We don’t make a habit of posting fan films on CraveOnline, but for the newly released Metroid: The Sky Calls, we’re making an exception!
Rainfall Films and writer/director Sam Balcomb have created a live-action Metroid short film that runs just over 11 minutes with Jessica Chobot as Samus Aran and America Young as the motion capture artist behind Samus’ stunts. Jeff Dodson provided the original music.
The story of The Sky Calls digs back into Nintendo’s official history for Samus, as she gets a signal from the Chozo, the alien race that took Samus in when she was orphaned as a child. However, the planet broadcasting the signal is breaking apart and the Chozo’s enemies have also received the message about their whereabouts.
Once the action moves planetside, The Sky Calls is elevated to the next level. Samus moves and reacts like she should, and she even uses her famous morphball trick to transform and travel to rooms that she would otherwise be unable to reach. There’s even a callback to the Metroid tradition of shooting a door to make it open.
You may recall Chobot as a former IGN hostess and former G4 personality who is currently hosting Nerdist News. She’s the only actress in this short, but her screentime is fairly limited. Balcomb uses the under-the-helmet view that Marvel’s Iron Man innovated to show Samus’ face during a few of the in-armor scenes. There are a few rough moments in the short, but the film is still very enjoyable. The special effects are particularly noteworthy and gorgeous to look at.
Nintendo recently signaled that it may be rethinking its stance against adapting its games in Hollywood. After the Super Mario Bros. movie, can you blame them? But there are several talented filmmakers who would surely love to get their hands on Nintendo’s signature creations. If nothing else, Balcomb and his team now have a great demo that shows off their respective skills.
What did you think of Metroid: The Sky Calls? Share your thoughts below!
