Jump to content
IGNORED

Movie Debate #66: The Wizard

Reed Rothchild

By Reed Rothchild
in Everything Else

 Share

Rate it  

34 members have voted

  1. 1. Rate based on your own personal thoughts

    • 10/10 - One of your very favorite movies of all time. Top 10.
      1
    • 9/10 - Killer fucking movie. Everyone should watch it.
      0
    • 8/10 - Great movie. Easy to recommend.
      1
    • 7/10 - Very good movie, but not quite great.
      4
    • 6/10 - Pretty good. You might enjoy the occasional watch, or tune in if you happen to catch it on cable.
      13
    • 5/10 - It's okay, but maybe not something you'll go out of your way to watch.
      5
    • 4/10 - Meh. There's plenty of better alternatives to this.
      3
    • 3/10 - Not very good.
      1
    • 2/10 - Not your cup of tea at all. Some people might like this, but you are not one of them.
      2
    • 1/10 - Horrible in every way.
      0
    • 0/10 - The Citizen Kane of painful experiences. You'd rather shove an icepick in your retinas than watch this.
      0
    • You haven't seen the movie, but you're interested in watching it.
      3
    • No interest in watching it.
      1

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 28
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Popular Posts

Estil
Estil

I've refused to watch the Academy Awards ever since The Wizard was snubbed for Best Picture 😄  For that matter I don't think they even got one nomination... 😞 

B.A.
B.A.

While I acknowledge it isn't a cinematic classic by any means, I still love it.  My mind was blown as a kid when SMB3 showed up.  So many great one liners.  I was just the right age and right time whe

Reed Rothchild
Reed Rothchild

Oh, you sly son of a bitch, I'll definitely have to dive into them ASAP now http://www.noreruns.net/2020/12/16/blu-ray-review-the-wizard-collectors-edition/

Posted Images

fox

fox | 1,667

Posted
Posted (edited)

Less a movie and more of an infomercial for Nintendo.

Fred Savage, Jenny Lewis, and Christian Slater are all really like-able.  The kid who plays the title's Wizard, not so much.  Some memorable one liners.  Overall pretty inoffensive for a kids film.

Edited by fox
Link to comment
Share on other sites
TDIRunner

TDIRunner | 2,736

Posted
Posted

I watched it within the first year of it being released, but I haven't watched it since.  I remember enjoying it as a kid and being excited about any scene that involved video games(a surprisingly small number).  But at the age I was at the time, I probably would have liked it no matter how bad it was.  I really don't think I can rate it fairly without giving it another watch.  I'm guessing it would land somewhere around a 5 or so.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Webhead123

Webhead123 | 675

Posted
Posted

I saw it in theaters when it came out because I had heard about the fabled SMB3 "sneak peek" but I honestly have not watched it again since. I probably should fire it up just to be able to look back on that period in history when Nintendo ruled the world. I can't imagine that the movie has much to offer other than some goofy nostalgia.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Sumez

Sumez | 2,950

Posted
Posted

I imported a DVD release of this movie knowing well enough it wouldn't be a good movie. I thought it would at least be fun to see all the video game references and just a lot of silly late 80s camp.

What I didn't account for was that the movie just was plain boring, dumb and uninteresting. Not good in any way really.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
B.A.

B.A. | 1,139

Posted
Posted

While I acknowledge it isn't a cinematic classic by any means, I still love it.  My mind was blown as a kid when SMB3 showed up.  So many great one liners.  I was just the right age and right time when it came out, but I completely understand how people wouldn't be interested in it if they didn't have the nostalgia.  So it's kind of hard to rate, I love it but I don't go around recommending it to other people. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
arch_8ngel

arch_8ngel | 1,597

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, B.A. said:

While I acknowledge it isn't a cinematic classic by any means, I still love it.  My mind was blown as a kid when SMB3 showed up.  So many great one liners.  I was just the right age and right time when it came out, but I completely understand how people wouldn't be interested in it if they didn't have the nostalgia.  So it's kind of hard to rate, I love it but I don't go around recommending it to other people. 

That is exactly where I am on it.  I was the exact intended age for this movie when it released and even knew a neighborhood kid with a Power Glove.

It was also probably one of the first movies I was nostalgic enough for to track down -- I remember finding the VHS in a video rental shop in high school and asking them the last time it was rented and then offering to buy it on the spot for $6, and having my offer accepted 😛

 

It definitely falls into the subset of movies that I want to share with my kids to let them see certain elements that were unique to being a kid in the late 80's -- but I definitely wouldn't recommend it widely without context.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
AstralSoul

AstralSoul | 502

Posted
Posted

Objectively speaking, it's it a good movie. But it's one I enjoy so I gave it a 7.  Admittedly it's more nostalgia than anything. I remember when it came out and kids in my elementary school went nuts over the first showing of Super Mario Bros 3 and I remember hanging out at a friend's house with a group of kids from school to watch this movie. I really miss those days. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Reed Rothchild

Reed Rothchild | 9,525

Editorials Team · Posted
  • Author
Posted
1 hour ago, arch_8ngel said:

Oh, and if you're interested in getting this one on DVD, it is available on a big "family movie" multi-pack that includes Cloak and Dagger.

Shout Factory did a release recently too.  I have the BD with extras:

https://www.shoutfactory.com/product/the-wizard-collector-s-edition?product_id=7300

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
MegaMan52

MegaMan52 | 2,445

Posted
Posted (edited)

6/10

Pros:

Slightly better than the 1993 Mario movie in my opinion. Like that movie, it has a good cast and some memorable and funny scenes. It can be really fun to watch occasionally: Seeing Corey sneak into the institution and getting Jimmy out of there, hiding in an Ice Cream truck and pigging out, playing Double Dragon at a Bus Station and competing for Haley's Bus Ticket...it makes me feel like a kid again and brings me back to the late 80's/early 90's. And, of course, there's the legendary Super Mario Bros. 3 scene. It isn't a great movie, but not bad either and is fun to watch every now and then.

Cons:

Not up to par with several of Fred Savage or Christian Slater's other shows/movies (The Wonder Years, The Legend of Billie Jean, Pump Up the Volume, Kuffs). The script during the Super Mario Bros. 3 scene isn't very good (how did Corey know about the Warp Whistles? How did Jimmy know where to find the secret room in the World 1 Mini-Fortress?).

Other notes:

It's unfortunate that the DVD doesn't have any extras, and unlike the Mario movie it doesn't even have any music on the root menu. I remember it also took a while for it to come out on DVD in the U.S. and Canada. I guess we were just suppose to be happy that it was even released on DVD at all (which I was). At least the picture quality is decent compared to the Mario movie DVD. I'm glad the movie's been released on Blu-Ray and includes extras. Will probably buy the Blu-Ray sometime this year.

thewizarddvd.jpg.169c8cf73595f9b0027beffa46e96ec2.jpg

Edited by MegaMan52
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Estil

Estil | 1,264

Posted
Posted
On 4/20/2021 at 9:29 AM, B.A. said:

While I acknowledge it isn't a cinematic classic by any means, I still love it.  My mind was blown as a kid when SMB3 showed up.  

I too felt that same way...I didn't get my own copy until my 11th birthday a little over a year after it came out but better late than never, right?  That truly was a magical moment for the US to finally get its first taste of SMB3.  I don't think that kind of magic could ever be duplicated (not even close) in today world though.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...