As a Gen x'er, and someone who still loves playing video games, this might be one of the best videos about 'The Wizard' I've ever seen! Love this movie!
Being 41, I'm somewhat sad I wasn't born a few years sooner. I missed out on so many things. I just wasn't old enough in 1989 to really appreciate (or notice) things like this. It was bittersweet learning about and watching The Wizard.
I haven’t seen this movie since it came out but it is burned into my kid brain. I sometimes I randomly just say “Califorrrnnniaaa” and only once someone got the reference.
I always thought the kid was mentally handicapped, hence the way he acted and talked. Only now, after being reminded in this UA-cam video that his behavior was due to ptsd, I’m now wondering why he said things like “califooooornia” as though he was “slow”.
As the type of kid who'd read manuals again and again and memorize them, I knew TMNT's weapon was a "Kiai" that gets thrown, so I assumed from the symbol in game it was some type of dynamite. When Beau Bridges mentioned he "got the scroll weapon" I nearly fell out of my seat in the theatre. Turned out he was right and the manual had done a piss poor job describing it, but my young autistic brain could not handle that. Also the sister ending was completely crushing, I balled my eyes out. That sat with me for weeks as well, glad I'm not the only one it impacted.
A lot of people don’t realize that the Wizard was shot by the extremely talented Robert D. Yeoman, who also shot Drugstore Cowboy with Gus Van Sant that year, and would later go on to collaborate with Wes Anderson, doing cinematography on nearly all his films I think except Isle of Dogs. And there are actually some extremely stylish shots this film! My favorite being the long one-shot intro with Jimmy walking along the road from way in the distance towards the camera. It’s a total Lawrence of Arabia ripoff, but it’s done REALLY well and I mean…. It’s not the sort of thing you’d expect to see in a movie like this, that’s for sure.
I was gonna add this. From like a film student perspective this movie was super underrated. Im not all surprised the professional movie critics spent all their time criticizing the surface of the movie and just flat out missed some really excellent film making that a movie like this had no business having.
@@27joemammatrue, but The Simpsons was a series of shorts on the Tracy Ulman show, basically a loose collection of animated sketches. Most of them were less than 5 minutes long. It wasn't an official series until 1989.
Before this movie was FINALLY released on dvd, there was a bootleg floating around the net, someone found a sealed copy on VHS and captured its very first playing, releasing it as a 2 disc VCD. For a while, that was the best way to watch the movie.
I was 7 when this movie came out. Even then, I knew this was a Super mario 3 commercial movie. I knew DAMN WELL. i DID NOT CARE, none of us did. I didn't expect the movie to actually be good. That was the surprise.
This is a true story. When the movie was being advertised and teased I was JUST 13. At that time I had not seen Heathers. I remember being taken with the little redhead girl (Charlie Brown sad music) in the movie's promotional material. I remember seeing the name in promotional credits of Christian Slater. My 13 year old brain automatically assumed that Christian was a girls name, so that redhead girl was "obviously" Christian Slater. So I wrote on all of my notebooks and book covers boldly proclaiming "I ❤ Christian Slater". Now remember, this is 1989 and I was in 7th grade living in Ohio. I got ostracized at my school to the point that I was sent to live with my grandparents in Tennessee until my Junior year of high school. Anyway, that's my therapy session for today
@@AlmostSomething I'm 48 now and find it funny. Also, glad that I finally found out her name is Jenny Lewis and later discovered Rilo Kiley, which was a great band.
Love this, lol. My nephew did the same thing, different movie. We watched the girl next door and he thought the girl's name was Emile Herche and would walk around talking about how he was in love with Emile Herche 😆😂🤣 His reaction when he found out.... Priceless.
The fact that this movie gave you a tutorial on how to find the stage 1 warp whistle was one of the coolest things I had ever been a part of. Immediately after watching the movie I fired up my copy of SMB3 and was instantly connected with a new community of gamers. Definitely a pioneering moment in video games.
The Wizard was more than a 90 minute Nintendo commercial. It was a Vision Street Wear commercial too 😂. But I still loved it way back when. I was 11 when it came out.
I remember getting the Pocket Power pamphlet when I went to see "The Wizard" in theaters. I have some nostalgia for this movie, but seriously, watching it as an adult I can't believe some of the material in it. Still, the acting was good and the director fighting to make the last scene in the movie so memorable is a nice bit of trivia. I was probably a little outside the desired kid demographic when my friends and I saw the movie, as I was fourteen at the time, but we had a good time watching it. Honsetly, given the product placement in this movie, it is amazing how good some of the acting is, especially by Beau Bridges and Christian Slater during their road trip.
Oh, man. I just turned 44 as of this post. I remember when this movie came out and what a big deal it was for kids my age. The theater where I saw it has been demolished for decades though the shopping center still exists. I wish I still had that Pocket Power magazine. The staff gave me several of them. I haven't seen the movie since! Thanks for the nostalgia.
In 1989 I showed up for the games, but stayed for the story. They nailed the atmosphere of a struggling family dynamic wounded from tragedy. Especially if you watch the deleted scenes (like Corey 'trying' to get caught sneaking out late, using it as an excuse to spend time with his exhausted father, so sad). The house looks lived in and unorganized which is perfect for a single father trying to hold it together. Nick and Corey clashing their emotions but still close brothers. And of course, the tension between Nick and Father (Sam). The private eye (Putnam) deserves praise, what a character. The actor Will Seltzer really steals every scene, he even auditioned for Luke Skywalker (you can see his audition online). Also hard to imagine this movie without that ending. It wraps everything together nicely. Closure from past trauma, the Woods family can heal, Hailey now has peers and friends for life. As they leave in the truck we are left wondering what happens now? A good way to end. I realize the unrealistic setting of them backpacking state lines, like they are adults and always one step ahead. But it's a fun fantasy. Boy, was I a massive fan of it all in 89'. The soundtrack / score is amazing, and a shame it was never officially released. Also being a Fred Savage fan, I was used to the adult themes since many of them showed up in the Wonder Years as well. Awkward young romance, death (Winnie's brother in Vietnam), fragile friendships, and coming of age, and family ties. I did have a Mandela effect with this movie though. I could have sworn Corey was playing a Gameboy in one scene when the trio was crashing for the night in the Junkyard.
