Before I begin, you should definitely go and watch the film yourself. I mean it. Go! Here is the link: http://screwattack.com/videos/Mega-Man .
Did you watch it yet? The bottom line is, I loved this movie. And in this review will be many spoilers so I recommend going to watch the film first. Even before I saw it, I knew I was going to want to write a review on it. So I watched it twice; once as purely a Mega Man fan, to get the best experience possible. Then again, with a more critical eye for the review. The movie is Mega Man by Eddie LeBron. But let's dig in!
Plot
To be honest, this is the best video game movie out there. Even better than Hollywood has given us. Now keep in mind that this is a completely independent film, meaning they didn't have a huge Hollywood budget to work with. From what I understand, they filmed this movie with almost no budget at all. So while the effects aren't competely convincing, for an independent, fan-made movie, it looks fantastic. While Hollywood would bring in a big-name producer who knows nothing of the franchise to film a video game movie, because their most important goal is making money and they want the film to appeal to as many people as possible, Mega Man is a film made by Mega Man fans for Mega Man fans.
First, let's talk about the plot. One of the reasons this movie is so great is because it stays true to the subject matter. And every Mega Man fan knows basically what's going to happen. Dr. Light and Dr. Wily, two geniuses, create a series of robots (first Blues, Rock, and Roll), then the robot master series. Along the way, Dr. Wily grows tired of Dr. Light getting all the credit so he decides to enter the spotlight, reprogramming the six robot masters to do his bidding. Realizing that the local police and even the military won't be able to stop them, Rock volunteers to receiving an upgrade into a fighting robot known as Mega Man.
I genuinely became excited as soon as the film started and the very first thing we see are the words: "In the year 20XX..." When I saw those words, my fears about the film were calmed. I knew this was going to be good, and respectful to the Mega Man franchise. One thing that is puzzling, however, is that a number of plot points were taking from the PSP remake Mega Man Powered Up (such as the robot masters being reprogrammed to believe they're fighting for justice when in fact they are wreaking havoc on the city). This begs the question: Why didn't they use the two robot masters that were retconned into the franchise in the game, Oil Man and Time Man. Possibly due to time constraints and the fact that originally there were only six robots, so most people would be more familiar with them. This is a little puzzling considering that most Mega Man fans don't considered Powered Up to be part of canon.
Additionally, one plot point comes from Mega Man: The Power Battles (the whole thing about Proto Man's core). One last plot point to mention is that once Mega Man destroys a robot, he gains the robot power (which matches the video games). This is in stark contrast to the animated series in which all Mega Man had to do was touch the robot's arm to gain his weapon. In the animated series, Proto Man was a bad guy (when in the video games, he is a good guy). So again, this film is closer to the video game franchise than the animated series ever was.
Even though they were respectful of Mega Man's story, a few liberties were taken with the plot. For instance, Proto Man wasn't inroduced into the Mega Man franchise until Mega Man 3, and even then he disguises himself as another robot, Break Man, in order to train Mega Man for entering Dr. Wily's third fortress. This is the first he learns about Proto Man. However, Proto Man (known by his Japanese name Blues) is in this film and Rock first meets him while wandering about in the city with Roll. And for further information, it seems Mega Man and company live in a place called Fujiwara City (which I don't think was ever established in the games).
In the movie, Dr. Light was once married to a woman named Aiyaka. She was pregnant with twins when she and the twins all died (though I don't remember if how was ever explained). This was never in the video games but was the reason Dr. Light decided to create Rock and Roll. He wanted to fill the void in his life left when his children died.
There were a few more liberties taken, but I don't want to analyze the film to death. I will say that even though there were some liberties taken with the plot, they were all pretty much necessary. So I don't fault them for it at all.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack, composed by Daniel James, was really quite good. Considering that the music used in the trailer was taken from other films, I didn't expect this movie to have an original soundtrack. I thought the soundtrack really helped to capture the moods in the film.
Now, I would have liked to hear more tunes from Mega Man, especially from the very first game (although Mega Man 2's soundtrack is more recognizable, the first Mega Man game still had some very solid tunes). If you listen closely, you will hear two Mega Man tunes that were arranged orchestrally. In the flashback scene describing the construction of Blues, you hear a lone, haunting trumpet playing the familiar whistle tune from Mega Man 3. Then we hear an orchestrated version of Whistle Concert (heard at the end of Mega Man 3) plays. And one thing that should make any Mega Man fan smile: As Mega Man approaches Wily's Fortress, the most popular Mega Man tune, Wily's Fortress from Mega Man 2 (also known as Okkusenman) plays.
