A Movie Worth Playing?

gamer_gerard_way_posterThe concept for “Gamer” is something totally different than what has been showcased in theaters this summer. It’s not a romance comedy centered around two co-workers, there are no wizards or giant robots and there are absolutely no teenage musicians anywhere.

Because of that, it certainly has its own niche audience and rightly so. As far as action flicks go, “Gamer” is a sexy and charismatic beat-em-up that oozes with style. The story, in spite of its premise and interesting characters however, doesn’t completely live up to expectations. Nonetheless, it’s still a solid action romp that you’ll remember for a few reasons.

Despite the fact that his Southern-twang needs a bit of work, Dexter’s Michael C. Hall is as solid a villain as you can ask for and is perhaps the biggest reason to see “Gamer.” Good-looking, devilishly calm, collected and intelligent in this film, Hall would be an excellent Lex Luthor if the casters of 2011’s “Superman: Man of Steel” were looking for any possible suitors. The end scene of the film alone will convince you of his ability as a bad guy, but the way he meets his demise left something to be desired. Overall, it is the script that hurts Hall’s performance, as he’s done more than what was to be expected, especially considering that he isn’t on camera nearly as much as he should be.

The same thing goes for Ludicrous, who is surprisingly strong as the man stuck in the middle of the war between Hall, Gerard Butler and the world. Breaking the cycle when it comes to rappers turned actors, Ludicrous was hip enough to be taken seriously as a threat, but it may have been cooler to see his character fleshed out a bit more.

In the end, that’s the biggest problem with the movie, as Butler’s character, Kable, too has a story that comes together way too quickly. Tough as nails and ice cold, Butler is solid in the film and is human enough to make you want to see him reunited with his family. During the game, he’s cold and calculated, trying his hardest to achieve his survival. If there would have been more time dedicated to his back-story, it would have made the fight for his life a bit more engaging, but it doesn’t make the film a waste of your time, Rather, it’s just a missed opportunity that deters the film from a course that could have made it much better overall.

One character who is summed up perfectly however, is Kable’s wife, Angie, played by Amber Valletta. Forced to whore herself on a real-life version of “The Sims” [called “Society” in the film] to support herself and get enough money to get her child back, Valletta embodies the coolness of the film and through her performance you too will see what an entertaining, provocative and thought-provoking world directors and writers Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor have conjured up in “Gamer.”

As a matter of fact, the scenes of both Kable and Angie in their respective game worlds is what makes “Gamer” shine. Seeing games like these controlled by real people is a fantasy for many, but one that turns out to have nasty consequences, triggering a plethora of social commentary in the process that may have to be addressed one day in the future. Gamers, of course, will love these scenes just because they mimic games like “The Sims” and “Call of Duty” brilliantly, while others will find them fast-paced and energetic.

This premise is what separates this film from the pack and what makes it as solid as it is, but one can’t help but wonder what it could have been had it stretched itself out a bit more. As it stands, “Gamer” will ultimately be remembered more for its style and atmosphere than the praise-worthy performance of Hall and grit of Butler, making it a game that turns out quite a bit differently in the end than you’d think when it starts.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14230 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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