You have not "lost your damn mind". This was a Nintendo commercial, through and through, but it always got me in the feels. Mind you, I didn't show it to my kids until they were in their later teens, so they were no where near as impressed, but my daughter did tear up at the end. It's a classic in my book!
The premiere for this movie was at the Cinemark theater in Palmdale, CA. My dad was the manager at the time. I was able to attend the premiere. The producer, directory and several of the actors were there including Jenny Lewis. Since I was the manager's kid, I got to go into the employee only areas where Jenny and her parents were waiting. I was 15 at the time and I think she was almost 14. So naturally, I had a crush on her as soon as I saw her. LOL
Nintendo first released SMB 3 on their Play-Choice 10 arcade units to give us Americans a taste of what's to come before the home console release. For those of y'all who are unfamiliar with the Play-Choice 10, think of it like a jukebox. You had 10 different actual NES games to choose from, and you played by time. Obviously, the more quarters you inserted, the longer you could play. The games were easily interchangeable. Which was great for arcade owners so they could keep the machines fresh and new. There were even small metal signs the owners could attach to the top of the cabinet to advertise the new game(s) that were available. The PC-10 used cartridges that contained the same game as the home version, but the cartridges were much different. The machine can know which slot is being used and display the game's title on the selection screen. The PC-10 even had a gun that was identical to the ones used in the Vs. series of Nintendo arcade cabinets. Since the PC-10 was nothing more than an NES at heart, over time adapters have been created so that regular NES carts can be used. But, the menu screen does not display the title of the game. One more thing, controller cheat could be used. Prime example, if Contra was available, the ability to use the all too familiar "Konami” code be used.
The 8-Bit Guy has a really good video about the Playchoice 10 on his Time Rift Arcade channel. Well worth a watch if you're into vintage gaming or old hardware.
Great video! I hate it when people say this movie is just a Nintendo commercial because it has adventure, comedy, a great cast, and plenty of heart even without the video game scenes.
Back when I first saw it as a little kid, I loved this movie because 'videogames'. Today I love it even more because it perfectly captures that moment in time of what it was like to grow up with these games in the late 80's/early 90s. Also this was unironically the adventure I always wanted to go on as a kid, traveling the country, playing videogames for a bigger goal.
"Its so bad... its good" I was alive for this, but I was still a baby. The powerglove always looked soo cool, but by the time I was old enough to want one it was well known that it had failed.
I was 5 when this came out. My older brother very much looked a lot like Fred Savage and I was always a skinny little brother. So between that and our Nintendo set this film really connected with us and we loved it. (Our much older cousin had a power glove!) Multiple re-watches in the following years. As a kid I definitely remember watching this as much more than just a Nintendo commercial. Not to get sappy but my older brother died when we were teens. He really did remind me a lot of Savage so this film always held a special place in my memory.
I was 12 when this movie came out. My parents had got divorced in 1989 and I was an only child who spent a lot of time alone that year playing Nintendo. So this movie hit pretty close to home. When this movies came out on VHS I watched it many times. I remember my friend was more of a hardcore gamer than I was, his parents pre ordered Super Mario Brothers 3 at Toys R Us, and we picked it up coming home from a school field trip. So many good memories. About 10 or 15 years ago I got my hand on a DVD copy and showed it to my daughters when they were about 8 years old. Great family movie. Super Mario Brothers 3 is still the best game ever in my opinion as a Gen Xer. I know there are many great games out there now, but kids today will never understand how influential this movies was during the pre internet days.
I knew about the warp whistle in mario bros 3 as a kid because my mom who watched the wizard growing up knew where it was and told me, she got me smb3 on gba
This movie has some genuinely funny moments, mostly with the guy who is chasing them (using the slushie as ice to put on his black eye is still hilarious). I also still get the chills whenever I see those giant doors open to reveal Super Mario 3.
I saw this movie in the theater when I was a kid. Loved it. Though the whole villain subplot always bugged me. It was so asinine that this guy is basically trying to kidnap Jimmy to get a reward like he's some kind of Boba Fett bounty hunter LOL!! A better angle would've been that Jimmy had swapped lunchboxes or backpacks with someone in the cartel (it does take place in the southwest after all) kinda of like a G rated No Country for Old Men LOL!! Also the whole "he touched my breast" part creeped me out then and creeps me out 100x now.
Loved this movie when it came out and still love it as an adult! The Send Me An Angel song still gets me every time and so many scenes that hit home as a kid.
As kids, we owned and or played a ton out of all the games shown in the movie, but we still wanted to see all the scenes with the games in the movie..Something about watching it on the big screen seemed really cool. As for the climax, I think we all salivated over wanting to be able to play our favorite games on such a massive screen...
Well in the US we had to wait until (1991) for Super Mario Bros. 3 to be released! It was released in Japan in (1988) and featured in the movie The Wizard (1989.)
I HIGHLY recommend the Blu-ray from Shout Factory! It's full of extras, has a feature length commentary with the director, and the picture is stunning. A must-own for fans of this film!
Years later as an adult, it always blew my mind that Mario 3 came out on the same system as Mario 1. It seemed like a different world when I was a kid.
When this film came out when I was 10, I just loved it. Watching it as an adult you see its limitations (let’s put it that way, lol), but it still has a place in my heart and always will.
Oddly enough, I remember the movie, I've watched it several times since then, but I never remember seeing it as an option at the theater. For the longest time I thought it was a made for TV movie. I still have the tape mom used to tape it off TV (on EP mode, along with The Goonies and Footloose.) That movie was the first time I heard Real Live "Send Me an Angel" I thought for a long time it was made for the movie until hearing the song years later on MUZAK, I later figured out the artist via Napster and have since bought the 12" single.
