Summary

  • The Legend of Zelda movie will feature CGI for characters but should emphasize natural beauty.
  • Utilizing real locations and natural scenery can elevate the film beyond just CGI effects.
  • The movie must stay true to the video game source material to engage both hardcore fans and general audiences.

The Legend of Zelda movie is being worked on and has already generated considerable interest from fans, who have long hoped to see this video game franchise adapted. However, now that it is becoming a reality, everyone is having their say on what they want to see happen throughout the story.

There are many ways to approach the plot of The Legend of Zelda; however, the way it's shot will also be a key factor in whether or not the movie succeeds. While utilizing technology will be important to bring the video game to life, that shouldn't be the case for its entirety.

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The Legend Of Zelda Movie Is Going To Utilize CGI

This Will Be Important In Bringing Several Characters To Life

Zelda-Breath-of-the-Wild-loading-times-switch-2

Nowadays, it's extremely rare for a movie not to use any form of CGI, especially something like The Legend of Zelda, which is going to be an exciting fantasy adventure. Given that it is being lifted from the world of video games, it is even more acceptable for that to be the case. While any opportunity to use practical effects should be taken and can elevate a movie, people aren't going to be heading into this and not expecting any CGI.

The Legend of Zelda has many characters that would work with CGI, from The Rito to the Kokos. Utilizing the technology available would be the best way of bringing all of them to life to help make the film as realistic as possible for what people are anticipating, but that doesn't mean that every single aspect of the movie should utilize it, as then it would feel too much like the video games themselves.

The Legend Of Zelda Must Also Feature Natural Beauty

The Scenery Has Always Been A Significant Part Of The Franchise

Hateno Village hills Zelda Tears of the Kingdom

While there are certain moments where CGI is going to play a part in The Legend of Zelda, that doesn't mean that the entire film should lean into that. It would be brilliant to see this movie shot in mostly real locations that utilize natural scenery, untreated by CGI. Countless beautiful locations around the world would make for the perfect backdrop to any Zelda video game, and tapping into that would instantly take the movie to the next level. Rather than just creating them digitally, The Legend of Zelda would be a far more beautiful movie if natural locations were used.

Fans of the franchise often create incredible artwork based on the landscapes used within the video games, particularly from the Switch games. The fact that they're such a big talking point for fans proves why The Legend of Zelda should make them a critical aspect of the movie, too. Audiences want to be put into the video game world, not have one extremely long cutscene put in front of them. Providing some live-action moments with the location would be one way of achieving that in the most simplistic of ways. It would help make Link and his adventure even more relatable, as viewers will be able to imagine themselves in that exact environment.

The Legend Of Zelda Has To Stay True To The Source Material

Successful Video Game Adaptations Have Done This

Link running from a monster in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

There has been an influx of video game adaptations in recent years, both on television and on the big screen, and the vast majority have been successful. The reason for that is that they've leaned into the source material, providing hardcore fans with what they want to see while trusting that the story and performances are good enough to captivate the attention of those who may not have played the game. The Super Mario Bros. Movie was extremely vibrant and colorful. At the same time, Fallout brought a vast world to be explored while delivering the distinct personalities that have helped make that franchise work so well. The Sonic the Hedgehog movies and The Last of Us series have also done that, which is the reason they've all performed well. Giving audiences what they want is crucial with these adaptations, as losing the hardcore gaming fanbase can destroy a movie before it gets off the ground.

That's something that The Legend of Zelda must do, which is why natural beauty should be a featured part of the story. While gamers enjoy the action that comes with this video game franchise, it's often just exploring the environments that have been created, which end up being the highlight for people. Fans enjoy seeing the intricate details placed into the games, especially on the Switch, and people will be disappointed if that's not at the forefront of the film. Finding the natural environments might take a little extra work, but that effort will be repaid in how people talk about the movie. Having a great location can take a movie to the next level, with The Lord of the Rings being a great example of that, as a CGI background would've hurt the movie compared to going to New Zealand and using the natural locations. The Legend of Zelda can take a page from the Middle-Earth trilogy and reap the rewards afterward.