There are plenty of reasons to be nervous about the live-action Legend of Zelda movie. Everything from potential casting to whether Link should speak has been thoroughly discussed. However, there’s one important element that could either make or break the film’s reception that rarely comes up: its approach and reverence for the series' legendary soundtrack.
The Legend of Zelda’s robust and iconic discography often inspires nostalgia and whimsy. Upon hearing the opening notes from a song like “Zelda’s Lullaby” and “Dragon Roost Island,” you might feel like you’re back in the fields of Hyrule or chasing seagulls on the shore of a distant island all over again.
Whenever you boot up a Zelda game, the first thing that draws you into the adventure is the opening title theme, which usually sounds uplifting before descending into something more harrowing. The world of Hyrule is full of light and darkness, and it’s an element that’s often palpable while listening to the different theme songs. From Ocarina to Wind Waker, each does an excellent job at establishing the tone and atmosphere that will envelop us in the hours to come.
Even if you’ve never played The Legend of Zelda, you’ve likely experienced its soundtrack through other games like Super Smash Bros., or similar pop-culture juggernauts like Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Music speaks for itself, which is why it’s been able to stay relevant in the mainstream for so long.
Beyond how recognizable it is, Zelda’s music stands out due to its emotional impact since the first game launched in 1986. Many associate the melodies of Hyrule with family, friends, or a specific moment in their life. Personally, I will always have a fondness for songs like “Skyloft” and “The Lumpy Pumpkin” from Skyward Sword, a game I played during a not-so-fun period.
The biggest reason to be skeptical about the soundtrack for The Legend of Zelda movie is because of the precedent set by Illumination’s Super Mario Bros. Composer Brian Tyler did a phenomenal job rearranging legendary music by Koji Kondo for the big screen, but the experience was ultimately bogged down by out-of-place licensed songs like “Thunderstruck” and “No Sleep Till Brooklyn”.
To make matters worse, certain rearrangements inspired by games like Donkey Kong Country were ultimately removed from the final cut of the movie and replaced with popular songs from the 80s and 90s. The best-known example is the original piece “Drivin’ Me Bananas,” which would have played when Mario, Peach, and Toad arrive at the Kong Kingdom, which was replaced with Aha’s “Take On Me,” a decision that many fans agree was the wrong one after seeing and hearing the direct comparison.
Not only do these pop songs feel out of place in the Mushroom Kingdom, but they are so overused in movies both new and old that they fail to make an impact here. All their inclusion did was rob audiences of fascinating remixes that would have made the Super Mario Bros. Movie a more immersive and enjoyable experience instead of appealing to the lowest common denominator.
via Nintendo/Illumination
If the Legend of Zelda wants to swerve away from this already-alarming precedent, it should draw inspiration from other video game adaptations like The Last of Us, Castlevania, and the Nier: Automata anime. Each of these examples successfully implements songs and rearrangements to evoke similar emotions you would feel while playing the game each show is based on, without ever losing touch with its identity.
Music is just as integral to these games as it is for The Legend of Zelda. Can you imagine smuggling Ellie across a post-apocalyptic America without Gustavo Santaolalla’s haunting score penetrating each sequence in The Last of Us? Or facing magnificent bosses in Nier: Automata without the adrenaline-pumping orchestral choir backing you up?
A game’s musical accompaniment does more than fill the silence. It’s an instrumental part of each experience that is so much more than background noise. While a game doesn’t necessarily need a great soundtrack to be considered good, one can become a masterpiece with the correct implementation of sound.
In many Zelda games, music is a mechanic that is used instead of just heard. Link learns to master a new instrument more than once in his many adventures, and in the case of Wind Waker, wields a baton to compose the wind itself. From the Ocarina of Time to the Spirit Flute, whichever musical device the young prodigy chooses is often the key to solving puzzles and saving the day.
The Zelda movie should rely on pre-existing music from the series or new renditions on familiar ideas, incorporating variations of iconic songs we’ve come to know and love to create a believable version of Hyrule that resembles the one we’ve saved so many times before. The clear solution to this problem is to give Koji Kondo, the original composer of many memorable Zelda tracks, a pivotal role.
A game’s musical accompaniment does more than fill the silence. It’s an instrumental part of each experience that is so much more than background noise.
While he aided Brian Tyler with Mario, it feels as though he didn’t have the final say on the soundtrack’s direction. Many capable composers in the movie industry could pull this job off, but for the best result, the original mind behind the legendary compositions should return.
Hopefully, Nintendo hears some of the Mario backlash and corrects the course for future adaptations. If the live-action Legend of Zelda movie includes a montage of Link destroying pots set to “Mr. Blue Sky”, I might have to play the Song of Time to go back and prevent myself from wasting two hours of my life.
