The skateboarding industry was going through a major crisis in the early 90s, with popularity nosediving and the certainty of the skaters’ livelihoods unknown. But that was all about to change with the introduction of the X-Games, and the debut of one of the world’s most influential video game franchises. In 1999, the video game Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater shook the world when it sold 9 million copies upon release and changed the skateboarding scene forever. Complimenting the reboot of the beloved Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 & 2 games in 2020, PRETENDING I’M A SUPERMAN tells the story behind the game that changed lives and shaped a generation.

From award-winning Swedish director Ludvig Gür and acclaimed videogame producer Ralph D’Amato, Pretending I’m A Superman is the story of the skaters and developers who came together to create the best-selling gaming franchise, as well as a look into how skateboarding became a part of the mainstream, and continues to influence modern culture.

Featuring never-before-seen footage and interviews with legendary skater Tony Hawk, as well as industry stars Steve Caballero, Rodney Mullen, Chad Muska, and Eric Koston, Gür takes audiences through an intimate yet extraordinary journey, chronicling the meteoric rise of skate boarding’s most famous name.

For thoughts on Pretending I’m A Superman, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/8LVGW1SoP0U?si=_L4AP_4-yHYqmcuo&t=4131]

Video Quality

Pretending I’m A Superman comes to Blu-Ray from ETR Media with a really good high definition master which presents this documentary as the best version of itself. This feature consists of a balanced mixture of newer interviews along with archival clips, home movies, game footage, and pictures to help round out the history of these skaters and the game series. The new talking head interview segments look impeccably sharp and clear with natural skin tones and some highly detailed facial features from the stable filming locations.

Any older footage seems to be derived from the most consistent source possible, meaning some elements are not thriving under the scrutiny of HD. The colors showcased in the footage have an immense vibrancy to them. The encoding does not falter when it comes to compression artifacts or digital nuisances of the sort. While not all the footage benefits from a high definition presentation, it is great to have the film looking the best it possibly can on Blu-Ray.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray disc comes with a great DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that captures this soundscape without issue. This is first and foremost an interview showcase with an ample amount of talking heads to go along with the candid and archival footage. Dialogue flows through in the center channel as you get anecdotes shared in a controlled environment. The classic music from the games comes through with a welcome fidelity that fills the room. The material is not exactly immersive, but sounds great within its ambitions. There were no unwanted digital anomalies, drop-outs, or other issues spotted. This track does everything that is asked of it. There are optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles provided.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Director Ludvig Gür provides a free-flowing commentary track in which he gives additional background to his relationship with the subjects, discusses his approach to interviewing, why he wanted to tell the story of this series, what he learned from the experience, the footage they didn’t get to use in the film, and more.

Festival Q&A: A six-minute piece from the Mammoth Film Festival with director Ludvig Gür, Tony Hawk, producer Ralph D’Amato, Rodney Mullen, and Neversoft founder Mick West in which they discuss how the film came to be, skateboarding in society, and more.

Ralph D’Amato Interview: A 36-minute interview with former Neversoft producer (and producer of this film) Ralph D’Amato in which he shares his experiences developing the games, collecting the music for the games, how the series evolved, and much more.

Neversoft Offices: A 34-second aerial overview of the various Neversoft office buildings.

Tony Hawk Mo-Cap: An 18-minute home video is provided of Tony Hawk skateboarding to replicate in the game.

Rodney Mullen Ollie Recording: A nearly 26-minute home movie of Rodney Mullen working on an ollie for a video shoot.

Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided for the film.

Galleries: There is a Design Gallery, Production Gallery, and Release Gallery provided here.

Booklet: A multi-page booklet is included featuring a brief essay from director Ludvig Gür along with some concept art and stills.

Final Thoughts

Pretending I’m A Superman is a nostalgic look back at a video game franchise that will put a smile on the face of anyone who has fond memories of playing it. We wish the focus was a little less on the history of skateboarding itself and more on the trajectory of the franchise, but it functions well enough as a popcorn documentary that shines a broad spotlight on a niche subject that is beloved. Most of the interview subjects are very lively and entertaining as they share how the franchise impacted their careers. We would prefer a great documentary, but this is good enough. ETR Media has released a Blu-Ray featuring an excellent A/V presentation and some cool special features. Recommended

Pretending I’m A Superman is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: ETR Media & Vinegar Syndrome have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.