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The baby.
"Super Metroid" is the live-action Japanese commercial for the video game of the same name. Directed by Yasuo Kanemaki, it recreates the introduction sequence of the game on Ceres Space Colony, using foreign and Japanese actors to depict Samus Aran and the Lab Workers. It aired on Japanese television in 1994, and was included at the end of the Super Metroid Promotional Preview.
The commercial can be viewed here.
Synopsis[]
Super Metroid begins with a view of the baby in its stasis tube, as it is being analyzed by three Caucasian Lab Workers, two male and one female. The scientists speak about the baby and its potential benefits to humanity, as a life sign beeps on a Bioreactor System. Suddenly, the lights flicker before a siren activates. The tank holding the baby explodes and the scientists fall to the floor, as a silhouette of Ridley is glimpsed. His ingame roar is heard as one scientist yells that the baby has been captured. Ridley's talon is seen gripping the baby's capsule and carrying it away.
Samus Aran, as depicted by an unknown actress.
The word "EMERGENCY" flashes onscreen in red. Samus is then shown examining something offscreen, before she looks to her right upon hearing the alarm. Notably, she wears an earpiece here, and a lab coat. She throws the coat off and runs in a black leotard and harness toward a chamber. Upon entering it, she jumps to face the camera, and her Varia Suit forms over her body. A blast door opens with a heavy amount of steam, and Samus emerges from it in her Power Suit. The last scene depicts her Gunship, animated, flying to Zebes. Some game footage is shown before the Nintendo logo and the coin collected chime from Mario plays.
Production[]
The commercial was produced by 21 Incorporation and Shirogumi Inc. 21 Incorporation won the contract through a planning competition, where production companies would submit drafts for Nintendo to review. They decided to produce the commercial as a science fiction film trailer, paying homage to American sci-fi movies such as This Island Earth. The producers played Super Metroid in order to understand the content of the story. Nintendo provided the character designs and left the rest up to their imagination.
Super Metroid was filmed in February 1994 in a film studio in Tokyo. Additional shots of the scientists working, the attack on the station, and a shot of Ridley's hand from above, appear in the Super Metroid Promotional Preview between gameplay clips. The music, an orchestral arrangement of the Theme of Samus, was arranged by the game's composers, Kenji Yamamoto and Minako Hamano.
A pyrotechnician was hired to handle the explosions on set. For budgetary reasons, only Ridley's hand was sculpted, while his body was projected as a silhouette. It was made of plywood and hung from the roof. Powder was used to simulate the destruction of the Space Science Academy, and caught fire after absorbing oxygen, also igniting Ridley. The fire was quickly extinguished.
The baby was modeled in a silicone-based material and its movements controlled with strings. Because it was stored in liquid within a statis tube, the material kept melting, and could only be kept submerged for twenty minutes. Kanemaki sought to take the minimum number of cuts necessary, although it is not apparent in the final commercial.
Tokusatsu (special effects) were used to animate Samus's Varia Suit activating, while the suit itself was the same stop-motion figure used in the Japanese commercial for Metroid II: Return of Samus.[1] This was done to remain faithful to the suit's in-game appearance, and avoid increasing the budget by building a costume, as was done for later Metroid commercials such as Prime Evil. After production had ended, the figure and all props were returned to their respective manufacturers, and required to be kept for at least a year. What became of them afterwards is unknown.
Actors of various nationalities were cast to reflect the likelihood that a space laboratory would employ people from different backgrounds. The actress who portrayed Samus in the commercial was cast based on her style and appearance as a tough athlete. Her identity is unknown, and Kanemaki did not recall her name when asked in a 2023 interview with Shinesparkers. He indicated she was a model and had been the second choice for the role, when a scheduling issue arose with his first choice. Kanemaki preferred the final actress' run. Believing that the image players had of Samus would differ from her, he had the camera quickly cut away from her face to leave it up to imagination.[2]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ^ Shinesparkers. In Search of Samus. December 8, 2023. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
- ^ Shinesparkers. Interview: Yasuro Kanemaki. December 23, 2023. Retrieved December 23, 2023.