Gamertell

Gamer Gamer
Release Date: September 4, 2009
Length 95 minutes (1 hour, 35 minutes)
Pros: The directors of the Crank film series exercise their “all-action” pedigree on this project. The result is a film that has mayhem at every turn and will assuredly keep movie-goers in their seats until the credits roll.
Cons: Though there is a great deal of action, other elements, particularly character development, are sacrificed. Also, the film suffers when the focus is taken off of Butler’s heroic exploits.
Overall Score: One thumb up, one thumb down; 79/100; C+; * * 1/2 out of five.

When I saw the initial unveiling of Project Natal at this year’s E3, I was impressed at Microsoft’s ability to harness the motion-control technology of Nintendo’s Wii and amplify it to include the human body.  In watching that demonstration, I wondered aloud, “What would happen if that technology became the de facto means of playing video games?”

Directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor attempt to offer some insight into this query with the film Gamer.

All Action, All the Time

Headlined by notable actors including Gerard Butler, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Michael C. Hall and Kyra Sedgwick, Gamer has a premise that draws strong comparisons to Running Man.

Butler plays Kable, a reluctant participant in the game Slayers, run by Ken Castle, a reclusive millionaire. Inmates in Slayers have the opportunity to be set free if they are able to stay alive for 30 sessions. Kable appears to have the best chance for escape because he has participated in Slayers for as long as he can remember and has won 27 consecutive battles. However, Castle has other ideas for his perfect soldier and getting out is not one of them.

Being that Neveldine and Taylor have distinguished themselves through their roles in directing the Crank films, I was expecting a production that was long on action and short on subtlety. Gamer delivers by providing more than enough mayhem to fill its 95-minute running time. Whether Kable is shooting his way through Slayers or doing his best to muscle his way through Castle’s goons, the film provides enough action to make sure that individuals who choose to watch this film will be unable to take their eyes away from the screen. 

This strong emphasis on action is also made apparent when Kable is forced to save his wife, who is a staple of Castle’s other hit game called Society. The best way to describe this game is a combination of what would happen if erotic settings were allowed in Playstation Home. When Kable enters this game, he has to protect his wife from Castle’s super soldier, who is unrestrained and has designs on Kable’s destruction. The scenes where Kable has to fight through the party scenes in Society where the blood turns different colors due to the flashing lights are extremely well-executed.

Positive Action, Negative Developments

The movie’s strong emphasis on action frequently results in other parts of the film being limited including character development.

With the exception of Gerard Butler’s Kable, who does an adequate job of portraying both a grizzled soldier and a wounded family man, there is very little reason to care about the other persons in this production beyond their basic archetypes. One example where this is apparent is the actor who plays Simon. While most of the production warranted him acting like a cocksure gamer, scenes where he is required to use his head rather than his thumbs - such as when he was held by the police and had his computer confiscated - failed to portray an adequate sense of concern. He may as well have had the same emotions from the beginning of the film to the end.

Kyra Sedgwick, who plays a reporter, also has little depth to her character and moviegoers are given little reason to be concerned for her other than the overall affection that is expected to be had by her being a part of the film. Ludacris, who portrays a character that is part of an underground resistance with aims to expose Castle’s treachery, has no development to his character at all; he merely exists to spout off monotone lines including, “This is not something you can control,” and act mysterious.

As action proves to be the key factor driving this production, the times that it veers off course are often met with disastrous results. This is most apparent in the scene where Castle does a strange Sammy Davis-esque dance number while attacking Kable with henchmen. This scene proves an odd choice for the film, and along with the paper-thin character moments, is one of the times where people seeing this film will scratch their heads in disappointment.

Thrills and Chills

Whether you will enjoy Gamer will strongly depend on your tastes; if you are someone who values action and the strides made by the video game medium, you will glean the most enjoyment out of this film. However, if you desire deep storytelling along with your thrills, you may want to spend your money elsewhere.

Site [Gamer: The Movie]