GamerZ (2005)

Best movie of this year hands down!

Sorry, this movie sucks

So much average

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Definitely worth seeing. There is a lot of rubbish out there generally. A big budget and big hype certainly do not make a good movie but they make the general public and, even I am ashamed to say, me, more likely to see them. Which is unfortunate not least because movies like Gamerz can easily be overlooked.The story does not involve complex characters, what it does have is believable and honest characters that are easy to relate to. Its a feel good story which doesn't try or pretend to be more. It's easy to watch with some genuinely funny moments. While obviously not produced with a big budget, It's well crafted.

When my husband picked out this movie out at Blockbuster I was expecting a movie I would cringe at and probably never finish watching. Being one half of a gaming couple who met online I tend to get impatient when all gaming females and males are portrayed in the same way. Although this movie is guilty of complete stereotyping, I surprisingly found it very enjoyable and funny. It is genuinely humorous, does not take itself seriously and the characters although stereotyped are very likable (but definitely far into the weird side even for someone who has played fantasy games).I had no trouble with the dialect due to being British and having lived in Edinburgh for 5 years while I was at university. I could however see it being a barrier for people unfamiliar with Scottish slang, although if someone could understand "Trainspotting" they should have no trouble with this movie.The fantasy sequences were done using "shadow-play" which in my mind was definitely one of the best decisions of the film makers. It let people (particularly non-gamers) see what the players were visualizing without looking silly, and the art landscapes were nicely drawn.Overall it was an enjoyable film that should appeal to anyone with a lighthearted sense of humor. If you liked "Napoleon Dynamite" you will definitely like this!

I saw this at a game convention in Annaheim, southern California. Had to see good old Glasgow, but I was wondering whether the Californians would need subtitles. To my amazement they were all laughing and having a great time, and people told me afterwards that the dialect wasn't a problem for them because it was about being a human being and that communicated itself directly, and being gamers, they were all seeing themselves and the people they knew on the screen, so a great time was had by all. I thought the fantasy sequences were surprisingly hauntingly beautiful too. The lead actor has such a great face and he puts it and those eyes to good use! Hope this piece of Glasgow spreads further. I wonder how it would go down in Tokyo?

GamerZ tells the story of a D&D campaign and the relationships between its players. Its charm is multi-faceted, the idiosyncratic (and mostly very geeky) central characters are treated with a gently mocking affection, appealing both to roleplayers (who will have a whale of a time spotting the in-jokes and laughing at the stereotypes) and the general public. There are hidden treats in almost every minor role, generally superbly played, and the Glasgwegian setting is pitch-perfect, from the slang used to the contrasting influences in the main character's life. GamerZ is also technically interesting - rotoscoping (or 'shadowplay') techniques are used to evoke the fantasy game world the characters enter.All in all, a great laugh, and an excellent job in making a film about a minority interest appealing to the general public.