Title: Mega Man (2010)Starring: Jun Naito, Sung-Mo Cho, David Maulbeck
Directed By: Eddie Lebron
It's hard to know how to judge a fan film when writing an actual review for it. That being said, this is probably about as good as it's gonna get when trying to make a Mega Man film that stays as faithful as possible to the first game. Writer/director Eddie Lebron shows us here that he definitely knows his stuff, and is OBVIOUSLY a fan of Mega Man.
The biggest problems that I had with the film were with the performances. See, I can excuse sub-par CG in a live-action fan film. The video game fan flicks that I have seen that try to integrate computer generated props and characters, are all relatively guilty of it. But it also kind of has to be commended for even trying it in the first place. This isn't Avatar, these filmmakers are trying to bring these stories to life on shoestring budgets and usually with their own equipment and their own home computers. I can even excuse the relatively silly-looking costumes and character design, as they WERE trying to stay relatively true to the first game, and again budget and resources come into play. The performances though, that's where you have to sell the audience that your film is worth watching. The cast HAS to have it together and really SELL the universe that we're supposed to be witnessing. I saw giant robots in the middle of a secluded city street, and no one reacted; cars just drove by, people kept walking in the background, and even our hero didn't really seem very intimidated by them. It was just hard to believe in or care for Rock (aka Mega Man) when he seemed genuinely uninterested. These mediocre performances are standard across the board, except for one shining example. Dave Maulbeck plays Dr. Wily as a 1960's serial villain, complete with silly German accent and menacing cackle. Sure, it seems a little cartoony at times, but it worked for me. I liked seeing Dr. Wily come to life pretty much as I would have envisioned him, a hideous over-the-top megalomaniac.
Another sore spot in the production is the locations. Much of the film looks like it was shot in basements and friends' houses. That's all well and good depending on set decoration (which is usually pretty bare here), but even when the story moves outdoors it still feels so small. The city doesn't feel like a city, it feels like a block or two. It really does become distracting when you're witnessing what's supposed to be a battle for the city, nay the entire world, and yet you never leave the front of an apartment building. Or a street next to a park. Or a (really small) rooftop. It just never feels big enough to sell its own plot.
All that negativity aside, let me tell you what I saw when I watched Mega Man. I saw love. I saw passion. I saw a TRUE connection to these characters, even if they didn't look or sound or act or feel like I thought they might have. This movie presents a painstakingly faithful adaptation to a game that honestly, probably shouldn't work as a film. It does though. It's a little long-in-the-tooth between action sequences, but for the most part it's a fun little movie.
I can't really recommend this to anyone, except maybe for fans of the game, or of fan films in general. This movie definitely has them in mind as its audience. I did, however, really like the nods to fandom and to other gaming properties; and I'm sure they will too.
See the complete film online for free HERE!
Score: 6.5/10
No comments:
Post a Comment