0:05 - Placement of LEGO Duplo in a film! Other notable LEGO placements in films include: 1. Beethoven (1992) 2. Jingle All The Way (1996) 3. The Smurfs (2011) 4. Sonic The Hedgehog (2020)
I saw this with my uncle and after he asked what I thought about it and all I could talk about was how amazing SMB3 looked. He said, "So what did you think about the movie?" lol
This is one of the few movies I still revisit often from my childhood. Watch it at leastonce or twice a year. Its not wven that greatof a film but, it brings back great memories for me personally, of simpler times.
This movie has been on my DVR recorder for like 5 years now when I caught it on TV. First time I watched it I was like 6 or 7. But has stuck with me all these years later. Ranks right up there with me like The Neverending Story. My childhood will never die! Just hope to share it.
For all the people asking "How did Jimmy know about the warp whistle?" He could have seen a preview for SMB3 and read about it in Nintendo Power, Hailey did say she got power magazines to help Jimmy
@@michael2244 exactly. Thank you. I'm honestly suprised that everyone sees this as a plot hole, it's not, it's so simple. there is literally a training montage in the movie where Jimmy and Jenny are reading Nintendo power and you can see the smb 3 first level playthrough with pictures. It had all the secrets from the entire first world. This is why Jenny is in the crowd saying "get the whistle" her and Jimmy already memorized this. Which again is incredibly believable, when I was a kid I would read Nintendo power while my mom was shopping for groceries and would memorize secrets and codes that I would use when I got home.
I love this movie. It’s part of my childhood. I wished I could have hitchhiked from AL where I grew up to California to play in or watch video game armageddon. I know they will eventually make a reboot. Hopefully sooner than later. It would be nice to have a reboot that focuses on the Nintendo Switch 2.
I, and everyone else in my grade school class were nuts about The Wizard 😂. We weren’t very picky about movies at that age but we understood fan service inherently
This movie introduced me to the power glove. I ended up buying it when it was available. Biggest letdown ever for an accessory. But would I do it again. Absolutely 100% 😂.
A few things. 1. I hate when professional film critics complain about commercialism in movies. Their entire job is commercialism. They don’t let them see the movie early and for free because they value their opinion, it’s because they want the critic to sell the movie. Also, I hate to break it to people but every movie basically ever made has paid sponsorship in one way or the other. Get over it. 2. The acting in this movie is pretty considering what it is. Everyone pretty much killed it. 3. Most importantly, this movie is awesome. Having just watched it a few days ago on UA-cam it still holds up for me. And yes on the surface it’s an ad for Nintendo but beneath that ad is movie about mental health, loss, trauma, recovery, letting go, family. It’s story that reminds people that sometimes the kids know more than the adults. This movie is still awesome and I will fight anyone who says otherwise. I put it in the same category with Goonies, stand by me, stranger things as awesome adventure films with kids in the lead. IMO the only thing they were missing was a cameo by Sean Astin.
This was one of the first movies I rented from Blockbuster Video. Loved it and watched it a million times. I watched it again a few years ago and, dammit...I don't care what anyone says. It still holds up.
As a fat kid video games were my jam! And this movie is one of the favorites from the childhood Watching it again, just a couple years ago, I noticed the panda as a mascot at the theme park and… makes me sad
This movie is very important-it felt like a precursor to making video game movies. Make a movie revolving around actual video games. Hmmm. Novel concept
Lol, I see someone else decided to give this a rewatch after it was uploaded to UA-cam. One aspect of the film that I think gets overlooked is how authentic many of the locations feel. I have no idea where some of these places were, but it felt like the production itself went on the same road trip and filmed at every podunk town along the way. The extras definitely seemed to be locals, and every location had a very lived-in feel to it. You just don't see that anymore.
The whole movie was one giant Nintendo commercial of course. The Power Glove? The SM3 reveal? And I don't care who that "Texas beauty queen" that the studio wanted for the girl's role; I had an instant crush on Jenny Lewis.
I love The Wizard. It's _so bad_. 😁 I'm sorry, I had to. I really do love this movie though. But, I also, genuinely really did love my Power Glove and used it until it finally gave up the ghost. And I am SO glad they didn't go with that horrible "throw away the lunchbox" ending. What the heck were the producers smoking when they came up with that? The dinosaur ending is perfect.
I don't agree with the "how could Jimmy know about the whistle" take. 1. I was 6 when i played smb 3 for the first time and found the whistle. 2. The location of the first whistle was famously printed in a Nintendo power magazine designated for the release of smb. 3. You can see several scenes of jimmy and the girl reading Nintendo power, so there is the most reasonable explanation.
@forcetheedges no problem. I'm honestly surprised more people don't remember the smb 3 Nintendo power mag. It's probably the most famous issue, the entire mag was dedicated to the release of smb 3. For example, me and my brother had all the first few levels of secrets memorized through rereading the mag over and over again before ever having played it once. And yes that included the whistle lol.
@@shaggyfrankdizzl I do remember an issue called the Mario 3 Strategy Guide or something like that. I didn't realize it was already out by the time the movie came out, though.
I was 12 when this came out and really into my NES. So I saw it of course. I thought it was cool to see NES in an actual movie. Also had my 12 old self smitten by Jenny Lewis.
I take issue with people calling the movie a commercial for Nintendo. Other than SMB3, very few first-party games are featured prominently in the movie; most are 3rd-party. And if it was a commercial for Nintendo, you'd think they have the characters use the word "Nintendo" at least once! The only time the word "Nintendo" is heard in the whole movie is background dialogue where one of the game play counsellors answers a telephone. Haley even pulls out a Nintendo Power magazine and says, "I got these Power magazines". Calling The Wizard a commercial for Nintendo is like calling Rocky a commercial for boxing. Nintendo games are just the competition the main character trains and competes in, no different than bobsledding in Cool Runnings or chess in Searching for Bobby Fischer.
And cool runnings introduced a great deal of people to a sport that many have never heard of. Rocky put eyes on boxing. Bobby Fischer was definitely a chess movie. The wizard is a Nintendo movie, Lucas is proof enough of the commercial claim. Even though it’s a giant ad for Nintendo with a plot, we still love it. Relax.
