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Excellent but underrated film

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Lets go back to a time when videogame adaptations basically didn't exist. A time when videogames didn't really mix with movies and any that dared to do so tended to fail ('Tron'). Movies and videogames were different entities that simply didn't mesh. But that didn't stop Nintendo trying to break that mould with this offering.The Plot: Sam Woods (Beau Bridges) is separated from his wife. He lives with his two elder sons Nick (Christian Slater) and Corey (Fred Savage). The boys also have a younger brother called Jimmy (Luke Edwards) who lives with his mother and stepfather. Jimmy did also have a twin sister but she drowned leaving Jimmy suffering from PTSD. Its this PTSD that seemingly causes Jimmy to want to wander off to California. Eventually, after becoming frustrated with his fathers apparent inability to care properly for Jimmy, Corey takes it upon himself to run away with Jimmy to California. On the road they meet up with a young girl called Haley (Jenny Lewis) who is also on her way home to Reno. They decide to team up after discovering that Jimmy is a whizz at any videogame he comes across. Haley will help them travel across the country to a large videogame contest being held in Universal Studios where they will enter Jimmy and split the winnings if he wins.Now when I was a kid (which seems like 100 years ago now) this was one of those movies that I saw and kinda enjoyed but not overly. It was a movie that was engaging mainly because of the videogame element, naturally. I was never really into the family aspect of the movie simply because it was of no interest to me; twas all about the videogames which at the time seemed like eons into the future of what I was used to (the Spectrum 128K and Atari 2600). In fact I can honesty say I found the movie boring as a kid, a case of fast-fowarding through certain parts.Looking back now (as a 40 year old...gulp!) I can honesty say that maybe I was onto something back in the day. Now don't get me wrong this isn't a bad movie per say, its just incredibly average and indeed somewhat dull. I mean just digging a bit deeper into the plot there are so many questions. When Jimmy and Corey run away their parents decide to hire a bounty hunter to find them?? Umm...how about the police?? There really doesn't seem to be much urgency in actually getting the young boys back. I also have to ask why the bounty hunter guy is so...dastardly. I mean this is his job, he's being paid to find these kids, yet he's behaving like a complete assh*le for no apparent reason other than being dumb comic relief.Upon meeting Haley we eventually find out that she's making her way home...on her own? From where? Where has she been? We know her mother has passed on but where's her father at?? The character of Haley is also very much the Mary Sue of this movie if you will; she's like the all powerful lucky charm that can solve any problem, dues ex machina overload. When they need money she knows a truck driver who can gamble for them inside a casino. At the same time Haley is also, apparently, an expert at craps. She knows exactly where to go, who to speak to, and what to do at all times. Yeah OK she's suppose to be more worldly than the boys but come on, she's only about 13 or thereabouts.The main lure of this movie was of course the videogames. The plot was pretty non-existent but Nintendo didn't really care about that methinks. Twas all about the plugs and boy is this movie full of plugs. The funny thing is you don't actually see much videogame action, just lots of snippets of characters playing dotted throughout (mostly from the NES). Such games included are Mega Man 2, Contra, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Double Dragon etc...Watching now its really nothing special to see these games (what little you see) but I do recall that back in the day it was pretty exciting and cool as it was a first essentially. As I said previously, as a kid in the UK with a Spectrum 128K and Atari 2600, the games on show in this movie seemed like something completely out of reach, so futuristic, a massive lure. Hell the sight of the now infamous Nintendo Power Glove was enough to blow my little child mind when that popped up. It looked like the coolest toy ever created...being handled by some even cooler looking kid with a slick lock of hair. Seriously did you see how the camera pans around this kids stoic looking face, its like an aftershave advert. Of course now that entire scene is unintentionally hilarious because we all know how that peripheral turned out (and then there's that kids face). Its also amusing to see all the Nintendo/gamer help lines manned by nerds with stacks of cheat books for every game. My how times have changed.But lets just address what this movie essentially is, apart from a long videogame advert for Nintendo. This movie is basically a kids version of 'Rain Man'...with videogames. Jimmy pretty much is Raymond Babbitt and Haley (not goofy Corey) is a nicer version of Charles Babbitt and instead of gambling its videogames...with a touch of gambling. I can understand why this has become something of a cult but honesty its pretty mundane and unengaging. The cast is quite grand as is the beautiful scenery of rural America, but the plot is thin and honesty nothing much of interest really happens. Bottom line, at a time when 80's (and general) nostalgia is at an all time high and you can find a multitude of retro goodness online at the touch of a button, this kinda fell flat for me. Its perfectly fine as a minor trip down memory lane for games, haircuts, clothes and an early videogame tournament concept (that maniac hosting the contest! Jesus!). But overall as a movie its wholly average at best.5/10