Ethics
Something that science fiction is known for is not only great, imagintive storytelling but to express an ethical standpoint. I love the fact that Eddie LeBron doesn't leave Mega Man a shallow story about good vs. evil. Mega Man actually goes through a time where he questions why he was created, and what his purpose was in life. And the added touch of being created to fill the void left by the loss of his wife and children was nice. It added a little bit more depth than simply being created to help in a lab and to fulfill his destiny of saving the world.
There was also the issue of free will, which Proto Man was unintentionally given due to a faulty core. The faulty core will probably one day result in his death, but he won't allow Dr. Light to fix his core because doing so will also take away his free will.
There were a couple of problems I had with the robot masters. Dr. Light explains to the reporter at the beginning of the film that the robots would never harm humans. But it's never explained why. Most science fiction fans are familiar with Isaac Asimov's robot series. They can't harm humans because of the Three Laws of Robotics: 1) A robot may not harm a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm; 2) A robot must obey any orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law; 3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. To the best of my knowledge, the robots in Mega Man abide by these three laws. But again, it's never explained in the movie why they would not harm humans.
The other problem I had was this: Why would the robots have to be reprogrammed to believe that doing evil is enacting justice? Again, this was a plot point in the Powered Up remake so it wasn't LeBron who came up with this. If you were trying to convince a human to do evil, then you would have to convince them that doing evil were the right thing to do. But these are robots. Why not just reprogram them to do evil instead of doing good? Robots don't need a reason; they just do whatever they're programmed to do. Perhaps explaining why the robots couldn't harm humans would have answered this question, as well.
Characters
The characters in this movie definitely lived up to how we have come to know them from the video games. There wasn't much character development in the robot masters, but there didn't have to be considering they were simply programmed to do evil and they were going to be destroyed in the movie, anyway.
Rock/Mega Man (played by Jun Naito) -- The robot created by Dr. Light to help out in his lab. I thought he did a convincing job of Mega Man, although there really wasn't much of a difference in any of his lines. They were all played the same, which I guess is really all the script called for. But he didn't really seem any different, even after things became personal when Wily kidnapped Roll.
Roll (played by Jeanie Tse) -- Mega Man's "sister," a robot created to do general housekeeping. She was real...perky, for lack of a better word, and pretty light-hearted in the movie. I suppose this is okay, considering the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Roll is her line from Mega Man 8: "Good luck, Mega Man!"
Blues/Proto Man (played by Sung-Mo Cho) -- The first robot created by Light and Wily (hence the name Proto Man). He was a real tough guy in the movie. Personally, I think Cho did a great job as Proto Man. He's one of my favorite characters in the movie, and he was a great addition to the franchise in Mega Man 3. I feel he was a bit overpowered in this movie, though. Elec Man completely beat the tar out of Mega Man, yet his thunder beam did no damage to Proto Man.
Dr. Thomas Light (played by Edward X. Young) -- The genius partner of Dr. Wily, instrumental in creating several human-like robots. I thought he did a very good Dr. Light, very gentle. But I thought he was too gentle at times. He didn't sound very convincing when he was supposed to be angry, and the profanity they gave him really just seemed out of place; almost like they threw it in because they felt it would be more convincing. I also didn't understand why, when Mega Man was almost killed by the Yellow Devil, Dr. Light didn't shed any tears. Mega Man was supposed to fill the void left by the son who died. It just feels like Dr. Light didn't emote properly, and that he wouldn't be the type to just bottle his feelings up inside.
Dr. Albert Wily (played by Dave Maulbeck) -- The genius partner of Dr. Light who becomes tired of living in Dr. Light's shadow. He reprograms the six robot masters to try and take over the world. It seems to be the general consensus that Dr. Wily stole the show in the movie. Dave Maulbeck did a great job as Wily. I did feel, though, that the scenes at the beginning of the film where they were establishing Wily's character were a little overplayed. Such as when he tried to force himself into the interview and then argued with Roll afterward about it. Also, a new character created for the film, Olga 5000 (played by Elizabeth Lee), was introduced. She's apparently a robot companion for Wily that he leaves behind to take his place in his fortress.
Two of my favorite scenes in the film were with Dr. Wily. The first being the scene in which Wily turns evil. He didn't just become evil because he's he antagonist. He went through the thought process of why he actually wants power. The second scene I loved was after Wily kidnapped Roll and gloats over her. Also, my favorite line in the movie comes at the end, where Mega Man says to Dr. Wily: "Now it is you who serves no purpose."
