Pretending I’m A Superman: The Tony Hawk Video Game Story Review: A Perfect 900

Pretending I’m A Superman goes beyond the game’s development, celebrating the history of skateboarding & the athletes who were part of its resurgence.

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2020 might be a disaster of a year, but one gleaming bright spot has been the absolute resurgence of the skateboarding video game genre. From the Skate announcement during June’s EA Play to the recent success of Skater XL, the skateboarding genre is undeniably making its way back into the limelight after a significant amount of time spent on the back burner.

However, the genre wouldn’t even be a blip on the radar if it hadn’t been for the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater franchise. The original game, released in 1999, led to multiple games in the series during a time when skateboarding’s popularity was at an all-time high. Now, with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 and 2 having been announced from basically out of nowhere, it seems that the genre is even more poised for a massive comeback.

Coinciding with the build-up of the remastered game’s launch, Pretending I’m A Superman: The Tony Hawk Video Game Story is set to release digitally on August 18th. From award-winning Swedish director, Ludvig Gür, along with acclaimed video game producer, Ralph D’Amato, Pretending I’m A Superman: The Tony Hawk Video Game Story is an absolute triumph in documentary filmmaking, as it goes beyond just the iconic game’s development, shedding light on the history of skateboarding and celebrating the athletes who brought skateboarding to mainstream culture.

Thrashin’ For Decades

Much like the skateboarding scene itself, the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater franchise didn’t just happen overnight. The original game came to fruition following the culmination of years of hard work and passion for the sport. Pretending I’m A Superman details the rise and fall of skateboarding during the late-80s/early-90s, and how skateboarding’s second coming eventually surpassed baseball as America’s pastime.

This may seem like a daunting task, especially with those who are familiar with skating’s history, personalities, and athletes, but Pretending I’m A Superman does a phenomenal job of taking viewers through the expansive history of skateboarding in an informative and concise way, and does so by using the words of the skaters themselves who were part of the movement.

The Gang’s All Here

Pretending I’m A Superman is a proverbial who’s who of the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater franchise, featuring interviews from legendary skaters such as Rodney Mullen, Bob Burnquist, Chad Muska, Jaime Thomas, Eric Koston, Steve Caballero, and, of course, The Birdman himself, Tony Hawk. Footage from each skater is showcased throughout the film, from the grainy video that was captured for VHS cassettes to present-day shots of them doing tricks specifically for the film. It was fascinating to listen to the personal experiences that each person had as a professional skater, and how that dynamic shifted to an entirely different stratosphere once the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series took off. Rodney Mullen’s testimonials stand out specifically, as his words were as captivating as they were eloquently delivered – much like the freestyle skater’s talents on a skateboard.

Newer professional skaters such as Jordyn Barratt, Elliott Sloan, Keire Johnson, and Aaron “Jaws” Homoki are also featured in the film’s interviews, discussing their own skateboarding experiences, and how the previous generation – along with the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater franchise – helped pave the way for their professional skating careers.

Music To My Ears

Of course, a documentary on the history of the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater franchise wouldn’t be complete without including testimonials from some of the bands whose now-iconic songs were featured in the video games. Jay Bentley (Bad Religion), Larry “Ler” Lalonde (Primus), and John Feldmann (Goldfinger) all described the impact that Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater had on their bands’ success, and how their songs that were included in the game also catapulted them to the next level. The most awesome thing that each band had in common was their willingness to lend their songs to the game, especially since using licensed music in video games wasn’t really a common practice up to that point.

As most gamers familiar with the series know, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater eventually fizzled out a bit as more competition entered the market, like as EA’s Skate, in addition to some initiatives that didn’t quite hit with consumers, such as the ill-fated skateboard peripheral series in Tony Hawk Ride and Tony Hawk Shred. However, it was refreshing to watch Tony own those mistakes while being optimistic about the state of skateboarding at that time regardless of those decisions. This extended to all of the athletes’ thoughts on current-day skateboarding being more accessible than ever, attributing a large majority of that to the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater franchise.

Boardslide Into This Documentary

You don’t need to be a fan of skateboarding, or even a fan of the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series to enjoy everything that Pretending I’m A Superman: The Tony Hawk Video Game Story has to offer. In fact, the film does a phenomenal job in that regard to make the subject matter approachable and easy to understand for viewers who might not be familiar with skating’s history or the video game series.

That said, if you are a fan of either of those things, you owe it to yourself to watch the film the second it becomes available – especially if you have any intention of playing next month’s release of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 and 2. From the old school skating footage to the behind-the-scenese workings of how Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater came to be, Pretending I’m A Superman: The Tony Hawk Video Game Story is a fascinating film that you’ll have no problem watching again and again.

An advance screening of Pretending I’m A Superman: The Tony Hawk Video Game Story was provided to TheGamer for this review. Pretending I’m A Superman: The Tony Hawk Video Game Story will be available digitally via Itunes, YouTube, Vubiquity, Xbox, Amazon Prime Video, Indemand, and DirecTV on August 18th.

Link Source : https://www.thegamer.com/pretending-im-a-superman-tony-hawk-video-game-story-review/