I first saw The Wizard somewhere over Greenland in July 1990. After a long US holiday it was nice seeing a road movie to pass the long hours stuck on the plane. The movie is an utterly shameless 100-minute commercial for Nintendo products, the then imminent release of Super Mario Bros. 3 (even though 2 was never released in the US) and Universal's own Los Angeles theme park, but at the time I was just interested because of all the video games on show, though it does not speak well of youth that even in 1989 video games were still the number 1 sport.The actual plot woven into the commercial is truly heartbreaking though. Young, possibly autistic, catatonic Jimmy Woods (James Woods?) keeps wandering away from home, desperate to get to California. Half-brother Cory (Fred Savage) goes after him, attempting to pacify his desire to get to the west coast state. Cory thinks that Jimmy wants to enter a video game competition at Universal Studios but really he just wants to visit the Cabazon Dinosaurs - the last place of happy memories before the death of his twin sister, and he just wants to let her go.Really heavy-going stuff, and not a film I can enjoy watching as an adult in that regard. The film is poorly directed and features innumerable errors regarding the Nintendo products that they are promoting. How can the kids shout out the secrets of a video game that they have never played and that has only just been announced? For a commercial they sure didn't research their material very well. But it does win back some points for effective use of the original "Send me an Angel" by Real Life.Christian Slater and Beau Bridges pursue the boys as the older brother and dad, while a feisty teenage girl called Hayley helps them get to their destination on time. The travel montages and locations are all memorable and turn the journey into a nice rites-of-passage.It's become a cult classic in recent years, and will provoke even more nostalgia another 24 years down the line, but the heavy subject matter beneath the Nintendo-plugging means I can't go back again.

I've been a gamer ever since I was six, got my first video game console when I was 8, this console was of course the Nintendo. This film was almost a dream come true to me because it was one based on the world of gaming. This is an underrated gem (in my book anyway)that I really like and still do to this day. It's also one of the only sports films I really like/love (I personally am not a fan of the sub genre)and there aren't many like it.There is just a lot I really like about the film, watching it again now is more interesting because now it's sort of a time capsule of the 89-90's era. The fashions, video games at the time, the Universial Studio locale when it was young, music you name it. Speaking of the music, I feel this film has one of the best soundtracks which no doubt brew 90's, my favorite is the end credit theme song which is one of my personal favorites called "I Found My Way", it's just a beautiful and inspiring song in my book anyway.The highlight no doubt in the visual aspect was the Video Armegenon contest, just the amount of energy and showmanship it had, really makes me which most other video game/PC game tournaments today had that again. But of course it was when the new game at the time was revealed "Super Mario Bros 3" I remember seeing that in the film and thought OMG, I never even knew the franchise was even developing a third volume so you can imagine how much it blew my mind. Some would say that the film is a bit dated, personally I think that's an unfair argument to make, if it was some other video game in a film say "Halo 7" same thing would happen. You have to understand in 89-90 the video game counterculture was on the rise, not just was it becoming more popular and accessible but also video game technology itself was rapidly developing. However I don't just like this film because it has video games/gaming, but I honestly felt the film has a bit of a heart as well. Like any sports film I really like the characters and there motives.The antagonist that stands out for me despite not being in the film that long is Lucas, he's a villain you love to dislike because we've all seen people like that, whom think their hot stuff, egocentric, have more things than you and like to show off.However the best characters were the three protagonists whom I thought were the best dynamic of the bunch. All three acted and felt like real kids, they weren't stereotypical all smiles annoying kids. Each of these protagonists I thought were sympathetic have suffered loss in a sense and all three wanted some sort of change, I wouldn't say just change in their life but just something good again in their lives, which is something they've never had in a long time. Fred Savage was great as Cory Woods (on a side note, yes I remember the TV show "The Wonder Years" thats one of my favorite shows). He's a typical adolescent a little rebellious, a gamer he does know his games, he's not too smooth he has a sort of dry witticism to him. But most importantly he does care about his young brother Jimmy Woods (Luke Edwards) whom is the video game wizard. Cory's motive is he simply wants both he and his brother to be a family again and going on this journey with him is the only way to do it.Jenny Lewis I thought was great as Haley, it's a shame this actress didn't have more because I thought she was a capable actress. She sort of reminds me, heck even physically looks a bit like actress Emma Watson. Anyway her character is my favorite, she's fiery, feisty, smart, she has some of the best moments and lines to say. But what I really like is that she has warmth even though she doesn't also show it, she does care about Jimmy and has a bit of a crush on Cory. But there is a bit of sadness to her character, because her character is alone in a way. Doesn't really have many close friends, so Cory is probably the only one she's ever been closest to.The chemistry between both Cory and Haley to me is the other highlight of the movie. Both have just a great back and forth, where at times both give each other intentional or unintentional grief. And yet their relationship develops both care and bond with each other more as the film goes on.But it's true this film isn't perfect I have at least a couple of glitches. I wished in the Video Armeganon elimination sequence it was a montage, where I would of liked to of seen Jimmy play different Nintendo games and knocking down numerous competitors, the fact this didn't happen I thought was a lost opportunity. Certain hiccups in the script, for example 50,000 in "Double Dragon" which in reality isn't possible (I played and own the game so I know) though I don't feel that was so much a case of bad writing just bad research. Overall I think this is a fun and surprisingly touching sports movie and personally I like to see more sports movies based on the video game subculture. For me it's a fun nolstagia trip I like to take every once in a while, for new viewers it could be a fun history lesson but most importantly a fun movie. The Wizard scores.Rating: 3 and a half stars.

