First and for most, since I am one of the biggest film nerds ever, I have to break down the film artistically before anything else. The movie Gamer has to be one of the most visually captivating films I have seen in a very long time. The screenplay itself is ridiculous. I’ve seen other video game based films and they tend always have this unreal vibe to them. Take eXistenZ for instance, yes the game seemed real but just because you had to speak a certain way to get a reaction from other people playing made it virtually choppy, which don’t get me wrong it worked in its setting. However, Gamer took it to another level, where in the beginning it felt as if you were actually in a jail or war scenario and fighting for your own survival, then you come realize that it’s part of the game when the graphics later appeared. Just that concept of being an actual person stuck in this game as a puppet and knowing the odds of survival is slim, is a genius idea and the creators of the film did an amazing job in executing such unreal reality.
The film goes back and forwards from the game to the even crazier reality of life and its creator, which is taking advantage of the human life and taking real people --even if they’re convicts that are stuck in the game, they are human beings nevertheless-- and placing them in a torturous dimension of life where in the end everyone is supposed to die. The creator of the game takes a somewhat godly stand, where he praised to the level that everyone is constantly watching him and the game to see which convict will die next. It’s kind of sickening if you think about it. An even a more sickening side to the game’s creator, Ken Castle, is the other game within the film which is like a Sims type of game, where women are looked down as only sexual beings. This game takes the side of excessive sexuality and the rave club scene. What connects the two games is that Kable --the main character in Slayer-- and Angie --the main character in the Sims game-- are married, and Kable is trying to survive in Slayer in order to save wife and daughter.
Other than an intense script, I would like to mention how crisp the cinematography and editing are. I don’t want to go too much in depth, so I don’t ruin the film anymore for those who haven’t seen it, but it’s definitely worth mentioning. Like previously said, you feel as if you’re in the scenes battling with Kable, this is only possible through mood lighting and the structures of the sets. Nothing is ever a coincidence, however, you never want to make things look so obvious that it’s not believable, and therefore you don’t keep the audience intrigued. Also the setting where Simon, the teenage boy that plays Kable, is in his game room is extremely incredible. He can “walk through the walls”, to enter the room and it’s like he enters a 3-D touch screen room, where he’s connected to the world through the internet. I can only imagine how difficult it can be to just set up that one room, which is of high importance. Editing wise, it’s flawless. I normally watch films and try to find errors in the editing, sets, costumes, etc, but Gamer is almost flawless, or at least it’s captivating enough to keep you intrigued in the film without noticing any flaws.
The goal of every film maker –not just producers and directors, but everyone in the crew alike—is to make a film that’s entertaining and keeps audiences intrigued from the first images and words to the last; if you can keep an audience into your film for over an hour, than you’ve succeeded in your job. Even though Gamer is a total guy flick, from every death to every ounce of sexuality, I can appreciate the incredible artistic value of the film from beginning to end. I think that people should watch such films so that it can spark more creativity in others, which personally I believe that creative values in films are starting to get lost. Remember if you’re going to create a film or any type of show, people do not want to see something that has been done the exact same way multiple times, they want to see the concepts redone, but done more enhanced and better, which is then making something old new.
The film goes back and forwards from the game to the even crazier reality of life and its creator, which is taking advantage of the human life and taking real people --even if they’re convicts that are stuck in the game, they are human beings nevertheless-- and placing them in a torturous dimension of life where in the end everyone is supposed to die. The creator of the game takes a somewhat godly stand, where he praised to the level that everyone is constantly watching him and the game to see which convict will die next. It’s kind of sickening if you think about it. An even a more sickening side to the game’s creator, Ken Castle, is the other game within the film which is like a Sims type of game, where women are looked down as only sexual beings. This game takes the side of excessive sexuality and the rave club scene. What connects the two games is that Kable --the main character in Slayer-- and Angie --the main character in the Sims game-- are married, and Kable is trying to survive in Slayer in order to save wife and daughter.
Other than an intense script, I would like to mention how crisp the cinematography and editing are. I don’t want to go too much in depth, so I don’t ruin the film anymore for those who haven’t seen it, but it’s definitely worth mentioning. Like previously said, you feel as if you’re in the scenes battling with Kable, this is only possible through mood lighting and the structures of the sets. Nothing is ever a coincidence, however, you never want to make things look so obvious that it’s not believable, and therefore you don’t keep the audience intrigued. Also the setting where Simon, the teenage boy that plays Kable, is in his game room is extremely incredible. He can “walk through the walls”, to enter the room and it’s like he enters a 3-D touch screen room, where he’s connected to the world through the internet. I can only imagine how difficult it can be to just set up that one room, which is of high importance. Editing wise, it’s flawless. I normally watch films and try to find errors in the editing, sets, costumes, etc, but Gamer is almost flawless, or at least it’s captivating enough to keep you intrigued in the film without noticing any flaws.
The goal of every film maker –not just producers and directors, but everyone in the crew alike—is to make a film that’s entertaining and keeps audiences intrigued from the first images and words to the last; if you can keep an audience into your film for over an hour, than you’ve succeeded in your job. Even though Gamer is a total guy flick, from every death to every ounce of sexuality, I can appreciate the incredible artistic value of the film from beginning to end. I think that people should watch such films so that it can spark more creativity in others, which personally I believe that creative values in films are starting to get lost. Remember if you’re going to create a film or any type of show, people do not want to see something that has been done the exact same way multiple times, they want to see the concepts redone, but done more enhanced and better, which is then making something old new.
I totally agree with this. The cinematography, screenplay , set, etc., were almost flawless. It's the kind of movie that pulls the audience in and doesn't let go till the end. The battle scenes were so in your face that it felt like you were part of the action. Ken Castle obviously represented the role of one man who has the power to control society's world of media. Give everyone a new form of entertainment that raises the bar of gaming having everyone hooked on a day to day basis.
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