Hero Mode Discussions: Zelda Movie Part Two

Welcome back to the long delayed Hero Mode Discussions

as we move onto our second entry talking about the points of a Zelda

movie. As always, keep in mind this is opinionated and shows my personal

views of what I believe would make this specific Zelda topic the best it

can be. All that I request of you, people of the Internet, is to keep an open

mind. I welcome criticism and angry comments with open arms; they are quite

helpful and ever so entertaining.

Foreword:

“Hero Mode Discussions” refers not to talking about Hero Mode from

the games, though it uses the idea of being “hardcore.” So in the

terms of discussion, this essentially means that what we are going to be

talking about is more on the verge of “hardcore” than what we’re

normally used to in discussion. Second, this is the first installment of many,

because due to the length of the full article being some 6000 words and still

in-progress, I have made the choice to separate the full article into roughly

500 to 1000 word entries that will be posted each week. Every segment will

contain different aspects that apply to the topic we are going to be discussing

today. I implore of you to not get too upset when something you are passionate

about doesn’t show up, because most likely, I will get to it. Eventually.

The

points previously discussed included if it was

possible for a Zelda film to be put into the making, whether it should

be live action or anime styled, and what production company would be best for

producing the film. This week, the topics are going to get a little more

controversial especially because everyone harbors different opinions when it

comes to content. Yes, this week we’ll talk about what exactly would work best

in a Zelda film.

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There

are quite the number of Zelda games, from your top down to your 3D and

all the in-betweens, and all fans are aware of the diversity in not only the game

play, but also the story line which is extremely prominent

as well. Each game has such a contrasting story from the previous game, even

though they each have similar plots: Link saves everyone and defeats the evil

forces. However, in each game there is more than just that. We experience

different emotions as adventure, such as suffering, loss, and hope until it finally turns

into that glorious victory and celebration in the end. Depending on what end

you’re speaking of; not all of them end too happily. (Spoiler for Twilight

Princess: Midna, why did you have to go and break the Mirror of Twilight?

Not nice.)

Not

only can you see and experience emotions while playing the various games, you

can form relationships between Link and the other characters and choose whom

you love or whom you love to hate. You also get to explore the world for as

long as it pleases you, going into every nook and cranny, cutting all the grass

from across the whole map, or just cruising along on the ocean. So, with all of

the possibility and freedom you receive in the game – even though it has a set

storyline (A Link Between Worlds has a set storyline, but not order in

which to complete temples if you’re thinking I’m wrong there) – how can you

possibly put all of that into a single film and still give that sense of

nostalgia from exploration and dawdling in-between temples?

Well,

there are a few choices that we have here. You could say, “screw

that” and just create your own storyline, and all is fine and dandy.

However, you also have the choice to mash two games into one film and get some

kind of funky-hybrid. Or, you could follow the storyline of a single game

cleanly and precisely. Issues pose themselves with all three that we have

listed, so, to see the ups and the downs and the good and the bad, let’s

dissect each one separately.

The

“Screw That” Option

There

are quite a few issues here that need to be cleared out of the way before we

can move onto the positives. The bad is that, depending on who the writer is,

you could get a script so insane and almost ‘not-Zelda‘ that they

basically only used the character names, lore, and logos to get higher box

office sales. Additionally, and the largest problem that branches off to all

issues with this choice is that there will be a large percentile of fans that

will absolutely despise the idea of a story that isn’t originally a Zelda plot. However, the basic plot of Zelda is this: “Link sleep. Link

kill grass. Link save Zelda after a 6-month vacation in Lake Hylia.”

The good for the “screw that” option is that no one will have to worry about the story-line becoming incomprehensibly messed up that you can’t even tell which game it is supposed to be based on. Such as how you read a book and go see the screen-adaptation and all you do is sit there and go “This never happened.” An example would be the story of “Noah” that came out in theaters this spring season, which had so many “additions” that if I hadn’t read the story as a kid, I would have thought this was about some whack dream a dude had one night.

However, if the script is tasteful and original enough, keeping close ties to the lore, it could really work. Some people have suggested that you don’t even really need Link or Zelda in the film; you could just use reference to them. Though this would anger a quite a number of fans, it’s still an idea. So if a write could find a happy medium between the extremes of either OCD to the game or on a level not too similar to “Noah,” the Zelda fan base could see a piece of cinematic gold.

To wrap this option up, you could either get a really whacked up “Zelda” movie, or you could get a fresh and new take on the game, while keeping to traditional values enough to please the majority of the fan base. The only thing that really matters most is making sure the writer doesn’t base the film off of a dream or another “experience.”

The Hybrid Option

The only issues with putting two games together is that you could get something way

too broad. If someone tried to put together Twilight Princess and Ocarina

of Time into one 2 and ½ hour film, you have multiple hours of game play

and story-line from each title to fit into one tiny time slot. Yes, the story

could be put into a trilogy lasting three years, but not everyone wants to wait that

long just to see the next part. If someone was able to get a decent

story-line out of a hybrid, the content of the games put into the film could be

way too broad for any real and close-in following of either game.

On

the other hand, if a script is put together well enough, we could be seeing a

2.5-hour film encompassing the content of two games. With putting two titles

into one, it’s very likely that you could get even more box office sales than

if just one title was used. This would be because it pulls at the interests of

different sides of the fan base and the bias that lies among us because of our

own personal tastes. Furthermore, if a trilogy was to be made, giving

appropriate attention to content from each of the games, we could have a good

film. The only down to this would be the wait for however long until the next

release. So here again, you have happy mediums and the extremes.

OCD Option

The

bad for this option could either be either horrific, or “not too

bad.” The issue with following a game as closely as possible is that some

important or prominent events may have to be left out. It also could deter box

office sales for the fact that some fans may see it as “unoriginal”

or “too cannon to be interesting.” However, all of these issues can

be dealt with in their own ways. There isn’t much to do about the whole

“unoriginal” topic, but there are a few ways to make a Zelda

film have its own unique touch that differs from the games. A way to do this is

to add bits and pieces of humor that we normally don’t see in the games, as

well as possibly address some of the “awkward” moments from the games

that no one knows what to make of. To make it unique, we just need someone

creative to direct the film, eh? Lastly, to get around leaving out important or

prominent events from the games, the best way to include everything is to…

Sorry, that’s for next week. Looks like you will all just have to wait and see.

One

last word: Next week’s article will encompass how to make the OCD Option work.

Yes, I’m cutting out the other two and going with what seems the most cliché

path to take, but it truly is the safest path to tread upon if you think about

it. Next week I will explain how to get everything into a desired timeslot,

without missing or copping out on anything. After that, we will tread into the

darker realms of the more meticulous content…or I may just surprise you and

go some other crazy direction.

Once

again, thank you for reading, and if you don’t mind, please leave a comment and

let me know what you think! I love to hear other opinions, and I find it

helpful when people do take the time to let me know what they think. I may even

use some ideas in the upcoming articles, because I can’t come up with

everything.