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Gamer Review

Paul Young — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 15:51:05 +0000

Short Version: Never quite reaching the “Good” mark and hovering just below “OK,” Gamer opens the 2009 Fall movie season with plenty of shooting, death, blood and confusion.

Screen Rant’s Paul Young reviews Gamer

I’ve written this review for Gamer three times now and with each iteration I just can’t seem to find that slightly mocking tone I like to use so much – not to mention each one has been over 2000 words long and there is no way this movie deserves that much effort. But I thought, “Am I’m trying too hard to be a ‘professional’ movie critic? No one really listens to them very much; people would rather listen to what their friends think of the movie. I wonder if we have any more Twinkies and Cheez-Wiz?” I’m just telling you what I thought; I never said I would edit those thoughts.

So I’ll tell you the same thing I told my buddy after watching Gamer, “It’s completely worth the $5 matinee price I paid to watch it.” There is no way I’d paid full admission to watch this movie because, frankly, it just isn’t worth $9 – $12 of my hard earned money. If you don’t catch it this weekend for the matinee price, no worries, just grab it during the week or wait until next weekend and turn it into a double feature by watching 9 afterwards. Trust me, you are not going to miss anything special by waiting a few days.

Now, I don’t want to ruin the movie for you (the directors do a good enough job of that already) but I will give you a synopsis…

Gamer is set “years from this very moment” where advertising is allowed on everything, including the Great Pyramids. Egomaniacal software magnate Ken Castle (Michael C. Hall) has invented a brain controlling product called Nanex that allows the mental control people by other people. He uses prison convicts to play out bloody battles called “sessions” in his game “Slayers,” that he then charges the entire world to watch via pay-per-view.

Enter convict Kable Tillsman (Gerard Butler) who has survived 27 sessions in the brutal game of life or death – three more sessions and he is a free man. But Kable holds a secret that Castle can’t afford to have get out, so he introduces convict Hackman (played by a very large Terry Crews) to the game – but here’s the rub: Unlike Kable, Hackman isn’t being controlled by a player and holds a major advantage.

There is also a group of rebels (for lack of a better word), called Humanz led by Ludacris, who aren’t hip to Castle’s mind control jive, and feel Kable is the key to bringing him down; but instead of protesting, they hang out in an abandoned basement, playing air hockey and old Atari console games, and hacking Castle’s signal causing him much grief, while trying to break Kable out of the game.

Why wear a jacket when you're not wearing pants?

Once out, Kable seeks vengeance on Castle for framing him for murder, turning his wife (Amber Valletta) into a whore in his other game “Society” – think The Sims with real people – and taking away his daughter. Why did Castle do all this? Your guess is as good as mine. After you watch the film and figure it out please let me know because as far as I can tell, it was never explained. So basically, at the end of the day, Gamer is nothing more than a weakly told story of one geek’s ill-conceived attempt at world conquest (YAWN).

Let me quickly list the good parts of Gamer: Gerard Butler’s acting.

Now the list of the bad parts of Gamer: Everything else, including Gerard Butler’s character.

Confused? So was I. Honestly, I like Gerard Butler in just about everything he does, Nim’s Island, 300 and even the romantic (un)comedy The Ugly Truth, but he is at his best when playing the action hero. He has the chiseled look for it, the acting chops to pull it off and he has a good chance of replacing one of the great 80’s action heroes; but here, Butler can’t do much with the script or direction from Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor.

Gamer is filled with so much violence, shooting, blood, explosions, flying body parts, exposed breasts, lesbians, and perversion that one would think it was written by two frat boys on a binger. Wait, Neveldine and Taylor also wrote both Crank films so I guess I’m not too far the mark there. I enjoyed both Crank films, so I was really looking forward to watching Gamer, but this attempt seemed more focused on inserting as many cameos for TV actors than any sort of plausible story.

Seriously look at this list of cameos:

John Leguizamo, Zoe Bell, James Roday and Maggie Lawson (both from Pysch), John de Lancie (Q from Star Trek: The Next Generation), Milo Ventimiglia (Heroes) who has the best cameo in the movie.