While fans today may complain over the company's change of focus to casual games, it's hard to forget the known fact that in the late 80's, Nintendo was godly. The NES was a major success, kids everywhere were filled with joy playing such greats such as the Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Bros, and Nintendo was raking in the cash. While the Super Mario Bros Movie is the prime example of Nintendo butchering video game franchises in order to bring them to the big screen, one movie in 1989 was unlike all the others: The Wizard.The film begins with a mentally-unstable 6 year old boy named Jimmy. It soon becomes apparent that Jimmy wants to go to California (VERY APPARENT), so his 13 year old half-brother Corey (Fred Savage) steals him from the mental institution, and they're on their way. As an interesting side note, Ben Savage plays a character named Corey on Boy Meets World while Fred Savage plays a different Corey in The Wizard. Confusing. Anyway, Corey's dad (Beau Bridges) and brother (Christian Slater) start on a mission to find the children while competing with a children-finder, who is not nearly as pant-wetting freaky as the child catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, to get them first. It may seem simple on the exterior, but the plot starts to not make much sense when trying to figure out the family connections between all the characters since Jimmy is the product of one marriage and Corey and…..screw it. Along the way, the duo meets up with Hailey, who convinces them into competing in Video Armageddon, a video game tournament in none other than California.Now, in any great movie there is a great adversary, right? Well of course, and The Wizard is no exception. So, who will be standing in Jimmy's path to video game domination? Lucas Barton, the greatest video gamer in all the land. I really don't know what the creators were thinking when they created this laughable excuse for a villain, but for some odd reason, it actually works. It gives the film a unique sort of feel, and even though it's dated and immature, it's a load of fun.Besides confusing the crap out of an 8 year old with the attention span of a rodent, what other problems does the film have? Got 3 hours to spare? First of all, the morals are all screwed up. The film essentially preaches that hitchhiking is the best plan for 6 and 13 year olds, gambling is great for all ages, screaming about being raped in public to get someone is arrested is fine even if you're just messing around, never reprimand your kids for running away, charge as much money to a hotel room you can't pay for as possible, eat food that isn't yours, sell your parent's bus ticket for some video games……I think the point has been made. I am not even going to discuss the "I'm sleeping with my father in a dump on the highway" or the 80-year old man in a thong ordering liquor. Seriously, what the hell were they thinking? Thankfully, the soundtrack to The Wizard is about as 80's as possible, and for a fan of music from that decade, it's a true joy to listen to. While all the bands that performed songs for the film have ling been forgotten, rocking tunes such as "Send Me an Angel" are featured in some great montage sequences that add a unique style to the overall experience. Perhaps my favorite aspect of the movie is the actual filming locations in the movie. The vast majority of the flick showcases Jimmy and Corey hitchhiking from Utah to California, so seeing all the beautiful scenery and open areas is a real treat.There are great movies, there are terrible movies, and then there is The Wizard. I truly don't know how to even classify it since, yes, it is a plot disaster, yet it's enormously entertaining and interesting. I have seen this flick more times over the years than I can even count, and watching it today still gives me a sense of satisfaction and joy. Considering Nintendo's other film outings have been terrible at best, The Wizard is a refreshing movie that is definitely worth a watch if under the right mindset.