Warning! SPOILERS for 8-Bit Christmas
HBO’s first Christmas movie of the season 8-Bit Christmas features a battle royale between Tammy and Timmy with the Nintendo Power Glove, raising the question of why filmmakers chose to showcase a fake game. Neil Patrick Harris’ latest movie is a fun-filled family romp set in the late ’80s during the Nintendo craze. The throwback is so chock full of nostalgia, funny, and feel-good moments that it’s the perfect way to start off the holiday season. However, amid the familiar references, the inclusion of a never-before-seen game seems slightly incongruous.
Featuring some of cinema’s favorite faces, such as the aforementioned Neil Patrick Harris, Steve Zahn, and June Diane Raphael, 8-Bit Christmas has a similar trajectory as other Christmas favorites like A Christmas Story, and its framing is comparable to The Princess Bride. Though young protagonist Jake (Winslow Fegley) isn’t looking for a Red Rider BB-gun and adult Jake (Neil Patrick Harris) is telling the story to his daughter rather than a grandson. What Jake really wants for Christmas is the original NES system which he covets after being selected amongst hordes of children to play the console at spoiled Timmy Keane’s (Chandler Dean) house. After Timmy gets the Power Glove he invites ten more kids down into the basement to play against him. Since Jake doesn’t get picked he sneaks in through the doggy door to watch the carnage. Timmy plays a game (and loses) against Tammy Hodges (Brielle Rankins) called Silent Fists, revealing that the Power Glove isn’t all that powerful. The only inaccurate thing about this picture? There is no Silent Fists Nintendo game.
There’s a number of reasons behind why 8-Bit Christmas sneaks in a fake Nintendo game, though the film accurately displays the Nintendo Power Glove’s shortcomings. There’s no word from filmmakers as to why this choice is made, but there could be a few reasons. The first is that film creators might want to be more inclusive by featuring a more diverse game, since most early games, or the entire ’80s decade for that matter, weren’t too serious about including characters of different races or ethnicities. In the interest of inclusivity, therefore, filmmakers might’ve made the fake game. Another possibility is that the game is simply a narrative device used to move the plot forward. The Nintendo Power Glove didn’t have any co-op or two-player games when it first came out. Since Timmy couldn’t have a meltdown without Tammy’s win, a game with two players would have to be created. Either way, the inclusion ultimately helps to propel 8-Bit Christmas’ central narrative.
While 8-Bit Christmas certainly must have some Nintendo rights for the movie, they might not have what they need for another game they could use: Punch Out. Technically, Punch Out isn’t a two-player game, but the rules and graphics are similar enough to the fake game Silent Fists. Ultimately, filmmakers probably didn’t want to either face the wrath of Nintendo die-hards for including a game that didn’t originally have a co-op mode, or they simply just don’t have the rights to use the game that they want.
8-Bit Christmas plays a lot off of its nostalgia factor and may not end up being a holiday staple, given that it’s up against some heavy competition from Netflix’s barrage of Christmas movies and series. However, there’s no denying that the HBO original is pure family fare that will be sure to put any viewer into the holiday spirit. Fans of Neil Patrick Harris or Steve Zahn will also certainly enjoy 8-Bit Christmas. There may not be a documented reason as to why the fake game is featured in the film, but it ultimately doesn’t detract from the sweet family movie.
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