This has such a high chance of being a fun but forgettable mass audience generic fantasy. I don't think any Zelda game had a incredible story, it was basic evil darkness takes over world and must be stopped by unlikely hero. They all had amazing atmosphere though. Would be great to see it take more of an art house cinema style like The Green Knight, but I doubt that will happen.
A lot of things about Zelda's plotting clicked for me in a new way when I read about how the directors were inspired by Twin Peaks and just surreal little characters and moments:
My pet conspiracy theory, of which there is sadly ample contrary evidence, is that the Zelda universe was supposed to be more like the Bond universe, where it just kind of reboots and picks and chooses its continuity rather than the convoluted branching of time, which I think doesn't add anything to it.
While most Zelda plots are very basic they do contain some fun twists. Like how the first half of Ocarina of Time is essentially kids playing at saving the world and ending up giving the villain what he was after. Then the second half is (almost) adult Link fixing his mistake.
I also really enjoy how the last two games (Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom) have focused a lot on emotion and interpersonal relationships. The complexity of Zelda's arch in BotW was a real happy surprise.
She started off feeling like a failure for not being able to awaken her powers and resenting Link for how easily he seemed to wield his. Then she got to know Link and how his skill was from relentless training and his silence was from fear of not living up to people's expectations. In the end, Link is the one who falls, Zelda awakens her powers and keeps Ganon at bay. And the whole game itself is Link trying to save the world doomed by his previous failure. Huh, reminiscent of OoT... maybe that's the common bit to base the film around?
some of them got a lot deeper than others. i think expanding on Majora's Mask would make a great time travel fantasy thriller, especially if they focus on everyone else in the town/world and how link just weaves them all together
From memory, the best choice for an adaptation is probably Majora's Mask. And not because the plot is special in any way, but because of all the characters that tie the world together so well.
It is gloomy though, and maybe too gloomy for what Nintendo wants to go for. Not having Ganon is probably a deal breaker for them as well.
It would be cool if they got some interesting writer that could come up with some really innovative script, I think the Barbie movie played surprisingly well in the unexpected, and got a big payout for the risk. I have no idea what the Zelda movie could be, but I think going for Majora Mask or Wind Waker (less traditional Zelda), gives more possibilities for something different. Alternative would be insane budget LotR approach for something epic, but I think I would prefer the more arthouse film approach.
Stranded on a mysterious island story, multiple characters and villages, obvious quest to wake the Windfish.
Also lays the foundations for other films if it does well - flashbacks teasing a previous game/movies and "it was all just a dream" ending teasing a sequel. Could make references to a larger setting and "evil" with Hyrule and Ganon.
I didn't think the Barbie movie was that unexpected. It was a thinly veiled attempt at making Mattel seem authentic (in the corporate marketing sense).
It's just a step up from having a snarky Twitter account to "connect with a new generation of customers".
(How the movie portrayed Mattel's founder is proof of how the movie is just a brand update and far from the piece of art some say it is).
If you look at the entire history of Barbie media, the new movie is a complete departure in terms of its tone/approach/etc. You may not have liked it, but it was definitely a risk--there was a decent chance of it being a bomb that tarnished the entire brand, but it seems like the reverse happened.
Agreed, it was unexpected for Mattel. My issue with the movie is that it's corporate whitewashing and people are just eating it up. But that's just the way of the world.
Credit the streamer GrandPooBear for the idea but I think that the best Legend of Zelda Adaptation would be animated with each season covering a different game and being in a completely different art style.
I wish they will outright steal the plot from the 1955 Samurai trilogy starring Toshiro Mifune.
The basic plot is our hero is an extraordinarily strong but willful and wild. He goes to his first battle in search of personal glory only to find defeat and almost loses his life. He meets his love interest and various people who slowly teach what a true hero is. He re-emerges as the people’s champion. Before he leaves for his epic showdown with Sasaki Kojiro the entire village prays for his safe return.
Something in the style of Into The Spiderverse or Netflix's Arcane or some aspects of the recent Namona or Puss in Boots. There's so much that could be done, especially if Nintendo hooked in a good and creative studio.
Link: Princess Zelda has been captured by the great demon king!! I have to save her!!
Of course, I'll also take the opportunity to enjoy several, or perhaps dozens, leisurely excursions in the wild along the way...
Wes Ball seems like an odd choice for such a huge and much loved franchise. I haven't seen the only three movies we have to judge his skills as a director by, but it seems like the reviews for them ranged from average to poor. Maybe Nintendo got to see Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes already and it convinced them he was the guy for the job?
The Mario Movie was directed by a couple guys who were best know for creating Teen Titans Go!, which had similar middling reviews.
If I had to guess Nintendo is going with people they think can do a lot with a relatively modest budget.
Maze Runner pulled in $350 million on a $34 million budget, which is remarkable. The franchise made $950 million on a $150 million dollar budget which is wild.
Nintendo isn’t going for high art with these. They want someone who will make an entertaining enough movie while staying faithful to the material.
Jury's still out for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Everybody who made the previous trilogy great is gone. I would bet Wes Ball is very hot right now amongst producers, but that Kingdom bitterly disappoints.
Just referring to history of different live adaptation attempts eg. Avatar Last Air Bender, Dragon Ball Z, Attack on Titan, etc... where One Piece was an exception.
I want to say depends how outlandish/how well it's done but a lot of people liked Marvel Avengers so it can be done just hard.
Ah, ok. I'm watching through the live version of One Piece and I've been enjoying it quite a lot. There are some interesting/strange decisions made in the cinematography, but I'm sure they made the decisions they did to try and keep the anime aesthetic.
This is more anime territory but Cowboy Bebop is another recent one that was butchered. Had cool visuals but changed... idk. I'm not flatly against changing but hopefully in a good direction or stick to it... which may be boring too/nothing new just live people.
I fear this will be one of those moments where all the fun, quirky fanon about the Zelda universe will go ignored. We can only pray that the casting isn’t bland and that they choose Link-as-unpredictable-hellion to script the character
