7/10
So I saw an interesting movie this weekend. My wife and I went with my brother and his wife to see Unicorn City, a locally produced independent film. After the show, the producer came in with one of the actors and autographed photos. They said that they were trying to help generate awareness of the film and asked for support. I enjoyed the film and figured I could help generate awareness by posting a review here.
This is a fun movie that lets you laugh along with a group of people that prefer their fantasy game lives to their real lives. The story is about Voss, a twenty something gamer that is trying to get a job working for the biggest company in the table top gaming industry. To prove that he has leadership skills and can lead an augmented reality game design team, he packs his friends out to the woods to take part in a full immersion fantasy gaming event.
The plot progresses through some standard drama building points, namely, the antagonist comes to ruin Voss's plans while Voss's best friend tries to use the event as a means to progress their friendship into a relationship. This movie stands out, however, in its use of the social awkwardness of adults lost in their own fantasy as the main vehicle to advance this common plot through a script full of laughs. For example, how would adults that see themselves as sword wielding adventurers and clever bards approach conflict resolution? While the plot focuses on gamer culture, it is not exclusive against those that are unfamiliar with table top role playing games. In the group we were in, my wife laughed the hardest and she has absolutely no role playing experience. Due to the tight copyright protection of the actual games, there are no jokes that require a knowledge of specific rules or games. The comedy comes from looking at the culture itself.
The major point that draws my overall score for this movie down is that the main character is not that likable. Napoleon Dynamite had a main character that was socially awkward, but likable. He said weird things and acted funny, but he was trying to be nice and was willing to help others. The audience wanted him to succeed besides himself. Voss, on the other hand, is hot headed and self centered. He only steps up for others when it is in his own self interest. It's hard to feel bad for him when he is the one that both emotionally and physically hurts his friends.
Overall, the movie is fun and good for some laughs, just don't expect to get overly attached to the main character.
So I saw an interesting movie this weekend. My wife and I went with my brother and his wife to see Unicorn City, a locally produced independent film. After the show, the producer came in with one of the actors and autographed photos. They said that they were trying to help generate awareness of the film and asked for support. I enjoyed the film and figured I could help generate awareness by posting a review here.
This is a fun movie that lets you laugh along with a group of people that prefer their fantasy game lives to their real lives. The story is about Voss, a twenty something gamer that is trying to get a job working for the biggest company in the table top gaming industry. To prove that he has leadership skills and can lead an augmented reality game design team, he packs his friends out to the woods to take part in a full immersion fantasy gaming event.
The plot progresses through some standard drama building points, namely, the antagonist comes to ruin Voss's plans while Voss's best friend tries to use the event as a means to progress their friendship into a relationship. This movie stands out, however, in its use of the social awkwardness of adults lost in their own fantasy as the main vehicle to advance this common plot through a script full of laughs. For example, how would adults that see themselves as sword wielding adventurers and clever bards approach conflict resolution? While the plot focuses on gamer culture, it is not exclusive against those that are unfamiliar with table top role playing games. In the group we were in, my wife laughed the hardest and she has absolutely no role playing experience. Due to the tight copyright protection of the actual games, there are no jokes that require a knowledge of specific rules or games. The comedy comes from looking at the culture itself.
The major point that draws my overall score for this movie down is that the main character is not that likable. Napoleon Dynamite had a main character that was socially awkward, but likable. He said weird things and acted funny, but he was trying to be nice and was willing to help others. The audience wanted him to succeed besides himself. Voss, on the other hand, is hot headed and self centered. He only steps up for others when it is in his own self interest. It's hard to feel bad for him when he is the one that both emotionally and physically hurts his friends.
Overall, the movie is fun and good for some laughs, just don't expect to get overly attached to the main character.