Retro look: The PowerGlove (NES)

by Blake Snow { Apr 17th 2006 at 11:30PM }

Above is a clip from the 1989 gamer classic, The Wizard. In it you see the movie's antagonist Lucas, sport his new Power Glove and show off his mad skills on Rad Racer. It's so bad (bad as in good). Here are some key take-aways to look out for:

The two super-nerd goons that help Lucas unpack the glove, connect it, and put away the steel carrying case.
Notice the sound-bit tribute to Close Encounters of the Third Kind as Lucas starts up the game.
The little brother's stare is just awesome. He looks so bored.

I don't know about you, but when I first saw this movie as a young lad, I nearly wet my pants in excitement. And don't even get me started on the hype machine that was Super Mario Bros. 3 for the NES. Good times!

See also: The PowerGlove (Wikipedia)

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

KenC @ Apr 17th 2006 11:35PM

That was funny Gotta love the ending. "I love the Power Glove... It's so bad"

Brandon @ Apr 17th 2006 11:39PM

That movie was amazing when i was a kid

semolina @ Apr 17th 2006 11:39PM

I think the little brother is supposed to be 'mentally challenged' or some such in the movie, that's part of why he's staring so obviously blankly at the screen.

32_Footsteps @ Apr 17th 2006 11:44PM

Man, I remember going to see this. My dad couldn't stop with the Rain Man jokes afterwards.

He also introduced to me the fine art of shredding things for gigantic plot holes after this movie. Like how the finale was in a game that supposedly nobody had yet seen, yet the kid magically knew exactly where to go for the warp whistle and what it was used for. And Fred Savage was able to alert his brother to that, when he had even less magical video game skills.

hurley @ Apr 18th 2006 12:00AM

Did this remind anyone else of Nintendo Revolution fanboys.

"I love the Nintendo Revolution!!11! It's so bad!!11!"

History repeats itself.

Dan @ Apr 18th 2006 12:03AM

The power glove was way to hard... I always just used the contorller on it :P

playing contra with the power glove was freaking insane.. .oh the good times.

LessThanMrT @ Apr 18th 2006 12:05AM

If the Power Glove was bad, I don't want to know what this is...

http://www.vidgame.net/NINTENDO/u_force.htm

The selling point for this monstrosity is that it makes games harder to play!

ecchichuu @ Apr 18th 2006 12:07AM

I've got to watch this movie again. I had forgotten how godly it is.

Ryan @ Apr 18th 2006 12:08AM

Man, I remember I scoured the state looking for a copy of this movie as a kid, too bad I never found it, it is the defintion of "camp". Anyone check out the wiki for this flick, though? It's hilarious: They also have a run in with Lucas Barton, who owns all 97 NES games. He tries to put the moves on Haley with his Power Glove, but Corey puts a stop to that. "Yeah, well, uh, just keep your Power Gloves off her..."

fawazr @ Apr 18th 2006 12:14AM

"It's so bad."

Oh my God, has it really been almost 20 years already? I'm soooo old.

We've come a long way from Mattel's abomination to the revmote that only requires a simple sensor bar to play.

Also, SpiderMan is in this movie.

Austin @ Apr 18th 2006 12:17AM

haha this reminds me of a video someone posted on youtube of a revolution controller- the controller's movement doesnt exactly match what's happening onscreen

Jacob @ Apr 18th 2006 1:02AM

If you ever wondered what happened to the redhead from that movie (Jenny Lewis), she's in a somewhat popular band called Rilo Kiley now, and just released a solo album.

She's hot, too.

cooper @ Apr 18th 2006 1:09AM

the little borther was autistic or molested or something. that's why he has the odd look.

The female lead of the movie is none other than Jenny Lewis, lead singer of alt band Rilo Kiley and also has one of the best albums so far this year. A solo project called Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins.

Buy her stuff its good.

MSaccarello @ Apr 18th 2006 1:10AM

that was pretty funny... what movie was that from? and what year did the movie come out?

MetaHuman @ Apr 18th 2006 1:19AM

Oh it was bad... bad enough to save the President! :P

...
...

I'm sorry.

Iced_Eagle @ Apr 18th 2006 1:20AM

MSaccarello: The Wizard - 1989

http://imdb.com/title/tt0098663/

Movie is so bad-ass haha :D I remember watching it sooo many times when I was younger!

staunton chess set @ Apr 18th 2006 1:42AM

I remember playing in Super Mario 3 tournaments and some kids thought that the warp whistle would boost your points insanely like it did for the 'Wizard.'

