Gamer

Posted May 24, 2012 by Speed - 0 comments

We’re in the near future and convicted killers can earn their freedom. All they have to do is compete in the online game Slayers and manage to survive 30 matches. The catch: they’re not playing but are the in-game characters that are being controlled by the players. Kable is the current hero of Slayers as he has survived no less than 27 games already and is close to becoming the first convict ever to reach 30 wins. However, the maker of the game, Ken Castle, doesn’t think it would be a good idea to have anyone reach the end (freedom) and decides to put some obstacles in the way to make sure Kable doesn’t win. Luckily there are rebels who believe Castle is up to no good and uses his technology to gain ultimate control. As they believe Kable may have crucial information for their fight against Castle, they’ll do everything they can in order to help him…

Sound and Vision:
The image has three distinct types, depending on which ‘world’ you’re in. The world of Slayers is dark and raw with toned down colors, just like first person shooters that like to be realistic while the game world of Castle’s first game (which very much resembles The Sims) has overly bright and shiny colors. Last up is the “real” world which is a combination of both. Technically things are very decent and almost near perfection. Some scenes have a bit less depth and some minor banding but overall the image quality is very good and perfectly matches the movie.

The soundtrack is awesome from the very start until the last second. While explosions will totally blow you away and gunfire sounds to realistically be coming from all sides, the dialogues don’t get overwhelmed at any time. A perfect balance that sets the standard for the rest of the year.

Extras:
– Behind the Scenes
– Interviews with cast & crew

Hello? Where did all the extras from the US release go?

Conclusion:
Gamer is made by the guys behind Crank and it shows. The action is over the top and combined with some scenes that are absolutely ridiculous (Michael C. Hall playing puppeteer). Add to that a combination of realistic first person shooters, oversexed Sims players, and a plot that combines Death Race with a James Bond evil overlord that wants to take over the world, and you get an explosive mix that can blow up in your face. And it does… Or not… Or maybe the combination tries to do so many things at the same time that it’s hard to make some sense out of it… That’s it!

Gamer does so many things exactly right as it does them wrong. Just as Crank tends to be too much over the top that it becomes tiring, Gamer tries to combine so many different things that it doesn’t sound one inch believable anymore. It’s like Death Race without cars and some added plot twists.

Gamers will no doubt love “Gamer” but the general public might not dig it. I would certainly advise you give it a go (rent) and if you’re looking for something to demonstrate your home setup with then this one is definitely one to get.

Tenderness Inglorious Basterds