@@Timothythebrave The implication of calling something a commercial is that it exists solely to sell a product. But if that was the case, you have to wonder why Nintendo would make a commercial that doesn't mention Nintendo at all, and mostly features products that other companies developed. My apologies if people nerding out about stuff stresses you out, but that just means the conversation wasn't aimed at you. Why not find something that you're comfortable with?
@@proudhug I think something can be commercial in nature and still be regarded as nostalgic and interesting and even loved by fans of the “thing” in question. So in the case of this movie, which was originally conjured up by people in marketing, was a slam dunk for Nintendo awareness and sales in America. Even though many “third party” titles were featured, the system all those games could be played on at home was the Nintendo. The power glove was featured prominently in the film having only been out for two months in North America. The quest the children embark on has many layers with the most obvious being the video game contest in California where super Mario brothers 3 was revealed to the audience before the game even came out. So even though you could successfully argue the point that the wizard was definitely a giant video game commercial with a plot, that doesn’t detract from its nostalgia for those of us who saw it at that age and even those of us who have matured since the film came out and can more deeply appreciate the other parts of the plot that were challenging to understand and process as children. The word Nintendo doesn’t have to be mentioned repeatedly for people to come away from the film thinking about video games. We could argue the subtleties of the marketing techniques used to sell products and how the movie was full of them, but my only point to you is that calling this movie a commercial endeavor doesn’t detract from its other qualities. It absolutely was a film used to get people talking about video games (specifically Nintendo is the go to brand) and It worked and what’s more it did it in a way that felt real to kids (the target audience) and even acceptable to adults who were skeptical about video games at the time (worked on my folks for sure, thanks Bo Bridges).
@Timothythebrave I didn't see any of the comments about anything distracting from The Wizard being a fun nostalgic movie, so I can't really comment on any that. I'm just saying that the movie has never felt like a commercial for Nintendo to me, amd I laid out the reasons why. Technicay EVERY movie is trying to sell a product; itself. But if you went into this movie hoping for a Nintendo ad, you'd probably be mostly disappointed. Anytime someone calls it a big commercial for Nintendo, it makes me wonder if they even watched the movie.
4:08 Beau Bridges of The Famous Bridges Family including Brother Jeff and Father Lloyd Bridges was the father in the film. Yeah My glasses are rose tinted and I remember the Jennifer Sub Plot.
i remember seeing the wizard years ago. this movie introduced the power glove before it hit the store shelves back then. yes i did get the power glove for Christmas & it was a waste of $70. i never wanted it noir asked for it back then.
I loved this movie when I was a kid but I don’t remember the twin situation. I was probably to young and more focused on Nintendo and that power glove. I do remember the dinosaur scene very clearly tho.
This movie is still my favorite movie ever. Its my childhood and I’ll spend every day of the rest of my life trying to figure out why everything got bad after this. What happened?
1989... a year that had a movie featuring Super Mario Bros., Michael Keaton as Batman, a new Indiana Jones movie, and Disney had The Little Mermaid!!! There's no way a year with movies like that can fail! 2023: "Hold my beer..."
The critics call this a shameless advertisement. Well, if looking at the gaming industry is not a good theme for a film, then what about the countless number of films that focus on Hollywood as an industry, which have often received awards?
She definitely could've just been assuming there was a warp like there was in the original game. She didn't know it would be a flute. And this movie was a premier for Super Mario 3, it wasn't released yet when the movie came out.
As a Gen x'er, and someone who still loves playing video games, this might be one of the best videos about 'The Wizard' I've ever seen! Love this movie!
I remember seeing this in theatres. I was mesmerized. When I got the chance to see it again, as a 45 year old man, I still got the same chills.
Being 41, I'm somewhat sad I wasn't born a few years sooner. I missed out on so many things. I just wasn't old enough in 1989 to really appreciate (or notice) things like this. It was bittersweet learning about and watching The Wizard.
I saw this way late and still stuck
I haven’t seen this movie since it came out but it is burned into my kid brain. I sometimes I randomly just say “Califorrrnnniaaa” and only once someone got the reference.
Every time I hear the word California I say it like that
@@NostalgicGroundsme too lol
I always thought the kid was mentally handicapped, hence the way he acted and talked. Only now, after being reminded in this UA-cam video that his behavior was due to ptsd, I’m now wondering why he said things like “califooooornia” as though he was “slow”.
I love this movie. I'd get it
As the type of kid who'd read manuals again and again and memorize them, I knew TMNT's weapon was a "Kiai" that gets thrown, so I assumed from the symbol in game it was some type of dynamite. When Beau Bridges mentioned he "got the scroll weapon" I nearly fell out of my seat in the theatre. Turned out he was right and the manual had done a piss poor job describing it, but my young autistic brain could not handle that.
Also the sister ending was completely crushing, I balled my eyes out. That sat with me for weeks as well, glad I'm not the only one it impacted.
A lot of people don’t realize that the Wizard was shot by the extremely talented Robert D. Yeoman, who also shot Drugstore Cowboy with Gus Van Sant that year, and would later go on to collaborate with Wes Anderson, doing cinematography on nearly all his films I think except Isle of Dogs.
And there are actually some extremely stylish shots this film! My favorite being the long one-shot intro with Jimmy walking along the road from way in the distance towards the camera. It’s a total Lawrence of Arabia ripoff, but it’s done REALLY well and I mean…. It’s not the sort of thing you’d expect to see in a movie like this, that’s for sure.
I was gonna add this. From like a film student perspective this movie was super underrated. Im not all surprised the professional movie critics spent all their time criticizing the surface of the movie and just flat out missed some really excellent film making that a movie like this had no business having.
For context: both The Wizard and The Simpsons TV show came out in December 1989.
...Holy crap...
They made their Fox debut that year. The Simpsons were first being shown on the Tracy Ulman show for HBO from 86/87 I think
@@27joemammatrue, but The Simpsons was a series of shorts on the Tracy Ulman show, basically a loose collection of animated sketches. Most of them were less than 5 minutes long. It wasn't an official series until 1989.