Amber Valetta and Milo "Rick Rape" Ventimiglia

Only people missing were Brendan Fraser and Carmen Electra, although it wouldn’t surprise me if they were in there somewhere. Everyone’s cameos feel forced and really serve no purpose in the film other than to just have them in there.

In fact, now that I look at the actors and actress involved, it looks like the directors/writers were trying to put as many TV actors into this movie as possible. Michael C. Hall (Dexter) and Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer) are seriously miscast here and Sedgwick could have been removed from the movie entirely without the story suffering one bit. The only purpose she serves in the movie is to show how a 49 year old woman looks in face glitter.

I was really looking forward to seeing how Hall would shake the Dexter mold and break out on his own but apparently all anyone could think of to make him different was a bad southern accent and a lollipop. I hope he gets better roles in the future because he didn’t need to be in this film. I have to mention the “dance and fight” scene near the end. I literally looked at the screen and mouthed “W…T…F” when it happened. What’s funnier, someone in the theater actually said the words to my acronym.

So what actually works? The action at the beginning of Gamer is pretty intense, although the shaky camera work will hurt your head if you’re sitting too close, and is quite visceral in most places. But just like a video game, it soon becomes repetitive and boring. Everything else: story, acting, pacing, plausibility, just falls flat.

The writers have filled Gamer with every possible misconceived notion of the video gamer sub-culture that they knew. I still can’t tell if they were poking fun at the culture, trying to explain it to the uneducated masses or heck, maybe they think gamers are really like this because the story as a whole just flops around like fish on the dock, gasping and waiting for someone to put it out of its misery.

Gerard Butler and a very scary sneer

And for a movie called Gamer, it really doesn’t dig into the “gaming” side of the story very much. If audiences were to believe what they are watching, then the only people playing online video games are young teenage losers, fat invalid perverts and old Asian people. That is seriously the only people they show playing either of the two games “Society” and “Slayer”.

There are literally dozens of men with guns shooting each other during each “session” but we only ever get to see one kid, Simon (Logan Lerman), controlling his icon, Kable. Maybe a better title would have been “Controlled,” since that was the main focus of the movie.

Addressing the gamer stereotype: Simon is a 17 year kid that sits in a special room with holographic images around him, upgrading his icon, downloading porn and video chatting with girls who are willing to pay him or strip just to spend time with his icon. He even gets a couple of 17 year old twins willing to flash the headlights and spend $50 million Euros for the opportunity. OK, so slacker, loser, horn ball teen that does nothing but play online games all day – Check!

And in the game “Society”, were there are thousands of people playing the game, we are only shown 3 – an old Asian woman, an old Asian man and a big, fat, nasty, man living by himself. Unlike the people in “Slayer,” people in “Society” get paid to become icons for others giving over their bodies to be played by other people. It would have been an interesting concept if done properly, but the writers choose, instead, to show the perverted and twisted side of human nature.

Zoe Bell looking hideous in corn rows.

In fact, the whole concept of Gamer was poorly handled and when it’s all said and done, Gamer is a mostly forgettable installment in the “downfall of society” genre and shows just how low Hollywood thinks we will eventually stoop for entertainment. Like I mentioned before, unless you get discount passes or the early bird special, skip Gamer and cross your fingers that 9 will start the fall season out right.

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New Posters: The Road, 2012, Where The Wild Things Are & More!

Rob Keyes — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 06:42:30 +0000

Happy Friday everyone! Today we have gathered the latest biggest and best posters for this week’s poster round-up.

Screen Rant’s wall this week now includes new one-sheets for Where the Wild Things Are, Fantastic Mr.Fox, 2012, The Road, Gamer, Bad Lieutenant and a pair of comedies: The Invention of Lying and Couples Retreat.

For the horror fans out there, we also have some fan-made posters for the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street, and as a little bonus, the first official photo for Saw VI.

Let’s get to it…

To start this week’s set, here’s the brand new poster for the heart-filled fantasy, Where the Wild things Are.

