Nerdthusiast: 8-Bit Christmas Movie Review
By Brian Keane, Nerdthusiast Content Host
As an 80s baby, I feel like I am somewhat privileged to have been a kid and got to experience all that I did during this incredible decade. The cartoons were great, the TV shows and movies were amazing and the toys were awesome. What has been even better than all the memorable things that came out of this epic period in time, are the countless number of movies and sitcoms out today that pay a nostalgic tribute to the decade of mix tapes, action movies and video games.
One film that doesn’t skip a beat in this regard is
the recently released Christmas movie 8-Bit Christmas. The movie, which is available
to stream now on HBO Max, is the story of an 11-year-old boy and his crew of
like-minded cronies who are absolutely hell-bent on getting their hands on what
was single-handedly one of my most memorable Christmas gifts of all-time - a
Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). A majority of the film, set in the suburbs
of Chicago, takes place sometime in the late 1980s, which was basically the
beginning of the Nintendo craze here in the U.S. Narrated by none other than the
man, the myth, the legend Doogie Howser, M.D. himself, Neil Patrick Harris,
this film hits home on so many different, chuckle inducing levels it's
difficult to name them all.
Without
giving away any of the many accurate homage's to the decade, this movie was
extremely relatable to me for a variety of reasons. First and foremost there is
one character in the film who was lucky enough to actually own an NES, whose
last name was, you guessed it...Keane! Somewhat ironic due to the fact that I was an
absolute Nintendo nerd as a kid, owning more than 400 different titles at one
time but that's beside the point. As you
will also learn if you choose to watch the just over 90-minute film, is the
main character often sacrifices his pride and dignity for even the slightest
chance to play an NES, which leads to some of the funnier moments the story has
to offer.
Now
while it may miss the mark on what many would consider to be a “Christmas classic”,
8-Bit Christmas definitely makes a
case for becoming a perennially watched flick for Gen-Zers and Millennials the
like. Despite this, I feel the comedy falls just short of hilarious and the
Easter Eggs are a little too "hidden" for anyone from other generations
to notice, which is why I don't see this move becoming a cult-classic.
Nonetheless, if you grew up with a NES in your house and are looking for
something that has a hint of A Christmas
Story, a dash of Jingle All the Way and
a smidgen of The Princess Bride and Goonies, then this movie is right up
your alley.
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