@@27joemammaYep, The Simpsons were around since '87, though as short ditties of another show.
@@27joemamma that’s why I said the simpsons tv show 🙄
Before this movie was FINALLY released on dvd, there was a bootleg floating around the net, someone found a sealed copy on VHS and captured its very first playing, releasing it as a 2 disc VCD. For a while, that was the best way to watch the movie.
I was 7 when this movie came out. Even then, I knew this was a Super mario 3 commercial movie. I knew DAMN WELL. i DID NOT CARE, none of us did. I didn't expect the movie to actually be good. That was the surprise.
This is a true story. When the movie was being advertised and teased I was JUST 13. At that time I had not seen Heathers. I remember being taken with the little redhead girl (Charlie Brown sad music) in the movie's promotional material. I remember seeing the name in promotional credits of Christian Slater. My 13 year old brain automatically assumed that Christian was a girls name, so that redhead girl was "obviously" Christian Slater. So I wrote on all of my notebooks and book covers boldly proclaiming "I ❤ Christian Slater".
Now remember, this is 1989 and I was in 7th grade living in Ohio. I got ostracized at my school to the point that I was sent to live with my grandparents in Tennessee until my Junior year of high school.
Anyway, that's my therapy session for today
OH MY GOD I’m so sorry.
@@AlmostSomething I'm 48 now and find it funny. Also, glad that I finally found out her name is Jenny Lewis and later discovered Rilo Kiley, which was a great band.
@@AlmostSomethinggreat video by the way
@@carlswicegood4519I have no words sorry that happened to you 😢
Love this, lol.
My nephew did the same thing, different movie.
We watched the girl next door and he thought the girl's name was Emile Herche and would walk around talking about how he was in love with Emile Herche 😆😂🤣
His reaction when he found out....
Priceless.
I remember being so excited to see the scenes of Super Mario Bros. three for the first time. Thanks for giving this film the right treatment.
We all watched this movie for a scene 😂
The fact that this movie gave you a tutorial on how to find the stage 1 warp whistle was one of the coolest things I had ever been a part of. Immediately after watching the movie I fired up my copy of SMB3 and was instantly connected with a new community of gamers. Definitely a pioneering moment in video games.
The Wizard was more than a 90 minute Nintendo commercial. It was a Vision Street Wear commercial too 😂. But I still loved it way back when. I was 11 when it came out.
I remember getting the Pocket Power pamphlet when I went to see "The Wizard" in theaters. I have some nostalgia for this movie, but seriously, watching it as an adult I can't believe some of the material in it. Still, the acting was good and the director fighting to make the last scene in the movie so memorable is a nice bit of trivia. I was probably a little outside the desired kid demographic when my friends and I saw the movie, as I was fourteen at the time, but we had a good time watching it. Honsetly, given the product placement in this movie, it is amazing how good some of the acting is, especially by Beau Bridges and Christian Slater during their road trip.
I wish they would do another high-budget Nintendo Direct like this.
Oh, man. I just turned 44 as of this post. I remember when this movie came out and what a big deal it was for kids my age. The theater where I saw it has been demolished for decades though the shopping center still exists. I wish I still had that Pocket Power magazine. The staff gave me several of them. I haven't seen the movie since! Thanks for the nostalgia.
These comments are great. A bunch of mid to late 40 year olds talking about the simple good old days of the late 80s early 90s.
I rewatched the movie yesterday on UA-cam TV & then this gets recommended to me today on UA-cam?
I love it when that happens!
I love the Wizard! Great video. Just subscribed!
Rifftrax version was hilarious 😅
In 1989 I showed up for the games, but stayed for the story. They nailed the atmosphere of a struggling family dynamic wounded from tragedy. Especially if you watch the deleted scenes (like Corey 'trying' to get caught sneaking out late, using it as an excuse to spend time with his exhausted father, so sad). The house looks lived in and unorganized which is perfect for a single father trying to hold it together. Nick and Corey clashing their emotions but still close brothers. And of course, the tension between Nick and Father (Sam).
The private eye (Putnam) deserves praise, what a character. The actor Will Seltzer really steals every scene, he even auditioned for Luke Skywalker (you can see his audition online). Also hard to imagine this movie without that ending. It wraps everything together nicely. Closure from past trauma, the Woods family can heal, Hailey now has peers and friends for life. As they leave in the truck we are left wondering what happens now? A good way to end.
I realize the unrealistic setting of them backpacking state lines, like they are adults and always one step ahead. But it's a fun fantasy.
Boy, was I a massive fan of it all in 89'. The soundtrack / score is amazing, and a shame it was never officially released. Also being a Fred Savage fan, I was used to the adult themes since many of them showed up in the Wonder Years as well. Awkward young romance, death (Winnie's brother in Vietnam), fragile friendships, and coming of age, and family ties.
I did have a Mandela effect with this movie though. I could have sworn Corey was playing a Gameboy in one scene when the trio was crashing for the night in the Junkyard.
Perfect timing.
The wizard is for free on UA-cam RN.
You have not "lost your damn mind". This was a Nintendo commercial, through and through, but it always got me in the feels. Mind you, I didn't show it to my kids until they were in their later teens, so they were no where near as impressed, but my daughter did tear up at the end. It's a classic in my book!