Where the Wild Things Are is brought to us by Spike Jonze who’s done an incredible job of bring the short childrens book to life. It opens October 16th and I’ll be there.

Source: MSN Movies

Continue through the pages for the rest of the collection…

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New Posters: Saw VI, Extract, Gamer & Lots More

Ross Miller — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 03:57:55 +0000

Question: What do the movies Saw VI, Extract, Gamer, A Serious Man, Whiteout, The Hole, and Law Abiding Citizen have in common? They all have new posters that Screen Rant has for your viewing pleasure, that’s what!

First up is Saw VI, yet another installment in the surprisingly highly successful torture-porn horror franchise, Saw. Maybe it’s the fact that they kicked off this kind of horror movie trend, maybe it’s the marketing, who knows, but for some reason people keep going to see these movies. They lost any intellectual stimulation for the audience a few movies ago, and it’s now all really about how to cram as much gorey traps into the runtime as possible. Saw VI looks to be no different.

The posters show of a peculiar and sinister looking nurse with some sort of weird prosthetic half-face mask. Ever since the first movie, this “Blood Drive” ad campaign has been going on (you can check out some of the rest here, here and here), and this may just be the best example yet. Even if the sixth Saw turns out to be crap (as I suspect it will), I’ve gotta admit these posters are effectively creepy. Check them both out:

Saw VI hits theatres on October 23rd, 2009.

Click here to see the other new posters.

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New TV Spot & Images for ‘Gamer’ [Update]

Rob Keyes — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 01:43:33 +0000

Two weeks ago, Screen Rant posted some new pics for the upcoming Gerard Butler-starrer, Gamer, and today we’ve got some more! They come from Steve at Collider who received some brand new images for the sci-fi action movie and we have a few of them here for you to see.

The recent sets of images released for the film have been emphasizing plenty of color in the visuals which, up until recently, we’d not seen much of for the flick which seemingly had the same dull and dark aesthetic of Death Race prior to that.

Good, I was getting bored of that.

[Update: A cool new TV spot for Gamer was just released online - here it is:]

Continue through the pages for latest images..

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Gerard Butler Talks ‘Gamer’ (Plus New Pics)

Ross Miller — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 21:39:38 +0000

Ever since the first trailer (at first pulled, then released officially) for the upcoming Gerard Butler-starring, Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor written/directed action film, Gamer, hit the web, it’s been high on my list of films to see from what’s left of 2009. I’ve really been digging everything we’ve seen so far, from the awesome interactive poster to the images and, of course, the trailers.

Today we have a batch of new images from Gamer, as well as a short video interview of Butler himself talking about the movie. In case you don’t know, the film is set in a future where real people (instead of “avatars”) are controlled during online multi-player gaming.

The video interview with Butler is actually during Collider’s interview for The Ugly Truth (the romantic comedy the Scotsman is starring in with Katherine Heigl), hence why the video is not very long. But Butler does gives us more of a feel for the film, even if one suspects he’s saying all this amazing stuff because, well, doesn’t he have to? (“It makes 300 look like a picnic.” Really, Butler? Are you sure?). Courtesy of Collider, check out the minute-long video below:

We also have a batch of new images from Gamer courtesy of New Film Dimension. They give us our first look at some of the film’s supporting cast (who have been suspiciously limited or even missing altogether from what we’ve seen up until this point), including Heroes’ Milo Ventimiglia (playing a character called “Rick Rape”), Kyra Sedgwick and Terry Crews (you’ll know him when you see him). Below I have included the pics which show off the stuff most different from what we’ve seen before:

From Spartan to gaming soldier

Click for more pictures from Gamer

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International Trailer for ‘Gamer’

Kofi Outlaw — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:06:41 +0000

We have the not so new international trailer for Gamer, the film starring Gerard Butler (300) and Michael C. Hall (Dexter). The international trailer pretty much replicates the domestic trailer, introducing audiences to the basic premise of the film, which explores a future where shoot-em-up video games have become a real-world death sport using live humans whose minds and actions are controlled by “gamers.”

