The Legend of Zelda movie will more than likely not be based on any single game. Sony is not adapting The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, but rather just a movie based on the IP. There are 29 mainline games (soon to be 30 with Echoes of Wisdom) that could be chosen, and most of them have a good case to make for an adaptation. Instead of making that hard decision and potentially alienating some fans of the games, they’re more likely to follow the Super Mario Bros. Movie formula and take the locations, characters, and themes from game to film. If and when they do that, there are certain ways the Zelda movie should honor those aforementioned games.
The Zelda Movie Needs Dungeons
While modern The Legend of Zelda (i.e. Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom) have moved away from focusing on dungeons, they are still a key part of the game. The core gameplay in both revolves around solving mysteries in each region. Those mysteries lead to dungeons, which of course were the most important thing in games like The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask or A Link to the Past.
It might seem difficult to imagine something like the Water Temple from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time or the Sandship from Skyward Sword on the big screen. Players, as Link, often wander around in them trying things before they work. It’s a lot of trial and error, which would make for a really bad movie. Plus, some dungeons involve going back and forth, re- and undoing things and it can be convoluted. Putting all that into a film would probably be a misuse of the runtime.
However, it needs to be in the movie in whatever way works best. The best way is probably to reimagine an Indiana Jones temple scene with Link as Indy. They can explore the dungeons (not aimlessly), unlocking new aspects as they go and avoiding the traps that are set there. In fact, Wes Ball may want to rewatch the Indiana Jones films before he sets out to make the Zelda movie.
The Legend of Zelda Film Should Focus on Exploration
Wes Ball, the man tasked with bringing the most iconic video game franchise still without a proper adaptation to the big screen, has a lot to worry about with his forthcoming movie. Ironically, he can lean on some aspects of his most recent film to help guide him. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes featured a lot of exploration as Noa and his companions learned about their world. That’s a staple of Zelda games, especially the open-world ones.
All Zelda games reward exploration and want players to look around and see what they find. That’s the central premise behind the hidden Pieces of Heart. It’s also why Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom ripped the barriers away and let players go wherever they wanted at any point. Nintendo wanted gamers to explore, and the Link (plus whichever companions he’s given on the big screen) portrayed by whatever actor is hired should, too.
There are so many great scenes in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes that could be perfect for The Legend of Zelda movie. Swap Link out for Noa (Ball could even keep the horse that was being ridden and name it Epona) and it will work. As Link learns more about Hyrule or ventures out further than he ever has before, the audience should, too. It’s perhaps the most important theme of any of the games and it’s got to be done correctly in the movie, which unfortunately still has no release date.
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