The movie also features Alan Fung as Elec Man, Hugo Salazar, Jr. as Fire Man, Wayne Chang as Ice Man, Sonicmega as the voice of Guts Man, Andrew Decrescenzo as the voice of Bomb Man, and Daniel William Clark as the voice of Cut Man. On top of the six robot masters, the Yellow Devil and the Mega Man clone also make an appearance in this film.
Battles
Rock/Mega Man (played by Jun Naito) -- The robot created by Dr. Light to help out in his lab. I thought he did a convincing job of Mega Man, although there really wasn't much of a difference in any of his lines. They were all played the same, which I guess is really all the script called for. But he didn't really seem any different, even after things became personal when Wily kidnapped Roll.
Roll (played by Jeanie Tse) -- Mega Man's "sister," a robot created to do general housekeeping. She was real...perky, for lack of a better word, and pretty light-hearted in the movie. I suppose this is okay, considering the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Roll is her line from Mega Man 8: "Good luck, Mega Man!"
Blues/Proto Man (played by Sung-Mo Cho) -- The first robot created by Light and Wily (hence the name Proto Man). He was a real tough guy in the movie. Personally, I think Cho did a great job as Proto Man. He's one of my favorite characters in the movie, and he was a great addition to the franchise in Mega Man 3. I feel he was a bit overpowered in this movie, though. Elec Man completely beat the tar out of Mega Man, yet his thunder beam did no damage to Proto Man.
Dr. Thomas Light (played by Edward X. Young) -- The genius partner of Dr. Wily, instrumental in creating several human-like robots. I thought he did a very good Dr. Light, very gentle. But I thought he was too gentle at times. He didn't sound very convincing when he was supposed to be angry, and the profanity they gave him really just seemed out of place; almost like they threw it in because they felt it would be more convincing. I also didn't understand why, when Mega Man was almost killed by the Yellow Devil, Dr. Light didn't shed any tears. Mega Man was supposed to fill the void left by the son who died. It just feels like Dr. Light didn't emote properly, and that he wouldn't be the type to just bottle his feelings up inside.
Dr. Albert Wily (played by Dave Maulbeck) -- The genius partner of Dr. Light who becomes tired of living in Dr. Light's shadow. He reprograms the six robot masters to try and take over the world. It seems to be the general consensus that Dr. Wily stole the show in the movie. Dave Maulbeck did a great job as Wily. I did feel, though, that the scenes at the beginning of the film where they were establishing Wily's character were a little overplayed. Such as when he tried to force himself into the interview and then argued with Roll afterward about it. Also, a new character created for the film, Olga 5000 (played by Elizabeth Lee), was introduced. She's apparently a robot companion for Wily that he leaves behind to take his place in his fortress.
Two of my favorite scenes in the film were with Dr. Wily. The first being the scene in which Wily turns evil. He didn't just become evil because he's he antagonist. He went through the thought process of why he actually wants power. The second scene I loved was after Wily kidnapped Roll and gloats over her. Also, my favorite line in the movie comes at the end, where Mega Man says to Dr. Wily: "Now it is you who serves no purpose."
The movie also features Alan Fung as Elec Man, Hugo Salazar, Jr. as Fire Man, Wayne Chang as Ice Man, Sonicmega as the voice of Guts Man, Andrew Decrescenzo as the voice of Bomb Man, and Daniel William Clark as the voice of Cut Man. On top of the six robot masters, the Yellow Devil and the Mega Man clone also make an appearance in this film.
Battles
Bear in mind this is an independent film without a big Hollywood budget. The fight scenes, it is generally felt, could have been much longer and grander. But that probably would have required a larger budget. For being an independent film, it's really a good looking one. My favorite battle scenes are the first battle where Mega Man takes them all on, then the battle with Ice Man.
One thing I did find amusing is that no one walking around the city was concerned about the robots walking around. Also, it was kind of disappointing that the minor enemies seen in the game weren't in the movie. Sniper Joe was mentioned but not shown. It also would have been nice to see some Metools (Hard Hats to the American gamers).
Easter Eggs
Keep an eye out for the many easter eggs scattered throughout the movie. A few that come to mind are: Rock and Roll playing Contra on the NES, Mega Man's pixelated face appearing in a couple of spots, and the robot master select screen when Mega Man is deciding whom to tackle first.
Overview
Mega Man is not a perfect movie (for instance, at about 20:00 into the film, it seems that Edward Young actually flubs his line). But for an independent film, it's really quite spectacular. It stays true to the subject matter, and there are some genuine laugh out loud moments in the film. Every Mega Man fan should watch this movie, and if you're not a Mega Man fan, you should still check it out.
Overall, I'd give this film a 9/10.
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