Write-up time.
Really now. What is there to be said about The Wizard on a gaming forum that hasn't already been said? I'm sure most of you have seen this movie already, but for me it was a first. I found an old VHS rental at a local thrift store for $0.50 and decided to take a little trip back into the 80s. And let me tell you, it wasn't easy. Not because of the movie itself, but because of the struggle to actually get it to play.
The tape wasn't completely rewound, so I popped it into the player to rewind it and walked away for a minute. When I came back, my poor VCR was making a weird clicking noise. Fearing the worst, I popped the tape out only to realized it hadn't rewound the tape at all. Hoping against hope that the VCR wasn't broken (it had worked the week before) I tried another tape. No problem. Then I examined The Wizard tape more closely and noticed a strange crystal-like substance on part of the wound tape. Well, damn. What the hell is that?
Answer: I still have no idea. But it forced me to physically take the tape apart and re-wind it by hand. About 30 minutes later the tape was clean and I was finally able to watch the movie and hoping that it would raise my suddenly sour mood.
To my surprise it did. I've heard The Wizard described as Rainman for kids and that is, in fact, an very accurate description.
Jimmy is a child with problems. What they are is never clearly explained, but it is implied that he has some sort of mental disorder, most likely autism. All Jimmy wants to do is go to California, but his constant efforts to run away and do so land him in an institution. Wanting to give his brother what he wants, Jimmy's brother Cory breaks him out
Gee, an child's Institution with no guards? How convenient.
and they head out to California in style, in the only way a 10-13 year old can: Via Twinky truck
I at least hope they stole some for the road. They're gonna need the sugar.
Along the way they meet up with a girl and discover that, though Jimmy might have problems, Jimmy is also gifted. And by gifted we mean that he can rock the NES games like nobody's business and the two decide to take Jimmy to a video game competition. At this point in the movie the viewer is sometimes thrown awkwardly random shots of NES games and hardware. If you're an old school NES fan like I am, than these shots are going to be a nice trip down memory lane. If not, than they may totally piss you off.
Or in Mr. Help Hotline's case here, bore you to tears.
On the way to the tournament the three kids face some typical kids-fare adolescent angst and annoying teenage bullies all while trying to avoid their pursuers, Jimmy and Cory's father and brother and a very sleazy and creepy runaway child hunter. I have no idea in hell where Jimmy's mother found this guy. Introducing him to the story is one thing, but the way he goes about trying to catch Jimmy just screams 'pedophile' to anyone over the age of 13. Thankfully the writers realized this and had the kids deal with it in a thoughtful, sensitive manner.
"He touched my breast!" Cory: "I wasn't thinking anything I swea- Oh, you mean him. *cough*" Honestly though, screw "Power Glove." I thought this was the funniest line in the whole damn film.
No. Wait, sorry. This is an 80's movie. They just had some truckers beat his ass.
$1.67 for a 6-pack of Pepsi?! Damn it I miss the 80's!
I've heard The Wizard described as a giant plug for Nintendo. But honestly, I didn't feel
that bombarded by Nintendo until the very end. (Okay, Christian Slater dragging along an NES while they're searching for his missing brothers may have been too much.) The way I'd heard it described, I actually expected it to be much worse. As it was though *shrug* it didn't bother me. It's obviously there, but what do you expect. It was 1989. With the exception of the occasional Pac Man machine these were pretty much some of the same cabs I saw around that time.
The Wizard is an 80's movie through and through, filled with 80's plot holes and plot devices. But I found it fun and, in the end, ultimately heart warming. Definitely recommended for those looking for a little nostalgia kick.