TeaTom @ Apr 18th 2006 3:09AM

Yeah, that glove might be bad but my mute brother is gonna kick your ass at mario.
And if not I'll just set my homeless ginger girlfriend on you, after we skateboard to California!

Franklin @ Apr 18th 2006 3:17AM

PowerGlove = Revolution Controller? BAD sign? (As in not necessarily good.)

Leto @ Apr 18th 2006 3:42AM

The kid with the brown hair, isn't that Fred Savage?

kingofthenet @ Apr 18th 2006 6:16AM

I hated that movie, I got suspended from high school for innocently asking this girl, if she would like to "BLOW" my Warp Whistle...WTF

Raymond @ Apr 18th 2006 6:59AM

I have a powerglove and sensor. I still play it when I get the chance. its pretty cool. don't bash it until you've tried it.

Insomnia Bob @ Apr 18th 2006 7:45AM

That sure as hell IS Fred Savage, 20. BOW BEFORE HIM!

Ah, for the savage, insane innocence of the 80's. When all we had to worry about was a conventional nuclear apocalypse, and what time "The Super Mario Bros. Super Show" started.

Speaking of 80's Nintendo nostalgia, does anyone else remember Nintendo Ceral? It came a normal size box, but it had two bags in it, one Zelda and one Mario Bros. ceral.

Stuff was so sugary, I think it actually GAVE me ADD. And I'm jonesing, now. PAPA NEEDS HIS TRIFORCE SHAPED MARSHMALLOWS!

Heaven is sitting down for a bowl of Nintendo ceral with Shigeru Miyamoto and Fred Savage. And a power glove.

DG @ Apr 18th 2006 7:57AM

Looks like he's rising up with fists!

Sense @ Apr 18th 2006 8:43AM

Insomnia Bob, I remember the cereal. I lived and breathed Zelda as a child.

I remember being absolutely awestruck when I saw that movie as a kid.

Like when Fred Savage says, "You got 50,000 on Double Dragon?!!!??" as if it's some major acheivement.

I remember thinking that you could do that in the first level.

I was pretty damned excited when I saw Super Mario 3, though. I remember thinking: "There's a third one? Can they do that?"

Good times.

SP @ Apr 18th 2006 8:50AM

My friends and I rented this movie when I was in High school about 8 years ago. Just trying to reclaim our youth. HILARIOUS movie. Great stuff. I've been busting out the "I love the power glove... it's so bad" line for years now.

"CALEEEFORNEEA"

Ryan @ Apr 18th 2006 9:19AM

The PowerGlove was a bad video game controller, but it still works on modern PCs and it does a pretty good job in 3D simulations and modelling.

Dignan17 @ Apr 18th 2006 10:00AM

"The Wizard" is amazing. I simply love that movie. It's a shame it's not on DVD aside from some low-rent release in Germany where it's called "Joystick Heroes."

And I agree with the other posters about Jenny Lewis. I remember watching this movie about 4 years ago and wondering "what ever happened to that kid?" Then I went and listened to "The Good That Won't Come Out" and realized that she really had talent. The band is incredible, and I've seen them about three or four times now. I also saw her solo act last month. Very, very good.

Scott @ Apr 18th 2006 10:10AM

Hey look! It's the same concept as the Revolution controller!

Sorry, had to tweak the Nintendo fanboys a little. ;)

Rob Stevens @ Apr 18th 2006 10:22AM

LessThanMrT ...

I had a U-Force when I was younger. It actually worked pretty well for driving games if you left the crossbar on it, but I used it mainly for PunchOut!

Insomnia Bob @ Apr 18th 2006 11:37AM

My main impression from the film (aside from wondering how the hell they got Mega Man II to play as an arcade game) was being MASSIVLY creeped out by that kid.
"I love the power glove....it's so bad."
I think that expression on his face, combined with that line, was the first time I felt real fear.

Stoli @ Apr 18th 2006 12:38PM

#23, I remember the cereal. I remember it being disgusting as hell (it seemed to form a weird filmy substance in my mouth, if I remember correctly), but I still ate it anyway. :)

Yeah, why isn't this on DVD? It's one of those movies you have to own, just because it's so terrible it's good. Besides, we all loved the preview of SMB3 in it. :)

Matters @ Apr 18th 2006 1:10PM

#19 Franklin: Sure. If technology has gone NOWHERE in the past 20 years you MIGHT be right, but you're not. To be blunt. It's not even close to the same thing.

But then again.. If you still have a huge tv with a small screen with knobs for changing the channel and no remote, you still use VHS and cassette tapes I guess I could see how you might mistake the powerglove for a revolution controller.

And once again Matel made the powerglove. NOT Nintendo.