Pretending I'm a Superman - The Tony Hawk Video Game Story: Movie Review

We're avid gamers past, present and probably still in the future. And the Tony Hawk Pro Skater series has been one of the games that we were really fond of back in the day. So honestly, we were really looking forward to "Pretending I'm a Superman - The Tony Hawk Video Game Story" when we heard about it. Does the official documentary on one of the biggest video game franchises worth the watch? Let's find out.

In 1999, the video game "Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (THPS)" shook the world when it sold 9 million copies upon release and changed the skateboarding scene forever. The documentary chronicles the roller coaster ride of the skateboarding scene from its infancy to its several rises and falls through the decades. But most importantly, it gives an inside look into the story of the skaters and developers who came together to create one of the best-selling and culture-changing games ever released

At a very brisk 72 minutes, "Pretending I'm a Superman - The Tony Hawk Video Game Story" was seriously at risk into being classified as a barely thin documentary. In fact, if you're going into the documentary looking forward to see the inner workings of how the first game (and the subsequent games in the series) was conceived, created, and developed then you'll probably be leaving the experience a little disappointed. While the documentary provides ample time on the development of the video game, it heavily tilted its focus on the game's influence on the skateboarding scene long-term. Equally, it delved into skateboarding history and the personal lives of the skaters that were in the games and those who were influenced by the game into taking the sport professionally. We actually found the format quite substantial and deep in a very basic level but hoped it could have provided more interviews and insight. But our biggest takeaway was the honesty of the personalities who took part in the documentary. They were never afraid to admit on how they felt about, for example, skateboarding becoming mainstream or just being plain skeptical about the impact of a video game on their lives. This documentary didn't gloss over the ugly parts to make its narrative feel like a fairy tale. Overall, "Pretending I'm a Superman - The Tony Hawk Video Game Story" was a solid documentary piece providing enough key details to be up to speed with icons of sports and of video games.

Rating: 4 reels





Why you should watch it:
- a solid look not only on the creation of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater but also on skateboarding history

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- if you want a video game documentary then this might not satisfy your cravings