Unfortunately, this international trailer is shorter than the domestic version and offers very little if any new footage. Still, never one to deny you loyal readers, here is the international trailer for Gamer:

You wouldn’t know it from the trailer(s), but Gamer boasts an impressive supporting cast that includes Alison Lohman (Drag Me To Hell), Milo Ventimiglia (Heroes), John Leguizamo, Zoe Bell (Death Proof), Keith David, Terry Crews (The Expendables) and Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer). Oh, and Ludacris managed to snag himself a part too, if you couldn’t tell from that totally not awesome end to the trailer. Gamer is written and directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, the team that brought us the Crank franchise.

Gamer is set to hit theaters on September 4, 2009, and I am already having Death Race flashbacks. I love a bloody, fun, ‘video gamish’ movie. Don’t You?

Source: Coming Soon

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New Images From ‘Gamer’

Ross Miller — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:56:20 +0000

The latest film from Crank writer/directors Mark Nevaldine and Brian Taylor is Gamer (previously titled both Game and Citizen Game), a film about the popular world of multiplayer online gaming – only in this case the players controlling real live human beings. It’s a great concept that looks to have been pushed to the max, if the first trailer for Gamer is any indication (although some would say it veers to close to Death Race, and in some ways I agree).

Today we have a batch of new images from Gamer, most of which are pretty strange, indeed. For a film that seems so much about hardcore violence and gunplay, at least three of these photos seem to indicate a more colorful, less bleak world than what we’ve seen from the awesome interactive poster and the aforementioned trailer.

Apparently, most of the pictures show part of the world of Gamer called Society, which is basically the equivalent of what we know as The Sims. It’s pretty inevitable that in a film called Gamer they would have a Sim Society, isn’t it? Here are some of the new pics from Gamer:

Welcome to "Society"

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New Trailer For Gerard Butler’s ‘Gamer’

Rob Keyes — Mon, 11 May 2009 04:04:28 +0000

The other day, Screen Rant writer Ross discussed the synopsis and new interactive poster for Gamer. Now, just two days later, we have the new trailer for the video game-styled movie that will open late this summer. This official trailer was released to X-Box Live users before quickly making its way onto YouTube for everyone to see.

While this is the first English trailer for Gamer, it isn’t our first look at footage from the movie. Back in March, an Italian version of the trailer was leaked online and it provided us with our first glimpse of the film. Unfortunately, there also was some negative buzz online about the movie that extended from mixed reviews of test-screenings that took place late last year. During all of this time, the movie has been subject to some title changes and is now simply named Gamer.

The film is written and directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor who brought us the infamous Crank films so we can expect some intense and over-the-top action sequences. From the mixed reviews and the folks behind the movie, we can say that Gamer is intended for that niche market who enjoy the Crank-style films, hardcore action and obviously, video gamers.

If you think you fall into that group or if you simply want to see Gerard Butler kicking ass and taking names like he did in 300, but with guns and explosives instead of swords and spears this time around, then you need to watch this trailer:

TRAILER FOR GAMER

While this movie has a ridiculous plot and Michael C. Hall’s character is terrible in the trailer, Gamer does look like some decent popcorn action-oriented fun. It’s like Punisher: War Zone meets Death Race with a cool lead actor.

Gamer hits theaters September 4, 2009.

What do you think of the trailer?

Source: io9, /Film

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New Info & Awesome Interactive Poster For ‘Gamer’

Ross Miller — Fri, 08 May 2009 19:53:36 +0000

Gamer is a project we haven’t covered on Screen Rant thus far, but this early piece of marketing for it has spawned that coverage on our part. Originally titled Game, then Citizen Game, and now Gamer, the film is a unique idea from Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor. The filmmaking duo are known for bringing us the two Crank movies, Pathology, and writing the upcoming comic-book adaptation Jonah Hex (they were also previous attached to direct that, but dropped out due to creative differences).

