This Hit Zombie Video Game Franchise Got A Movie Adaptation You've Never Seen
by Ryan Scott · /FilmZombies have long been a staple of the horror genre. Dating back to classics like "Night of the Living Dead" and right up through modern favorites like "28 Years Later," movies involving the undead are enduringly entertaining. The undead favorites have also invaded the realm of video games many times over the years. In the case of "Dead Rising," the popular video game franchise was later turned into a film property as well.
Unlike the "Resident Evil" movies, which managed to beat the video game curse, the "Dead Rising" films were low-budget, direct-to-streaming affairs that were relatively little-seen, at least when it comes to this sort of multimedia franchise expansion. Capcom released the first "Dead Rising" video game in 2006, and the brand has continued on in various forms ever since. Indeed, the game series have sold more than 19 million copies, making it Capcom's sixth-most successful property
Hence, in June 2014, it was announced that Legendary was making a "Dead Rising" movie. The catch? It was to be produced for Sony's free streaming service Crackle. At the time, Tom Lesinski, the then-chief of Legendary Digital, had this to say about it:
"'Dead Rising' has a built-in fan base and rich characters and plotlines that are ideal for digital storytelling and on target for Legendary's brand. Crackle and Content are adept at distributing cutting-edge digital content, and we look forward to delivering a highly engaging and cool series for a global audience."
Ultimately titled "Dead Rising: Watchtower," the movie was directed by Zach Lipovsky. He had previously directed "Leprechaun: Origins," which isn't ranked very highly in the "Leprechaun" film franchise, generally speaking. This also wasn't the first live-action take on "Dead Rising," as "Zombrex: Dead Rising Sun," a first-person film that was broken up into webisodes, released in 2010.
The Dead Rising movies weren't nearly as beloved as the games
While a proper movie, "Watchtower" was closer to a Syfy original film than, say, the big-budget zombie blockbuster "World War Z" from just a few years earlier. Crackle, which isn't even a thing anymore, was investing in original programming back then, as Hollywood at large was actively experimenting with streaming amidst Netflix's surge in popularity.
Zach Lipovsky's first "Dead Rising" movie takes place between the events of the video games "Dead Rising 2" and "Dead Rising 3." It follows the characters Chase (Jesse Metcalfe) and Jordan (Keegan Connor Tracy) as they uncover the U.S. government's efforts to contain a virus that turns people into zombies. When a new drug fails to stop the spread of the virus, they must team up with two survivors to escape the town they live in before it's demolished.
Not that low-budget movies can't be great. Some of the best horror movies of all time were low-budget affairs. In this case, however, "Watchtower" wasn't exactly met with a warm response. Released in March of 2015, it only has four critical reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, half of which skew positive. It also holds a lousy 33% audience score.
All the same, it did well enough to earn a sequel, which was directed by Pat Williams ("Continuum"). That followup was released under the title "Dead Rising: Endgame" and saw several members of the first movie's cast reprise their roles, including Metcalfe and Tracy. Story-wise, the sequel involves Chase being stuck in a zombie-infested city and having to uncover a secret government conspiracy. Naturally, zombie belam ensues.
Much like its predecessor, "Endgame" was released in June 2016 to little fanfare. It holds a rough 29% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, with only three critics reviews counted.
The Dead Rising movies were made at a strange time
The "Dead Rising" movies, which just sort of came and went, were released at an odd time. Hollywood hadn't fully cracked the code on video game movies just yet, for one. Beyond that, streaming hadn't fully become the dominant force in Hollywood, although the change was happening. Crackle, meanwhile, was an early player in the free streaming space, but eventually went belly-up. There are some great free streaming services that can replace a Netflix subscription these days, but Crackle isn't one of them anymore.
Beyond that, they were hampered by their extremely low budgets. While no figures have ever been reported, these films are closer to mockbusters than blockbusters. Speaking to /Film in 2015 about his "Dead Rising" movie, Zach Lipovsky explained that he perceived the lower budget as an advantage in some ways:
"Obviously, the budget will be smaller, so that presents some challenges in scope, but with less money comes great freedom. Online, there is no ratings board, there is no run time limit, there are no rules. This is an experiment for Legendary, and they have been incredibly willing to take creative risks. Every crazy idea I've had has been met with excitement, and I'm sure that would be a different story if this was a 100 million dollar film."
Lower budgets can offer a certain level of creative freedom. That said, players of the games had certain expectations in terms of scale and spectacle, and these movies couldn't rise to the level of the games. They now exist as a largely forgotten franchise play by several media companies that were using this IP in an attempt to produce some grabby streaming media.
You can stream "Dead Rising: Watchtower" and "Dead Rising: Endgame" on Tubi.