Of all the countless popular Nintendo franchises, only two have ever made it to the big screen, Pokémon and Super Mario Bros. With a new animated Mario Bros. movie causing a massive uproar, it raises the question, is there another Nintendo series that would be better served with a full feature film adaptation?
The trouble with adapting games to the screen is that a great game can already tell a story interwoven with the gameplay, but some games are a little lighter on story than others. The Mario franchise does not need a deep storyline, and it's always sold itself on platforming fun, but that means a Mario movie will almost certainly focus on the least interesting part. One Nintendo property that does masterfully blend narrative with gameplay is the Metroid series.
Metroid released in 1986 to the NES, where it became a massive hit and an instant classic. It was followed by a Game Boy sequel five years later. Super Metroid, released for the Super Nintendo in 1994 is one of the most beloved classics in game history, defining a subgenre that remains hugely popular to this day. The franchise enjoyed continued success before evolving into the incredible Metroid Prime trilogy, a series of first-person shooters that remain among Nintendo's best-recieved games. Then, after a few years with little from the franchise, Metroid Dread released only days ago to massive acclaim and many proclaiming it the best of the franchise's 35-year run. That is a substantial pedigree, but its not just praise and sales that make the series the ideal target for a film. What makes it ideal, is the series perfect grasp of atmosphere and environmental storytelling.
Metroid is the tale of Samus Aran, an intergalactic bounty hunter who fights nefarious Space Pirates and protects the universe from the titular Metroid parasite. Each game largely focuses on Samus battling her way through hostile aliens and treacherous biomes to keep the universe safe. The game provides half of the name for the MetroidVania subgenre which it defined, as a game that revolves around massive sprawling maps that must be slowly discovered through exploration and evolution. The narrative is typically not delivered through cutscenes, only one Metroid game gives Samus a voice, and it's the worst received game in the franchise. The finer details of the plot are instead explored through subtle details, intricate elements of the environment, and even in parts of the gameplay.
Throughout the games, Samus encounters the remains of an ancient race of massive bipedal bird-like aliens, many of whom are relegated to statues in their former home. Super Metroid sees Samus explore a planet being used as a hideout by Space Pirates as they try to harness the titular parasitic alien. Samus must fight massive alien beasts, gain new power through advanced technology and immerse herself in a beautifully hostile world, all with no spoken dialogue. While the gameplay of Super Metroid is outstanding, it is one game that could benefit from a movie adaptation.
Most game movies are not good, but the ones that do succeed tend to master two specific tasks. They maintain the spirit of the source material, and they find the aspects of the source that are just as fun in movie form. Sonic the Hedgehog is one of the best video game movies ever because it keeps the character's sense of fun and because it knew that the only parts of the plot worth bringing to screen unchanged is Sonic's battle against Dr. Robotnik. The trouble is, not every game has much material that would still be fun on screen. The Metroid franchise is packed with detail that would be fun to expand upon and exciting to see on the big screen.
A proper Metroid film would be a space horror-action film about an armored bounty hunter using high-tech gear to exterminate a dangerous alien. The newest entry in the franchise is genuinely harrowing, but the entire franchise has been tinged with horror elements. Metroid is one of Nintendo's most ambitious franchises, the squeaky clean family game company branching out into deep space horror. With commitment and ambition, a Metroid movie could be something truly groundbreaking, not just an excuse to see fan favorites on the big screen.
Scary without being gratuitous, action-packed without being schlocky, moving with almost no dialogue, and memorable on atmosphere alone, Metroid is a perfect canvas for the right filmmaker. The undertaking would be great, and Metroid has never outsold Mario, Pokémon, or Zelda, so it's unlikely Nintendo is in any rush to try, but a Metroid film could be powerful on the level of Alien. In fact, the Alien series is the perfect comparison. An Illumination Studios take on Mario is likely to be just another pointless kids movie with a fresh coat of paint, but a big-screen attempt at the exploits of Samus Aran would be truly brave.