The story goes like this (from the official website):

Gamer is a high-concept action thriller set in the near future, a time when mind-control technology has taken society by storm. Humans control other humans in a mass-scale, multiplayer online game. Reclusive billionaire Ken Castle (Michael C. Hall) has created the controversial form of entertainment, “Slayers,” a hugely popular game that allows millions to act out their innermost fantasies and desires – online – in front of a global audience. Gaming has evolved into a terrifying new dimension… mind control… mind manipulation… people playing people!

At the center is Kable (300’s Gerard Butler), the superstar and cult hero of “Slayers,” the savage, ultraviolent first-person shooter game. Kable is controlled by Simon, a young gamer with a rock star status who continues to defy all odds by guiding Kable to victory each week. Taken from his family, imprisoned and forced to fight against his will, the modern day gladiator must survive long enough to escape the game to free his family, regain his identity, and to save mankind from Castle’s ruthless technology.

I don’t mean to sound blunt but that sounds frickin’ awesome!

The film stars Gerard Butler, Michael C. Hall (who’s amazing on the TV show Dexter), Milo Ventimiglia (Heroes’ Peter Petrelli – playing a character called “Rick Rape”), Aaron Yoo, Ludacris (the director assures us that he’s awesome in it…), Alison Lohman, Kyra Sedgwick, John Leguizamo, Johnny Whitworth, Zoe Bell (the stunt woman from Death Proof) and Amber Valetta.

Before I move on, do yourself a favor and check out the fantastically creative interactive teaser poster that’s been released for the film:

I had heard about this project about a year or so ago when Nevaldine and Taylor were talking to our good friends over at The Movie Blog on their live podcast show – I heard the set stories, heard about the revolutionary camera they used to film it (the Red One camera – only the second movie to use it), and found out about the wicked cast they’ve assembled.

Only the guys who brought us the Crank movies, which are basically the movie equivalents of video games themselves, could not only just come up with something as loopy as this, but actually get the thing financed and made.

Although it’s probably an unfair and unjust comparison (the directors have actually specifically negated the comparison themselves personally), it does sound a little reminiscent of Death Race, the Jason Statham action remake from last year. However, the one clear difference just from that plot synopsis is the fact that Butler’s character is fighting against his will, whereas Statham’s in Death Race was willingly doing it to get out of prison.

Obviously there are already movies out there that play on the whole video game-esque style, namely The Running Man and Tron, but I believe Gamer will be the first that deals explicitly with the fact that it is a video game, specifically the online multiplayer type.

If you were lucky enough to catch the leaked Italian trailer for Gamer a few months back, you would have gotten the glimpse of just how Gamer’s world is going to look, particularly how the little boy controlling Butler’s character is going to physically take shape. It was something along the lines of that if the boy (Logan Lerman, who you may remember as Christian Bale’s son in 3:10 To Yuma) moves his arms then Butler’s character, Kable, would do the same thing.

It’s hard to explain, and you’ll probably have to wait for the official trailer to get a look at how it works. But for now, trust me, it’s extremely cool.

It’s clear from Nevaldine and Taylor’s movies up until this point that they are unique filmmakers. There may be some people who have issues with their explicit content – strong language, copious amounts of blood and violence, strong sex scenes – but what can’t be denied is that these guys bring a sense of enthusiasm and love for entertainment to the making of their movies. They aren’t out to win Best Picture, they just aim to make movies that are fun – And Gamer certainly is shaping up to be another one of those movies.

It’ll be interesting to see how the pair work with a film with as big a budget as this one undoubtedly had. Although not anything like Spider-Man 3 in budget size (I presume, anyway), it’s certainly much higher than what they had to work with in either of the Crank movies or even those two combined. It could either stifle the creativity that was forced due to the low budget in the Crank movies, or it could just provide them an even bigger and more elaborate platform to inject even more of that creativity into one movie.

I suspect the latter…

Screen Rant will be sure to keep you up-to-date on the stuff that gets released for Gamer in the future.

For now, what do you make of the idea for the movie and what about that wicked interactive teaser poster?

Gamer is scheduled for a September 4th release this year.

Source: UGO and The Official Gamer Website

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