prominent differences, we're sold. Beautiful, badass, and more proof that "SNK Games" stands for "Sexy with No Klothes." Which it actually doesn't, but we love extemporaneous reverse-engineered acronyms.
1. Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft
Movie: Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003)
Likeness Factor: 90%
Complex Says: Look, for the last time, we're not saying the movies were great. We're not even saying they were good. We're just saying short shorts, swimsuits, and running. And people say croftsmanship is dead!