The premiere for this movie was at the Cinemark theater in Palmdale, CA. My dad was the manager at the time. I was able to attend the premiere. The producer, directory and several of the actors were there including Jenny Lewis. Since I was the manager's kid, I got to go into the employee only areas where Jenny and her parents were waiting. I was 15 at the time and I think she was almost 14. So naturally, I had a crush on her as soon as I saw her. LOL
Nintendo first released SMB 3 on their Play-Choice 10 arcade units to give us Americans a taste of what's to come before the home console release. For those of y'all who are unfamiliar with the Play-Choice 10, think of it like a jukebox. You had 10 different actual NES games to choose from, and you played by time. Obviously, the more quarters you inserted, the longer you could play. The games were easily interchangeable. Which was great for arcade owners so they could keep the machines fresh and new. There were even small metal signs the owners could attach to the top of the cabinet to advertise the new game(s) that were available. The PC-10 used cartridges that contained the same game as the home version, but the cartridges were much different. The machine can know which slot is being used and display the game's title on the selection screen. The PC-10 even had a gun that was identical to the ones used in the Vs. series of Nintendo arcade cabinets. Since the PC-10 was nothing more than an NES at heart, over time adapters have been created so that regular NES carts can be used. But, the menu screen does not display the title of the game. One more thing, controller cheat could be used. Prime example, if Contra was available, the ability to use the all too familiar "Konami” code be used.
I used to walk to Godfather's pizza to play SMB 3 before it was released. It is a fond memory.
The 8-Bit Guy has a really good video about the Playchoice 10 on his Time Rift Arcade channel. Well worth a watch if you're into vintage gaming or old hardware.
Great video! I hate it when people say this movie is just a Nintendo commercial because it has adventure, comedy, a great cast, and plenty of heart even without the video game scenes.
Just watched again last week!!
Back when I first saw it as a little kid, I loved this movie because 'videogames'. Today I love it even more because it perfectly captures that moment in time of what it was like to grow up with these games in the late 80's/early 90s. Also this was unironically the adventure I always wanted to go on as a kid, traveling the country, playing videogames for a bigger goal.
"Its so bad... its good" I was alive for this, but I was still a baby. The powerglove always looked soo cool, but by the time I was old enough to want one it was well known that it had failed.
U didnt miss much on the power glove I had one it was trash, such a disappointment
@@bentorrey12 yeah ive seen videos on it in the years since... It had potential, but you could of never pulled that off in the 80's -90's
Remember. You can always enjoy a movie without ever paying attention to the first person mentioned in the credits.
I was 5 when this came out. My older brother very much looked a lot like Fred Savage and I was always a skinny little brother. So between that and our Nintendo set this film really connected with us and we loved it. (Our much older cousin had a power glove!) Multiple re-watches in the following years. As a kid I definitely remember watching this as much more than just a Nintendo commercial. Not to get sappy but my older brother died when we were teens. He really did remind me a lot of Savage so this film always held a special place in my memory.
I was 12 when this movie came out. My parents had got divorced in 1989 and I was an only child who spent a lot of time alone that year playing Nintendo. So this movie hit pretty close to home. When this movies came out on VHS I watched it many times. I remember my friend was more of a hardcore gamer than I was, his parents pre ordered Super Mario Brothers 3 at Toys R Us, and we picked it up coming home from a school field trip. So many good memories. About 10 or 15 years ago I got my hand on a DVD copy and showed it to my daughters when they were about 8 years old. Great family movie. Super Mario Brothers 3 is still the best game ever in my opinion as a Gen Xer. I know there are many great games out there now, but kids today will never understand how influential this movies was during the pre internet days.
The mean kid enemy actor went to jail. Toby McGuire was in his Entourage in this movie FYI
I knew about the warp whistle in mario bros 3 as a kid because my mom who watched the wizard growing up knew where it was and told me, she got me smb3 on gba
This movie has some genuinely funny moments, mostly with the guy who is chasing them (using the slushie as ice to put on his black eye is still hilarious). I also still get the chills whenever I see those giant doors open to reveal Super Mario 3.
I saw this movie in the theater when I was a kid. Loved it. Though the whole villain subplot always bugged me. It was so asinine that this guy is basically trying to kidnap Jimmy to get a reward like he's some kind of Boba Fett bounty hunter LOL!! A better angle would've been that Jimmy had swapped lunchboxes or backpacks with someone in the cartel (it does take place in the southwest after all) kinda of like a G rated No Country for Old Men LOL!! Also the whole "he touched my breast" part creeped me out then and creeps me out 100x now.
Loved this movie when it came out and still love it as an adult! The Send Me An Angel song still gets me every time and so many scenes that hit home as a kid.
As kids, we owned and or played a ton out of all the games shown in the movie, but we still wanted to see all the scenes with the games in the movie..Something about watching it on the big screen seemed really cool. As for the climax, I think we all salivated over wanting to be able to play our favorite games on such a massive screen...
Well in the US we had to wait until (1991) for Super Mario Bros. 3 to be released! It was released in Japan in (1988) and featured in the movie The Wizard (1989.)
I HIGHLY recommend the Blu-ray from Shout Factory! It's full of extras, has a feature length commentary with the director, and the picture is stunning. A must-own for fans of this film!
Loved this movie as a kid. Me and my cousin quoted this movie endlessly when we were kids
One of the best movies I have ever seen at the Theater (as a kid or adult), with the whole crowd erupting in cheers when the kid won at the end.
Years later as an adult, it always blew my mind that Mario 3 came out on the same system as Mario 1. It seemed like a different world when I was a kid.
Till this day, I watched this movie once a year on my projector with my grown-up kids. It's such a great movie that they love it as well.
Absolutely my favorite movie of all times. I can't even begin to think of how many times I've watched this since I was a kid.
When this film came out when I was 10, I just loved it. Watching it as an adult you see its limitations (let’s put it that way, lol), but it still has a place in my heart and always will.
Oddly enough, I remember the movie, I've watched it several times since then, but I never remember seeing it as an option at the theater. For the longest time I thought it was a made for TV movie. I still have the tape mom used to tape it off TV (on EP mode, along with The Goonies and Footloose.) That movie was the first time I heard Real Live "Send Me an Angel" I thought for a long time it was made for the movie until hearing the song years later on MUZAK, I later figured out the artist via Napster and have since bought the 12" single.
0:05 - Placement of LEGO Duplo in a film! Other notable LEGO placements in films include:
1. Beethoven (1992)
2. Jingle All The Way (1996)
3. The Smurfs (2011)
4. Sonic The Hedgehog (2020)
I saw this with my uncle and after he asked what I thought about it and all I could talk about was how amazing SMB3 looked. He said, "So what did you think about the movie?" lol
This is one of the few movies I still revisit often from my childhood. Watch it at leastonce or twice a year. Its not wven that greatof a film but, it brings back great memories for me personally, of simpler times.
