Gamer (2009)

Simply A Masterpiece

Great Film overall

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

How did they manage to mess up such a tried and tested concept so well? They hired some great actors, but no one could save this script. Michael C Hall does not fit his character whatsoever (and don't get me started on his song and dance routine.)There's a scene where a character drinks alcohol, vomits it into a car's petrol tank, and then uses said vomit to fuel the car. This is meant to be taken seriously. That scene actually sums the entire film up pretty well.I've lost interest that much that I still have the movie on as I type this. They could've gone properly dark and gritty, like Black Mirror, or taken a light hearted B movie approach. Unfortunately they awkwardly sat on the fence between these two choices.Save yourself the disappointment and watch Ready Player One instead.

The kind of sci-fi dystopia Philip K. Dick would have written if he had been a talentless hack, Gamer destroys its high-concept premise - a future where people are paid (or forced if they are convicts) to be controlled by players in online games - with an awful script and flat performances. Beefcake Gerard Butler is once again a muscled non-entity, the poor man's Stallone. Valletta, who unsurprisingly manages to be believable when her character goes into "glassy-eyed automaton" mode, is otherwise terrible. The talented Michael C. Hall is saddled with a ridiculous, smug supervillain who sings and dances around with a group of his clones in a scene which looks like something out of Naked Gun.3,5/10

Gamer is a movie best enjoyed by those 13 and older, primarily those who have high testosterone or enjoy fast paced blood and action movies. This is a good movie for a group of guys to enjoy together. Women who love lots of action will also enjoy this movie. Those adults who play action video games should also enjoy this flick. Gamer moves too quickly to enjoy much of any refreshments. It is a prime time movie and deserves your constant attention. The premise of the movie can lead to much debate; but the movie/story plot is not for me to judge, only the presentation and enjoyment value. I personally enjoy movies that are slow enough for me to enjoy what is going on. The movie moves a bit too fast for me. I do like the scifi aspect of the movie.

Gamer, directed by Neveldine/Taylor is set in a dystopic future where the global prison system puts criminals, convicts and death row inmates in a game called Slayer, where a user takes control of the prisoner's body, and sends them into all-out war. Survive 30 rounds, and you're set free. The only problem is, no one has ever beat the game. When death row inmate Kable (Gerard Butler), the icon of Slayer, discovers he's a part of a conspiracy involving Slayer, Society (another game where people control people) and Ken Castle, the man who created both games. Will Kable survive long enough to expose the plot, or be another victim to the game.Gamer is certainly a creative and entertaining movie, one that's not based on a video game, but a movie about video games. Neveldine/Taylor are strange and inventive directors, but not the best (Crank 2 and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance are examples of their failures). Though, here, they are at their best. With gritty, "in your face" camera work and non-stop violence, Gamer certainly takes action to another level. Although, their writing is poor here. Almost all of the footage involving Society, a Sims-esque reality, is all about sexual drive. So, really, that's the biggest low-point of Gamer; where they show Society being all about sex. The high-point of Gamer, though, is the acting. Gerard Butler is better here than in 300, and Michael C. Hall as Ken Castle was just amazing. A scene towards the end where Kable and Ken come face-to-face, and with Castle's goons is just phenomenal (also, the best written scene). The visual effects are good for a lower-budgeted film, and the soundtrack is good and fitting. I just wish they got rid of a lot of the sexual content from the movie because, if they did, and focused more on the regular prison life outside Slayer (as well as life outside Society) the movie would have been truly great.7/10 Stars