Gamer
3/4
Starring: Gerard Butler, Logan Lerman, Michael C. Hall, Amber Valletta, Kyra Sedgwick, Ludacris, Alison Lohman
Rated R for Frenetic Sequences of Strong Brutal Violence Throughout, Sexual Content, Nudity and Language
The first time I saw "Gamer," I was thinking "What the hell did I just see?" I liked what I saw, but there's so much going on and it is so fast and kinetic that it was difficult to piece together. The second time around it was easier, and although it's far from flawless, it is guilty fun.
In the near future, reclusive billionaire Ken Castle (Hall) has found a way to take video gaming to the next level. Not only are controllers unnecessary, players can control live human beings. There are two games where players can do this (both controlled by Castle): "Society," which is essentially a live version of Second Life, and Slayers, where players can can control death row inmates who are fighting their way to freedom. If they win 30 battles, they walk away with a free pass (but as we know, this has never happened). The best Slayer is Kable (Butler), who is controlled by teenager Simon (Lerman), and he has to survive four more battles to win his freedom. Of course, Castle can't let that happen because Kable knows some of Castle's dirty secrets (although he doesn't remember them). But there are people who are prepared to help Kable win at any cost (a hacker group known as the Humanz) to expose Castle. And there's a tabloid reporter, Gina Parker Smith (Sedgewick), who has stumbled onto the story of a lifetime.
No one really does any acting. There's not enough time. "Gamer" moves so fast that all the actors can do is play catch up, which they do. Gerard Butler acts intense, Logan Lerman acts like an egotistic teen, Amber Valletta acts like a zombie (she's forced to be controlled by a fat loner named Gorge (Ramsey Moore) in "Society"), Kyra Sedgwick acts like a reporter, and Ludacris acts mysterious. The only one who does any real acting is Michael C. Hall, who is having a ball chewing the scenery as the megalomaniacal Steve Jobs wannabe. He's fun to watch (the scene where he gets his henchmen to dance along to a musical number is worth watching the movie for). Alison Lohman is worth singling out, although for the opposite reasons. She's awful.
Writing and direction duo Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor use every gimmick they can think of to keep the film's energy up: shaking camera (not too much), quick cuts, changes in cinematography, heads-up displays, and so on. Some of this is cool, like when we see Logan controlling Kable from behind him. Other times, it's excessive. But we're talking about the directors of "Crank" and its sequel, and the producers of the underrated horror movie "Pathology" (also starring Milo Ventimiglia, who appears in a brief cameo). Subtlety is not something these two understand.
"Gamer" is one of those movies that, while not great art, is decent entertainment.
Starring: Gerard Butler, Logan Lerman, Michael C. Hall, Amber Valletta, Kyra Sedgwick, Ludacris, Alison Lohman
Rated R for Frenetic Sequences of Strong Brutal Violence Throughout, Sexual Content, Nudity and Language
The first time I saw "Gamer," I was thinking "What the hell did I just see?" I liked what I saw, but there's so much going on and it is so fast and kinetic that it was difficult to piece together. The second time around it was easier, and although it's far from flawless, it is guilty fun.
In the near future, reclusive billionaire Ken Castle (Hall) has found a way to take video gaming to the next level. Not only are controllers unnecessary, players can control live human beings. There are two games where players can do this (both controlled by Castle): "Society," which is essentially a live version of Second Life, and Slayers, where players can can control death row inmates who are fighting their way to freedom. If they win 30 battles, they walk away with a free pass (but as we know, this has never happened). The best Slayer is Kable (Butler), who is controlled by teenager Simon (Lerman), and he has to survive four more battles to win his freedom. Of course, Castle can't let that happen because Kable knows some of Castle's dirty secrets (although he doesn't remember them). But there are people who are prepared to help Kable win at any cost (a hacker group known as the Humanz) to expose Castle. And there's a tabloid reporter, Gina Parker Smith (Sedgewick), who has stumbled onto the story of a lifetime.
No one really does any acting. There's not enough time. "Gamer" moves so fast that all the actors can do is play catch up, which they do. Gerard Butler acts intense, Logan Lerman acts like an egotistic teen, Amber Valletta acts like a zombie (she's forced to be controlled by a fat loner named Gorge (Ramsey Moore) in "Society"), Kyra Sedgwick acts like a reporter, and Ludacris acts mysterious. The only one who does any real acting is Michael C. Hall, who is having a ball chewing the scenery as the megalomaniacal Steve Jobs wannabe. He's fun to watch (the scene where he gets his henchmen to dance along to a musical number is worth watching the movie for). Alison Lohman is worth singling out, although for the opposite reasons. She's awful.
Writing and direction duo Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor use every gimmick they can think of to keep the film's energy up: shaking camera (not too much), quick cuts, changes in cinematography, heads-up displays, and so on. Some of this is cool, like when we see Logan controlling Kable from behind him. Other times, it's excessive. But we're talking about the directors of "Crank" and its sequel, and the producers of the underrated horror movie "Pathology" (also starring Milo Ventimiglia, who appears in a brief cameo). Subtlety is not something these two understand.
"Gamer" is one of those movies that, while not great art, is decent entertainment.
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