It isn't very often
that you come across a cinematic gem on YouTube, but, believe me, they're out
there. A lot of these happen to be fan-made adaptations of video games or old
TV shows, and what makes these really cool is the fat they're all fan-made. You
can feel the passion and the effort they put into these movies, and it's always
nice to see.
Such is the case of Metroid:
The Sky Calls, a short film directed by Sam Balcomb and based on the Metroid
video games. And, like a lot of the really cool fan films on YouTube, it's
very apparent that the director and the production team put a lot of effort into
this film and were very passionate about making this film. So, props to them
for that.
To get things out of
the way, The Sky Calls is a very visual film - it's a feast for the
eyes, and it's an absolutely gorgeous one, at that. That being said, it's not
so much a tale - although, there is a story in it - as it is flipping through a
photo album.
Like I said, there
isn't much of a plot to speak of, but it's executed pretty well. I'm gonna
assume this takes place before a lot of the other Metroid games, but I'm
not sure where exactly this fits into the timeline. Essentially, the film
revolves around Samus setting out to investigate this mysterious signal that
she believes came from the Chozo, the folks who made her armor.
The story at least had
this sense of mystery to it, and the execution was great. I only wish there was
just a bit more meat on it, but like I said earlier, this film is about the
pretty-pretty bits.
Speaking of pretty,
Samus is one hell of a babe.
Seriously.
Jessica Chobot plays
Samus Aran in The Sky Callsand she actually does a pretty good job at
it. Her performance created some pretty good tension and an overall great
dynamic between her and the environment. I've read the gripes the people had,
saying that she was too "emotional", but I was always just assuming
that this movie takes place way before she became a badass.
Going back to the topic
of visuals, this movie was a sight to behold! I mean, it looks like it was made
by an actual Hollywood production crew. And there're a lot of interesting
design and aesthetic cues, as well. For the most part, the visual approach to
this movie felt like a throwback to Alien and the space thrillers of
yore. Like, the movie had this nice 80's film grain to it that made it look
like something Ridley Scott would've directed.
Believe me when I say this movie is a feast for the eyes.
And the CGI in this
movie was pretty great, too. Everything looked like it blended really well
together. The cinematography added a nice sense of fluidity and consistency to
the film and made the environments and scenes believeable.
Just look at that.
Overall, The Sky
Calls was a pretty kick-ass short film and presents a really cool concept
for a Metroid feature film. I like it when short films lay down a
blueprint for a much bigger project in the future. For what it's worth, it's a
great way to kill 11 minutes. As such, I'll be giving it a Jarjar Thumbs-Up.
At this point, I'm
starting to think that Hollywood should seriously invest in actual video game
fans with actual directing prowess to finally break the ice in the video game
adaptation genre. I mean, seriously. The fact that Sam Balcomb managed to put
out something this spectacular without the backing of a big-budget Hollywood
studio has potential written all over it. I wanna see the dude direct some more
movies. So, yeah, Hollywood - look into that guy. I just wanna see a really
kick-ass video game movie.
On that note, what's
the best video game movie you've seen? And have you seen The Sky Calls?
Let me know, leave a comment! I wanna hear what you think! This has been Rafa,
and I'll catch you when I can.
If you guys are interested, feel free to watch the movie at this link.
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