Review of The Wizard (1989) by Bancho — 13 Apr 2009

THREE THINGS I LEARNED BY RE-WATCHING THE WIZARD:

1. Movie product placement (Tom Petty, various Nintendo games, etc.) ran rampant even in the 80's. The whole thing kinda turns into a Super Mario Bros. 3 ad at the end, which was admittedly the point. When the filmmakers have the characters yell Super Mario Bros. 3 tips to Jimmy, even though it was supposedly the first time they'd ever seen the game, just so kids watching the movie could get an advantage when their parents were forced to buy the game... that is just too blatant. Like, Michael Bay blatant.

2. The Close Encounters of the Third Kind tones play when Lucas puts the Power Glove on. Hey, I was a kid when I first saw this-- no way would I have caught on to that, or the fact that...

3. Jenny Lewis was kind of a little slut in this. How does she know so many adults, so many adult mannerisms ("He touched my breast!", "She was a showgirl. Great legs. I got her legs. Whaddya think?")? "I'll never kiss a boy"? Give me a break. That 8-year-old has been around the block a few times, if you know what I mean. (she's sexually active).

Though The Wizard was rated PG, the film is definitely edgier than today's PG flicks; thus, making it more enjoyable! Also, the overwhelming nostalgia factor can let all the inconsistency errors be overlooked. (What do you mean, he hasn't taken a hit yet? I see his depleted power bar right there!).

I have a feeling that if I were an adult at the time this was released, The Wizard would be shit to me. But I wasn't. So it's not.