The wait for the Zelda movie is a little more bearable now that we know its release date of March 26th, 2027. You can mark it on your calendar and anticipate buying your ticket. You can also look forward to learning more about it between now and then, since any other details we know surround its initial announcement.

In the meantime, let us direct your attention to The Legend of Zelda: Rising Darkness, a fan-made feature film that might help tide you over as we wait for Zelda’s big screen debut. Rising Darkness, which premiered on YouTube on April 1st, 2025, was shot between 2011 and 2015 with post-production happening in the years following. Rising Darkness‘ writer, director, producer, composer, and star Nathan T. Rousseau spent 14 years making his Zelda dream a reality.

We’ve seen the movie in full. How well does Rousseau capture that Zelda magic? Read on to see what we think!

Story and Characters

The movie, loosely based on A Link to the Past, takes place in an alternate timeline after Ocarina of Time. Ganondorf returns from the Dark World to conquer the Kingdom of Hyrule. Link ventures through the realm with his party, finding the tools needed to defeat the usurper and become the realm’s hero.

The core cast is headed by Link (played by Rosseau), who is, as expected, the film’s main character. Rising Darkness introduces him as a young man with a penchant for swordplay. He leaves his home to ask the royal family for aid in fighting monsters in Faron Province.

Before arriving at the castle, however, he learns that it’s been seized by dark forces. A fateful meeting with Princess Zelda (Sarah Hurley) sets him upon the path to his true destiny. The princess is a ruler intent on doing all she can to protect her kingdom and its people.

Zelda games are largely a series of solo adventures, but the film delves into Link’s companions and everything they add to his quest. Faronu (Owen Hale) is the hero’s friend who accompanies him as he leaves their Faron Province home. He helps ground Link over the course of his quest and provides comic relief to help the film feel like the series that inspired it. Link’s other companion is Zelda’s trusted servant, Impa (Helaine Hall). She keeps Link focused on his quest and serves as a serious character who contrasts the light-hearted Faronu. 

The darkness stems from the menacing Ganondorf (Justin Haase), working behind the scenes to spread his evil across Hyrule. Haase brings just the right level of gravitas to the role, portraying the Demon King as imposing and cruel. Valdrick (Somerset Young) is Ganondorf’s right hand, sowing seeds of chaos and attempting to keep Link from fulfilling his destiny.

Link, Faronu, Zelda, Valdrick, Impa, and Ganondorf are all expertly portrayed in the movie. As the film progresses, each of the actors grow more comfortable in their roles. However, some of the side-characters’ acting doesn’t rise to the same level as that of the leads.

Production

Rising Darkness is a full feature-film, boasting a run-time of just over two hours. Rousseau stated in the YouTube description that the production budget was only $2,000 USD. Given that, it’s impressive what the film’s accomplished.

Editing and composition are both handled by Rousseau. The score for the movie draws from an array of Zelda titles, each newly arranged for their inclusion here. There are also a handful of original compositions that fit seamlessly into the rest of Rising Darkness’ music. The full soundtrack is streaming now on YouTube.

The arial establishing shots for scene changes are gorgeous, as are the forest locales. The color grading is creative and fantastical; it’s easy to tell the mood of a scene simply from how it looks.

An example of one of the film’s darker scenes.

There are, however, some minor issues with the film. These include some dark scenes that obscure detail and a few breaches of established film rules (instances where the camera strays across a 180-degree line when two characters speak to each other, for example). Automated dialogue replacement, where actors re-record lines in a studio to replace dialogue captured on-set, would benefit instances where characters contend with a windy scene. Yet, given the scope of this film and the context in which it was made, these issues are easily overlooked.

Final Thoughts

The final product of 14 years of Rousseau’s work is a love letter to Zelda that’s greater than the sum of its parts. A group of inspired teenagers set out to make a movie that tells their own Zelda story. Despite years passing and life inevitably getting in the way, they accomplished their goal.

We approached the movie with a critical eye, looking to find what Rising Darkness handled well and places where it stumbled. While we maintained that goal for the film’s duration, we found ourselves suspending our disbelief more and more as it progressed. By the time the back half of it began, we were fully invested in this Hyrule’s Link and his quest to become a hero. Every aspect of the movie worked to pull us into its world.

Rising Darkness was originally planned as the first part of a trilogy. Although unlikely to happen now, Rousseau states in the YouTube comments that he isn’t ruling out a sequel at some point. Despite this, his Link’s story has a definite conclusion. While viewers don’t get to see how it’s reached, they get a glimpse of the aftermath of Hyrule’s struggle against Ganondorf. The finale is handled in an ingenious way, one only 14 years of production can provide.

We here at Zelda Dungeon highly recommend The Legend of Zelda: Rising Darkness. The passion its key players have for Zelda and movies comes through strongly. That passion is as infectious as it is enjoyable.

You can watch Rising Darkness now on YouTube or in the embed at the top of this review. If you want to see what went into making the film, follow its official YouTube channel and Facebook page. Be sure to check out the movie’s website for behind-the-scenes content! 

What do you think of The Legend of Zelda: Rising Darkness? What would you want to see in a possible sequel? Give us your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!

Source: ZeldaRisingDarkness

John Lortie

John’s been a Zelda fan since he was seven years old (which was a good few decades ago). He loves the last three months of the year, analog media, his family, and Tolkien. His favorite Zelda game is Breath of the Wild and his favorite game is Night in the Woods.