If you had a Nintendo as a kid, it’s likely you played (and loved) Metroid. The game has forged some pretty iconic features: Samus’s suit, the familiar music, tucking into a little ball as you spin into areas of the game. We all remember them.
When the helmet finally came off, and the shock of learning Samus was a girl the whole time hit us–it didn’t even matter to fans. Metroid had already shot a hole into our hearts, and rolled itself in there nicely. Samus arrived on scene as one of the first female ass-kicking protagonists to grace a video game, and many only loved the game more for this unforeseen plot-twist.
A group of creative and talented people, who are also fans of Metroid, have decided to delve into who Samus is even further. Massive State and Moxie Lady Productions are hosting a Kickstarter campaign to create a Metroid fan film named Metroid: Enemies Within.
What does the Kickstarter hope to accomplish?
The campaign is looking to raise $90,000 by September 8th. Its creators have stated pretty clearly this is a film short with a total of a mere 10 minutes. Some of you out there reading this, devoted fan or not, may be doing a double take with that one.
Ask yourself this. Think about how much it costs to make an average movie length film, and the ratio doesn’t seem quite so bad.
Most films cost more and some are even longer. So when you break it down (or up in this case), it seems to if nothing else be on par with the quality film short Massive State is suggesting they hope to accomplish.
What’s more, the team claims they will make no profit on this project. All the funds from the Kickstarter will be used for the film’s production, and they are contributing some money as well as plenty of sweat and blood into the project.
The team explains on their Kickstarter page:
“What we will be doing is making up the difference that will be deducted from our budget by kickstarter, the credit card processing, and fulfilling all the rewards, that will be $15,000 to $18,000. We will be contributing that upfront not to mention a reserve of cash flow we need for contingencies. It doesn’t end there though.”
The team will also be working hard on all the necessary post-production needs and costs.
What will ‘Enemies Within’ be about?
There is a lot of good insight into how the film will pan out on their campaign page, and one of the best parts of this is the storyboard video. It really gives you a feel for how the team plans to execute the plot and design of the film. You will recognize many of the iconic features of Metroid you love.
The director Christian Cardona and others believe this project is something not only for fans of Metroid, but of SyFy and storytellers alike. Their ambition is to create something worthy of the Metroid saga, as well as a film that can stand toe-to-toe with top dollar commercial projects.
The plot of the film goes like this:
“Samus Aran, a bounty hunter for the Galactic Federation, wakes up on an unknown ship after being rendered unconscious in a battle with a powerful being named the Gorea. She discovers she is being held hostage on the ship of a rival bounty hunter named Sylux, and learns of his plot to destroy the Federation while implicating her in the process. Samus fights to escape in order to save herself and the Federation before it’s too late.”
Although other enemies could have been chosen, Cardona and the team decided to go with Sylux because of his humanoid form and the mystery surrounding his story. Some of the clues about Sylux suggested some pretty intriguing storylines, and the human-like form meant it would be an easier and more feasible of a character to portray.
Samus herself will be played by Rebecca Marshall, who has been in a number of things including films Raze (premiered this year at the Tribeca Film Festival), Life Tracker , and Saw 3D. She appeared in TV shows The West Wing, CSI: Miami, and more.
Marshall has even opted to do all of her own stunts, which is unusual. She claims she is a fan of Metroid–Samus in particular–citing how she admires the character. She previously did her own stunts on Raze, and that experience plus the nature of Samus’s character have made her enthusiastic to continue this for Metroid: Enemies Within.
No, Nintendo is not backing it.
This is the creeping problem with these fan films, isn’t it? Too often they are pulled before they can be accomplished, no matter if the fans backed them fully or not.
Massive State suffers no delusions in this. They make it known at the top of their campaign:
“METROID: ENEMIES WITHIN IS A NOT FOR PROFIT FAN FILM AND IS NOT ENDORSED BY OR AFFILIATED WITH NINTENDO. ALL NAMES AND REFERENCES OF METROID ARE COPYRIGHTS OF NINTENDO.“
They go even further explaining they will–per Kickstarter’s policy–refund all backers their full amount if they do get a cease and desist order from Nintendo.
They hope this won’t happen, however. Furthermore, they even hope that this project, once completed successfully, will stand as proof that Metroid is worthy of transferring to the big screen.
They have a pretty good team to help make this short film happen, too. Most of the people involved have worked on big name projects, including movies like Captain America and TV shows like Bones. They have even already completed a fan film before, based on graphic novel Y: The Last Man which IGN posted on their YouTube channel.
“If we allow ourselves to dream even bigger, we think it would be awesome if our short somehow inspires Nintendo to take another look at making a Metroid film…We wish for this whether we are involved or not. We would just love to see Metroid on the screen. We know we’re not the only ones who feel this way.” – Massive State
Metroid: Enemies Within is worth the risk of Nintendo’s wrath, because the team and game itself just look that good. Everyone involved is committed on an artistic and fan level, and that is a great combination to create a quality Metroid film.