This movie has been on my DVR recorder for like 5 years now when I caught it on TV. First time I watched it I was like 6 or 7. But has stuck with me all these years later. Ranks right up there with me like The Neverending Story. My childhood will never die! Just hope to share it.
For all the people asking "How did Jimmy know about the warp whistle?" He could have seen a preview for SMB3 and read about it in Nintendo Power, Hailey did say she got power magazines to help Jimmy
@@michael2244 exactly.
Thank you. I'm honestly suprised that everyone sees this as a plot hole, it's not, it's so simple. there is literally a training montage in the movie where Jimmy and Jenny are reading Nintendo power and you can see the smb 3 first level playthrough with pictures. It had all the secrets from the entire first world.
This is why Jenny is in the crowd saying "get the whistle" her and Jimmy already memorized this.
Which again is incredibly believable, when I was a kid I would read Nintendo power while my mom was shopping for groceries and would memorize secrets and codes that I would use when I got home.
I didn’t care. I loved this movie and none of that mattered to me as a kid. I got swept up in the magic.
I love this movie. It’s part of my childhood. I wished I could have hitchhiked from AL where I grew up to California to play in or watch video game armageddon. I know they will eventually make a reboot. Hopefully sooner than later. It would be nice to have a reboot that focuses on the Nintendo Switch 2.
I remember being HYPED for Super Mario Bros 3 like it was yesterday, awesome movie.
I, and everyone else in my grade school class were nuts about The Wizard 😂. We weren’t very picky about movies at that age but we understood fan service inherently
9:07 - the moment Lucas made his friend (Dorklips) be “useful” and get him a cold drink 🥤. 🤝
This movie introduced me to the power glove. I ended up buying it when it was available. Biggest letdown ever for an accessory. But would I do it again. Absolutely 100% 😂.
I know I wanted the power glove as well my family member said it was too expensive so happy my family member didn't buy the power glove 😊
Just keep your power glove off her pal. LOL
A few things.
1. I hate when professional film critics complain about commercialism in movies. Their entire job is commercialism. They don’t let them see the movie early and for free because they value their opinion, it’s because they want the critic to sell the movie. Also, I hate to break it to people but every movie basically ever made has paid sponsorship in one way or the other. Get over it.
2. The acting in this movie is pretty considering what it is. Everyone pretty much killed it.
3. Most importantly, this movie is awesome. Having just watched it a few days ago on UA-cam it still holds up for me. And yes on the surface it’s an ad for Nintendo but beneath that ad is movie about mental health, loss, trauma, recovery, letting go, family. It’s story that reminds people that sometimes the kids know more than the adults.
This movie is still awesome and I will fight anyone who says otherwise. I put it in the same category with Goonies, stand by me, stranger things as awesome adventure films with kids in the lead. IMO the only thing they were missing was a cameo by Sean Astin.
This was one of the first movies I rented from Blockbuster Video. Loved it and watched it a million times. I watched it again a few years ago and, dammit...I don't care what anyone says. It still holds up.
As a fat kid video games were my jam! And this movie is one of the favorites from the childhood
Watching it again, just a couple years ago, I noticed the panda as a mascot at the theme park and… makes me sad
Agreed 😊
The cinematographer Robert Yeoman went on to work with Wes Anderson on all his movies. He also did a handful of other great movies.
This movie is very important-it felt like a precursor to making video game movies. Make a movie revolving around actual video games. Hmmm. Novel concept
I was 7 when the wizard came out, I remember loving it!
The was the best movie ever when I was a kid lol Still love it as an adult
Used to rent this, gleaming the cube, rock and roll high school and transformers like EVERY other weekend at West Coast video 😅
1989 was amazing for movies and this movie captures everything amazing and awesome about the 80's and Video Games at the time.
This is a classic movie that i proudly own on dvd. Amazon prime can suck it. I'll take physical media over streaming any day of the week.
Lol, I see someone else decided to give this a rewatch after it was uploaded to UA-cam.
One aspect of the film that I think gets overlooked is how authentic many of the locations feel. I have no idea where some of these places were, but it felt like the production itself went on the same road trip and filmed at every podunk town along the way. The extras definitely seemed to be locals, and every location had a very lived-in feel to it. You just don't see that anymore.
The Wizard is a fun nostalgic film.
Huge fan of the wizard saw it on vhs in 1990 i was 6 at the time 😊
Saw this as a 13yo, loved it then. Still love it now lol.
The whole movie was one giant Nintendo commercial of course. The Power Glove? The SM3 reveal?
And I don't care who that "Texas beauty queen" that the studio wanted for the girl's role; I had an instant crush on Jenny Lewis.
This movie is awesome. I love that it’s a commercial for Nintendo. And the plot is good. And yeah, Jenny Lewis!
Never heard of the wizard.. but saw the commercial of it about 2 years later
Great channel.
By the way, Jimmy is not playing F1-Dream at 11:43. It's Top Speed from Taito.
The only flaw in my opinion it made the power glove look a lot better than it really was.
During the diner scene, Haley says Jimmy hasn't taken a hit while he's playing Ninja Gaiden. However, he has 2 life bars missing.
Loved this movie as a kid still brings back good nes memories
5:30 the cabazon dinosaurs areas been built up a bit and they always paint them .
Am I the only one who knows Josh Saviano, who had a cameo in the Wizard, was also a Wonder Years co-star with Fred Savage?
I don't think it's a classic film but I think it's a great film for it's time and all the nintendo references are cool
I love The Wizard. It's _so bad_. 😁 I'm sorry, I had to. I really do love this movie though. But, I also, genuinely really did love my Power Glove and used it until it finally gave up the ghost. And I am SO glad they didn't go with that horrible "throw away the lunchbox" ending. What the heck were the producers smoking when they came up with that? The dinosaur ending is perfect.
did this come out before rainman? The power glove scene was amazing lol
I don't agree with the "how could Jimmy know about the whistle" take.
