The Wizard

Though at the time of its release The Wizard aroused a wave of indignation among critics, who saw it as a blatant advertisement for the Universal Studios amusement park and Nintendo consoles and games, including the hot new Super Mario 3 (which undoubtedly was in part a reflection of the outrage toward the power of Japanese industry, which at the time was buying up American businesses), today it is a wonderful relic of its time. In the present day, a narrative that plays up video games and their role in children’s lives may seem a bit much, but if we have a look at television shows from that period, such as GamesMaster and Bad Influence!, we see that the film was rather a representation of games and the lifestyle associated with them. The Wizard is a time capsule that captivates us with – in addition to the millieu of video-game arcades and stand-alone games present in the broadest variety of public spaces, from bus stations to diners – a look into a gaming call centre which, in the current age when help is only a few mouse clicks away, seems like something from another world. In terms of the story, the film is basically typical 1980s kitsch packed with formulaic elements from movies for adolescents. The story of a fractured family that is gradually brought together by Nintendo games is developed into a narrative that is very reminiscent of Rain Man – the typical 1980s scamp Fred Savage accompanies his shy and seemingly autistic younger brother, who turns out to be an invincible video-game master, on a shared getaway across the US. However, the two films were made at the same time and The Wizard was actually released a day earlier (according to IMDB) than the classic starring Hoffman and Cruise. Though one might believe that industrial espionage had taken place between the studios, the idea that a competitor decided to use the concept of a star-studded drama as the basis for a cringeworthy family product-placement flick is perhaps even more bizarre than the film itself. (19.05.2014)