‘If you’ve recently been feeling stupid, trust me, you’re not the only one’
In my mind, Zak McKracken is the unsung hero of the classic LucasArt point-and-click line up. If theMonkey Islandseries is analogous to a crowd-pleaser likeBack to the Future,thenZak McKracken and the Alien Mindbendersis the equivalent to related-but-underrated film likeBuckaroo Banzai. Fans of the game have kept it alive in their imaginations for over 20 years, and are still clamoring for a sequel to this day.David Fox, Zak’s creator, told us on Sup Holmesa few weeks ago that after he’s done collaborating with fellow LucasArts legends Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick onThumbleweed Park, he may end up returning to a game likeZak. I hope he does.
In the meantime, I’m going to soak in the this lovably earnest fan film a few more times. Like a lot of passion projects, it’s pretty uneven in quality. The music is amazing, the CGI character models are good, the little nods to the original game are heartfelt, and the dubbing is charmingly poor. Basically, it’s exactly likethe new episode ofSamus and Sagat.
Regardless, the film does a great job of summing up the premise of the game. If you’re a fan of the original source material, or are curious aboutZakbut don’t want to commit to giving it a play, this film will do your body good.
