Gamer

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[Highly rated reviewer]

Brutal! Bloody! Little bit mixed up.

This wasn’t quite what I was expecting, sure there’s plenty of blood and guts, people being variously killed and maimed via gunshot, grenade and speeding van but they are also trying to make a point, or even multiple points, about desensitisation of viewers to violence, lack of empathy for media reported carnage, etc. Though it would be pushing it a little to say they really make the viewer question their own complicity in this, blah, blah, blah. Especially when Gerard Butler picks up someone who is being directed by someone else via mind control and smashes the guy’s spine over his knee.

So, a little more detail: Gerard is on death row (for unlicensed osteopathy perhaps?), along with lots and lots of other people, and society has once again decided that if they survive enough episodes of a death-dealing, highly-rated tv show they get a pardon. Where do they get their ideas? The catch is they are controlled by a remote game player via said mind control. Gerard is nearly at the required 30 shows but guess what? Someone is being a bit dishonest and someone else again has their own agenda. Whoda thunk? It does have a slightly more complex plot than say the recent (also convict killing for TV ratings) Death Race and it tries to be a bit more political without squarely hitting the mark but essentially it’s a more complicated version of Running Man with the hero pretending not to have a Scottish accent rather than pretending not to have an Austrian accent, a less linear plot and a more exploratory approach to camera movement and colour pallet.

Above average brutality and in your face blood letting, even by modern action film standards!

Some pay to be controlled, others pay to control!

Unlike the previous reviewer, I did not find this movie particularly gory in terms of death scenes and carnage etc...The pace of this movie was not as tense and urgent as Crank's signature adrenalin pace.It's a decent action film with a surprise appearance from the 2 leads actors from my favourite 'Psyche' series as newsreaders. I do feel that the film makers could have given Butler a more defined,chiselled look, but instead he looked quite unkept and chubby faced, (nothing wrong with his physique though).I have seen several movies with similar plots , but this movie got me thinking that the whole idea of the movie is actually quite achieveable in the near future.And it's quite scary, for me it poses an important question: exactly how much control do we actually have over our own lives? Are we just living a silly illusion under the impression that we are completely free? This movie got me thinking about that after it finished: action movies do not normally linger in my memory after I walk out the movie house and for that alone, I have given it 3 stars.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Made me want to play call of duty online

Any movie where the first line apart from the roars and screams is “Ha I tea bagged him.” You would pretty know what to expect and such is the case with Gamer. Or is it? Set in the near future where online gaming has pretty much escalated beyond the next level of gaming to where the human gamer takes control of another human “icon” and their movements are mapped onto them, think project natal on crack and you pretty much get the idea. In this future there are two main games, both brought to the public by Ken Kastle (Michael C. Hall), “Society” which is much like Sims but with more sex and insect cocktails and “Slayers” a call of duty shooter in which death row inmates are given the chance to play for their freedom if they Survive 30 rounds. Such is the case of Kable (Gerard Butler) whom at the beginning of the move is 27 rounds down and with 3 to go is looking like being the first ever person to do so allowing him to be reunited with his wife and daughter but of course there is always more going on behind the scenes.

The movie itself borrows from other movies, Running man, the Matrix, Johnny Mnemonic and Blade Runner to name but a few but never really feels like a mix mash of them all and is generally well done. The plot is hardly groundbreaking and I'm pretty sure there is some social commentary going on but I'm afraid its overshadowed by the action however with some truly brilliant and stylised visuals from the all out visceral war scenes to the uv splattered nightclubs I’m sure you will forgive it if your after an action movie

Cast wise, Butler plays it pretty straight as Kable, a convict with a secret and Hall hams it up brilliantly as the villain ken Kastle, a whacked out Bill Gates and the puppet master who is pulling all the strings. Both are fairly well supported by a decent but forgettable cast and there is also a cameo by Ufc fighter Keith Jardine (hey, it made me smile)

All in all it’s a movie that does exactly what it says on the tin, place brain in neutral and enjoy

I generally rate movies by 2 things, would I go and see it again and would I buy it on DVD. Gamer get a yes on both counts.

Some pay to be control, others to be controlled!

Unlike the previous reviewer, I did not find this movie particularly gory in terms of death scenes and carnage etc...The pace of this movie was not as tense and urgent as Crank's signature adrenalin pace.It's a decent action film with a surprise appearance from the 2 leads actors from my favourite 'Psyche' series as newsreaders. I do feel that the film makers could have given Butler a more defined,chiselled look, but instead he looked quite unkept and chubby faced, (nothing wrong with his physique though).I have seen several movies with similar plots , but this movie got me thinking that the whole idea of the movie is actually quite achieveable in the near future.And it's quite scary, for me it poses an important question: exactly how much control do we actually have over our own lives? Are we just living a silly illusion under the impression that we are completely free? This movie got me thinking about that after it finished: action movies do not normally linger in my memory after I walk out the movie house and for that alone, I have given it 3 stars.

one for the hardcore PC gamer

I went to see this in some trepidation having read some really awful reviews beforehand. However I love the Crank series so much I just had to give it a chance. Luckily for me I loved every second, as did my other half. This is the point at which I have to qualify my praise with the fact that yeah, the basic plot was a bit 'where have I seen that before?', but the in jokes for a gamer were many and hilarious.

This is a very niche film IMO - only a long term PC gamer, and specifically a long time MMO player, will actually get all the jokes. I have seen some reviews accusing the 'Society' parts of the film of being gratuitous. Well they probably don't know about certain social based MMOs which have managed to gain a reputation (deserved or not) of being a thinly disguised cybersex chat rooms with pretty visuals.

Finally, before anyone accuses me of being a 14 year old boy: I'm a 38 year mum of 2.

How far has technology come?

Well I have read the reviews and don't really agree with any of them! While this is certainly advanced in terms of technology, the concept is real and certainly beleivable. Michael C Hall excels as the high-powered entreprenuer turned control freak and Gerard Butler shines throughout the film although his personal storyline is somewhat predictable. Funny, gruesome, orignal and well acted out. Definately renting if only for Michael C Hall's dance!

What a Hardcore Gamer Wants

There is a brilliant plot to this story. World domination, killing lots of people and finding time for sex, drugs and... gaming. There is a good mix of hardcore action and storyline, which slowly develops through the film. It will probably be a film that many will think is brilliant and many will say it was too much.

Gamers will love this film!

The only thing I warn about, *SPOILERS*, watch out for the fat guy... He's disgusting.