By: Andrew Hawlitzky and Christian Roethling
On Nov. 7, Nintendo announced that their flagship video game series The Legend of Zelda would be getting a live-action film, set to be co-produced by series creator Shigeru Miyamoto and longtime film producer Avi Arad. Naturally, the Internet is up in arms over the announcement, but what do The Brock Press’ editors think about the upcoming film?
Christian Roethling:
Despite what some naysayers are expressing online, I’m feeling quite positive about the upcoming Zelda movie.
Zelda, like Mario before it, is one of Nintendo’s golden children. Sure, the film’s producer Avi Arad may not have the best reputation, but I’m hopeful that Nintendo’s involvement in the film will be its saving grace. After all, Nintendo is funding more than 50 per cent of the film’s creation, and they’re not going to treat such a momentous project carelessly.
In 2017, Nintendo shifted their creative philosophy, prioritising what fans actually want over bland, lifeless yet marketable iterations of their properties. The launch of the Nintendo Switch was clearly a turning point for the company after years of suffering thanks to the Wii U’s failure, and I believe that this “fan-first” creative philosophy will carry over into their filmmaking endeavours.
Shigeru Miyamoto, the legendary game creator responsible for the Zelda franchise and a producer on the upcoming film, has been discussing the movie for about 10 years. This isn’t a tidbit Nintendo would openly share if they didn’t have confidence in this project. That kind of statement makes a bold—yet implicit—claim, one that should assure fans that things are going well on the development side.
Some fans online have insinuated that the movie would benefit from 2D animation rather than live-action, and while I see the appeal of that argument, I don’t think it lines up with Nintendo’s currently planned trajectory. Nintendo executives have stated that the business is becoming an entertainment company rather than focusing solely on video games, but a 2D-animated film seems too niche.
I think a 3D-animated film like The Super Mario Bros. Movie would likely be too childish for the Zelda franchise, so live-action is probably the best way to go. This doesn’t necessarily contradict Nintendo’s fan-first approach; they can integrate tons of fanfare and commit the movie to the Zelda franchise while maintaining their “entertainment company” mindset.
While the Mario movie wasn’t great for the average moviegoer, it was amazing for Mario fans specifically, and I think this film will equally lend itself to fans of the Zelda franchise. In fact, with Zelda typically focusing on plot far more than its moustachioed counterpart, I argue that this film will probably also be a good watch for viewers who aren’t fans of the franchise.
I don’t think the Zelda movie will be the greatest film to ever grace theatres, nor do I think every viewer is sure to have a fantastic time. But given Nintendo’s recent creative approach and the fact that they surely know how important this movie is to their entertainment business, I think it’s worth giving a chance… and maybe even getting excited over.
Andrew Hawlitzky:
Nintendo’s announcement of a live-action Legend of Zelda movie has my hopes at an all-time low.
Nintendo revealed on Nov. 7 that the company’s newest film will be developed in collaboration with Sony Pictures and produced by Avi Arad and Derek Connolly with Wes Ball directing. As my colleague has aptly pointed out, this selection of directors and producers are best suited for a blockbuster in the same vein as the MCU movies they have previous experience with. But I ask, does The Legend of Zelda—as a franchise—lend itself to this flick-of-the-summer superhero-style of live-action movie?
The most successful mainline video games of The Legend of Zelda franchise often have somewhat complicated plots. Whether the film will focus on an original plot or adapt a plot from the games is still being speculated.
The most likely game source the movie will take from is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Not only is Ocarina one of the most popular games of all time, but as a film, it would give creators the most to work with. Ocarina was the first 3D Zelda game and its original plot works as a stand-alone from the other Zelda games.
Do I think Ocarina would work well as a live-action movie? No. To make a live-action Zelda movie is by all measures a cash grab trying to make the franchise commercially viable to a wide audience. Assembling a “triforce” of directors and producers who specialize in high box-office earnings and little concern for critical ratings is similarly devious and does not put the desires of the fans first.
Some video game movies, such as the most recent Mario and Sonic movies, worked both financially and critically because of their willingness to listen to the concerns of their fans and having relatively simple game plots that can be easily adapted with original ideas.
Ocarina of Time, as well as most mainline Zelda games, have a central theme of exploration and lore-centred discovery throughout the plots. The characterizations of Link, Zelda and Ganon are also inconsistent and difficult to define since they are different incarnations in almost every Zelda game. The protagonist Link usually has no real dialogue other than player-selected options for conversations with NPCs. In other words, the world and characters of Zelda do not translate well to a marketable film scenario and exist in their best forms in the media they were always intended to occupy.
That being said, it is possible to make a good Zelda movie, but it is not at all conducive to live-action. The answer to a faithful Zelda movie lies in 2D animation. Animated cutscenes have been used for Zelda media before such as in the remake of Link’s Awakening or a character reveal trailer for Super Smash Bros.
In both these iterations, Link is faithful to his usual stoic portrayal, but the nuance of handcrafted animation highlights small facial expressions and epic fighting choreography that could never be properly represented in-game. However, a 2D-animated film would never be as successful as a live-action film, nor would it ever be able to work up the same budget. It is clear that this big-budget blockbuster approach is the direction Nintendo wants to take its new film franchises.
In short, some video game franchises are at their best when they remain in the realm of gaming rather than being used to line executives’ pockets with big aspirations and little thoughtfulness. So, while I still think the movie has some hope, it will be an uphill climb for the Zelda movie to reach the same level of appreciation as the games.
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Though opinions may differ, the race is most certainly on for the new Legend of Zelda movie to prove its worth to Nintendo’s critical fanbase.