@Daojoan oh god yes. I see so many 'based on the popular video game' movies. Too many. And the small handful I've looked at have been truly dreadful, all VFX no plot. Bangs and whistles
Aristotle's Poetics. First, foremost and always. Plot. Plot. Plot. Sod the effects, if the story doesn't cut it then it's a waste of time. Think of it, Medea, Oedipus Tyrannus. They capture and hold the attention like a magnet. And traditionally no scenery or effects. You don't even see the action and deaths because they're never shown.