The Hylia - The Wizard DVD Impressions

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A few years ago, I saw a DVD of The Wizard for sale online. No, this wasn't a bootleg or some hoax - it was actually the German version known as "Joystick Heroes". For some time now, the cult classic "The Wizard", which is a symbol of the pinnacle of Nintendo's empire, has only been known through memory and poor quality VHS copies. But today, the film hits DVD, and we got our hands on a copy.

The packaging is identical to the VHS box. No wait, it looks almost the same, but it is lacking something suspicious. It is missing all traces that this is a "Nintendo" film save for Fred Savage wearing the Power Glove. The "flying Mario" and all those NES sprites are removed, and the back only sports a "group" shot of the cast together. Not a good sign that the VHS box is far superior to the DVD case. Not to metion, the DVD case has those two annoying "snaps".

So you think there's going to be some sort of special insert at least. Well, there is an insert alright, but it is for other Universal films. So, perhaps they shaved a bit of the cost on low packaging? So I pop in the DVD, which that at least beats out the VHS in design by default, and expect some cool intro and some sweet bonus features.

An FBI warning comes on - the new one with the textured background. Then there is a rating for the movie - PG. Finally, a static menu appears with two options; Play and Language. You've got to be kidding me? I've waited 17 years for this thing to come out on DVD, and all I get is this? There's not even a fricking scene selection! The Super Mario Bros. Movie at least had that!

I mean, the Zelda and Mario Cartoon sets had SOME bonus features. This movie did far better than Super Mario Bros., right? I mean, it debuted Super Mario Bros. 3! Couldn't they have thrown in some feautres on Power Fest, The Power Glove, Nintendo and perhaps Super Mario Bros. 3? I think the answer is obvious - Nintendo didn't want to have any part in the release of this film on DVD, and/or Universal just flat out didn't care about this film's DVD release. Then why bother to put it out at all?

The quality of the film is barely better than the VHS copy I have, which is very sad. Still, you can probably get it for ten bucks online somewhere, or fourteen bucks at stores like Best Buy. It's worth it just for the movie, but I have to say, this is a travesty what Universal has pulled.

Just in case you don't know what the heck this film is about, it is about Jimmy Woods, an autistic child who is going to be put into a mental institute because his mother can't seem to help him, nor can traditional treatments. Meanwhile, Corey Woods (played by Fred Savage), and his older brother (played by Christian Slatner) and father (played by Beau Bridges) are trying to piece together a dsyfunctional single parent family. Somehow, Corey learns that Jimmy is going to be put into a "home". He begs his father to do something, but in the end, Corey springs Jimmy out and they head on the road.

The end up going to California, but they can't even afford a bus ticket, so there trip is short lived. However, they meet up with a tomboy named Haley who notices Jimmy is good at Double Dragon and takes a bet that she can beat him. She loses, and Corey and Jimmy try to claim their prize (a bus ticket) but Haley fights back. Meanwhile, a cop pulls up, and Corey and Jimmy decide to hide. Haley also notices this, and follows the two downstairs and then makes a deal to help them reach California.

Back at home in Utah, Corey and Jimmy's family decide to go find the boys. The father wants to find them himself, while the mother's attorney has hired a "bounty hunter" to retrieve the runaways. At a diner, Haley convince Corey to take Jimmy to California to compete in a Video Armageddon to win 50,000 dollars. They think if he wins, people will leave him alone and let him live a normal life.

The rest of the film consists of the them hitch-hiking to Los Angeles, California while they hussle people in video games. Several Nintendo titles appear, including Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, Super Mario Bros. and Ninja Gaiden. Everyone eventually meets up at Universal Studios, Hollywood, where the tournament is being helpd. After qualifying for the finals against a girl and nemesis Lucas (who dawned the Power Glove in the film in an earlier scene), the Jimmy competes for the prize by playing Super Mario Bros. 3 - a then unannounced video game to the world, and the most expensive "trailer" and "commercial" for a video gamer ever. Just imagine if Nintendo made a movie two years ago, and at the end, they showed off Twilight Princess. Yeah, E3 was about the same thing, but the media frenzy of having it in a movie would have been off the charts.

Still, the film is a bit cheesy by today's standards, and non-Nintendo fanboys will wonder what the hell is the deal with Nintendo all over the place (remember, this was pre-PlayStation and XBOX, guys). But it is a great piece on the 80s mentality, and just how big Nintendo really was back then. Not to mention, my favorite scene of all time is in this film.

Media

Probably the most unappreciated form of media from the Zelda series is the manga. Part one of our three part segment focuses on a potential Zelda film inspired by the manga.