1. I was 6 when i played smb 3 for the first time and found the whistle.
2. The location of the first whistle was famously printed in a Nintendo power magazine designated for the release of smb.
3. You can see several scenes of jimmy and the girl reading Nintendo power, so there is the most reasonable explanation.
Thank you, that's the first good explanation I've heard for that. No one would just think to hold down for 5 seconds on a certain platform.
@forcetheedges no problem.
I'm honestly surprised more people don't remember the smb 3 Nintendo power mag. It's probably the most famous issue, the entire mag was dedicated to the release of smb 3.
For example, me and my brother had all the first few levels of secrets memorized through rereading the mag over and over again before ever having played it once.
And yes that included the whistle lol.
@@shaggyfrankdizzl I do remember an issue called the Mario 3 Strategy Guide or something like that. I didn't realize it was already out by the time the movie came out, though.
I was 12 when this came out and really into my NES. So I saw it of course. I thought it was cool to see NES in an actual movie. Also had my 12 old self smitten by Jenny Lewis.
Jenny Lewis became my celebrity crush when this movie came out and still is to this day 😍
I take issue with people calling the movie a commercial for Nintendo. Other than SMB3, very few first-party games are featured prominently in the movie; most are 3rd-party. And if it was a commercial for Nintendo, you'd think they have the characters use the word "Nintendo" at least once! The only time the word "Nintendo" is heard in the whole movie is background dialogue where one of the game play counsellors answers a telephone. Haley even pulls out a Nintendo Power magazine and says, "I got these Power magazines".
Calling The Wizard a commercial for Nintendo is like calling Rocky a commercial for boxing. Nintendo games are just the competition the main character trains and competes in, no different than bobsledding in Cool Runnings or chess in Searching for Bobby Fischer.
And cool runnings introduced a great deal of people to a sport that many have never heard of. Rocky put eyes on boxing. Bobby Fischer was definitely a chess movie.
The wizard is a Nintendo movie, Lucas is proof enough of the commercial claim.
Even though it’s a giant ad for Nintendo with a plot, we still love it. Relax.
@@Timothythebrave The implication of calling something a commercial is that it exists solely to sell a product. But if that was the case, you have to wonder why Nintendo would make a commercial that doesn't mention Nintendo at all, and mostly features products that other companies developed.
My apologies if people nerding out about stuff stresses you out, but that just means the conversation wasn't aimed at you. Why not find something that you're comfortable with?
@@proudhug I think something can be commercial in nature and still be regarded as nostalgic and interesting and even loved by fans of the “thing” in question.
So in the case of this movie, which was originally conjured up by people in marketing, was a slam dunk for Nintendo awareness and sales in America. Even though many “third party” titles were featured, the system all those games could be played on at home was the Nintendo. The power glove was featured prominently in the film having only been out for two months in North America. The quest the children embark on has many layers with the most obvious being the video game contest in California where super Mario brothers 3 was revealed to the audience before the game even came out.
So even though you could successfully argue the point that the wizard was definitely a giant video game commercial with a plot, that doesn’t detract from its nostalgia for those of us who saw it at that age and even those of us who have matured since the film came out and can more deeply appreciate the other parts of the plot that were challenging to understand and process as children.
The word Nintendo doesn’t have to be mentioned repeatedly for people to come away from the film thinking about video games. We could argue the subtleties of the marketing techniques used to sell products and how the movie was full of them, but my only point to you is that calling this movie a commercial endeavor doesn’t detract from its other qualities. It absolutely was a film used to get people talking about video games (specifically Nintendo is the go to brand) and It worked and what’s more it did it in a way that felt real to kids (the target audience) and even acceptable to adults who were skeptical about video games at the time (worked on my folks for sure, thanks Bo Bridges).
@Timothythebrave I didn't see any of the comments about anything distracting from The Wizard being a fun nostalgic movie, so I can't really comment on any that.
I'm just saying that the movie has never felt like a commercial for Nintendo to me, amd I laid out the reasons why. Technicay EVERY movie is trying to sell a product; itself. But if you went into this movie hoping for a Nintendo ad, you'd probably be mostly disappointed. Anytime someone calls it a big commercial for Nintendo, it makes me wonder if they even watched the movie.
It was a commercial for the power glove and smb3.
4:08 Beau Bridges of The Famous Bridges Family including Brother Jeff and Father Lloyd Bridges was the father in the film. Yeah My glasses are rose tinted and I remember the Jennifer Sub Plot.
Good job man
Is Tommy the reason behind the song pinball wizard???
i remember seeing the wizard years ago. this movie introduced the power glove before it hit the store shelves back then. yes i did get the power glove for Christmas & it was a waste of $70. i never wanted it noir asked for it back then.
I believe the games acted as an outlet for jimmy and at least one thing for the family to reconnect over.
Huge fan of this movie i saw it on vhs I was 6 in 1990 my family member rented it at the time from a grocery store 😊
Couldn't have said it better myself :)
I loved this movie when I was a kid but I don’t remember the twin situation. I was probably to young and more focused on Nintendo and that power glove. I do remember the dinosaur scene very clearly tho.
This movie is still my favorite movie ever. Its my childhood and I’ll spend every day of the rest of my life trying to figure out why everything got bad after this. What happened?
1989... a year that had a movie featuring Super Mario Bros., Michael Keaton as Batman, a new Indiana Jones movie, and Disney had The Little Mermaid!!!
There's no way a year with movies like that can fail!
2023: "Hold my beer..."
This movie is basically Rainman as a kid.
"California?"
The critics call this a shameless advertisement.
Well, if looking at the gaming industry is not a good theme for a film,
then what about the countless number of films that focus on Hollywood as an industry, which have often received awards?
*it was n't so bad and Super Mario 3 was big info to boot!* 💡
She definitely could've just been assuming there was a warp like there was in the original game. She didn't know it would be a flute. And this movie was a premier for Super Mario 3, it wasn't released yet when the movie came out.