Pretending I’m a Superman: The Tony Hawk Video Game Story will be released on August 18 on Wood Entertainment’s VOD & Digital platforms in North America, as well as internationally via Garage (Australia), Sky Documentaries (UK), and Program Store (France).
Preferring to be a Superman focuses just as much on video games as it does on the history of skateboarding and the culture around it. Those who grew up playing Tony Hawk Pro Skater or were used to skateboarding (and those who still ride) will find fascination in the details of what really went on behind the scenes and how the release of the game had a major impact on the growth of the sport worldwide.
The film is grounded in the reality of seeing professional athletes and famous bands wrestling in their respective fields, until the video game industry gave them an unexpected opportunity that changed their entire lives. Tony will be the first to allow success in his career, thanks to Tony Hawk Pro Skater.
The opening of the documentary has parallels with classic skate videos, which is a subtle yet appreciated throwback for anyone who remembers watching skate vids on repeat. Punk music blows as the Scots highlight the fierce pro-skaters interviewed for the documentary – all household names – including Tony Hawk, Steve Caballero, Rodney Mullen, Chad Muska, Bob Burnquist, Jamie Thomas, Eric Koston, and Aaron “Jaws” Homoki. Each of these skaters offers valuable insight into what it was like in the early and later periods of the game’s release.
Prefer as I am a Superman flows flawlessly through the ages of skateboarding and winds the ups and downs of the sport effectively to lay the groundwork for the progression that leads to the success of Tony Hawk Pro Skater, starting with the popularity of skateboarding in the 70s and moved by the accidents and rising in the 80s and 90s. It was not until the extreme sporting event, X Games, which launched in 1995, that Tony’s name became recognizable after his gold and silver medals for the categories vert and street skating.
The Swedish award-winning filmmaker Ludvig Gür does a fantastic job directing a piece that has so many moving parts in different timelines, yet combines the other, classic shots on VHS with modern tech and film material to draw depth into the story, so it does not fall flat. There are areas that could use improvement but are poor in comparison, such as after the end of the film when the focus is somewhat lost when trying to add different topics before it wraps up.
Tony shares how he’s always been a gamer and was an ‘arcade kid’, that’s when the documentary turns into conversations about making a skateboard game. From several publishers backing down against the idea to Activision eventually working with Neversoft on the project, you can see the twist of what seems to have been a long process. A common theme from the negative responses was that publishers thought a skateboarding game might not be noticeable enough – something that is proven otherwise in the film.
Mockup illustrations for level designs and characters, along with demo footage, and behind-the-scenes motion capture take you back in time and make you more curious about what the process was, which continues to elaborate between each scene and interview. Walter Day, just described as the “father of competitive gaming”, even makes an appearance, going back to the beginnings of skateboarding games and what Tony Hawk Pro Skater meant to the gaming world.
The only scattered part of the documentary is the focus on the bands that were featured in the original game, including Goldfinger, Primus, and Bad Religion. The discussions are more than fascinating and inspiring, but they seem to have been edited in random sections all the time, which eventually interrupts the flow of the film in those parts.
Something that makes this documentary extremely good is that you want to immediately jump back into playing Tony Hawk Pro Skater (which will be possible on current gen consoles coming September with the remake) or go outside and get back on a skateboard – the last of which inspired those who originally played the game, including pro rider Elliot Sloan who elaborated on his influence of Tony and the game.
The film also describes the complexity surrounding the continuation and growth of the Tony Hawk Pro Skater brand, including mistakes that were made and titles that died due to several factors – one of which was when the game Skate was released in 2007, which it saw a substantial decline in sales for the Tony Hawk games because they suddenly had another competitor in the field.
