September 7, 2009
Gamer
Movie Review By: Mr. Roboto
Year: 2009
Directed & Written by: Mark Neveldine & Brian Taylor
Degree of Cyberpunk Visuals: High
Correlation to Cyberpunk Themes: Very High
Key Cast Members:
Overview. At first glance, Gamer would seem to be about first-person shooters (FPSs) taken to new extremes… and the people who play them. Beneath all the explosions, spent bullet casings, and piles of fragged corpses, there’s a story about how one man is using nanotechnology for more than just sick entertainment. While the concept of technology to control humanity is nothing new to cyberpunk, how it is being used to that end in this movie may make you look at Quake and Unreal Tournament (and maybe The Sims series and Second Life) differently.
The Story. Ken Castle is the mastermind behind Nanex, the nanotechnology that fuses to human neurons in the brain to effectively control it. With this level of control, one person can make a Nanex-infused human his/her personal meatbot-slave. This results in the creation of the two largest, most successful live-action MMORPGs: Society, a Sims style RPG, and Slayers, the FPS where convicted death-row inmates fight to survive thirty matches where they win their freedom.
Kable, convicted of murder and separated from his wife and daughter, has won 26 matches already, thanks in part to his “controller” Simon. Kable has become a virtual god worshiped by the world, while Simon has become a rock star equivalent. But as Kable closes in on his 30th victory, a hacker group called the Humanz inform the duo that Kable’s appearance in Slayers is no accident as he hold information that can bring Castle’s empire down.
Who’s playing you? The potential danger of Nanex becomes all too obvious near the end of the movie, with Castle seeking godlike status. The immediate problems can be seen as Angie (Kable’s wife) is often seen as a Society meatbot to a controller who… let’s just say that which once seen cannot be unseen.
Castle: “I think it, you do it.”
As if to drive the point of control home, you should see the “Under My Skin” scene with Castle and some of this personal meatbots doing a little song and dance for visiting Kable, a’ la West Side Story.
Conclusion. Some people might love watching meatbots fight for their freedom. Some might be turned away from the movie’s explosive (literally) battle scenes. But if you look past the blasts, you can see how it makes for a pretty good cyberpunk film.
And if you don’t think meatbots are possible, you should take a quick look at this article from 2006…
Comments
September 7, 2009
Gren said:
This movie gets a ‘boo’ from me for it’s complete and thorough misunderstanding of gamer culture.
SSJKamui said:
Interesting.
The Story sounds like a kind of cyberpunk version of a roman gladiator story.
Ono-Sendai said:
I was immediately turned off by this film’s premise as it seemed to be trying to cash in on gamer culture, like Gren said. I am also getting fairly tired of Science Fiction’s increasing over-reliance on nano technology as an “explain-all” or plot device. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Neal Stephenson’s The Diamond Age, but nano-tech now seems to be the savior for the lazy SF writer.
Getting more details about the plot, it sounds a lot like Schwarzenegger’s Running Man. Which makes me want to see it a bit more. I just worry that the references to gaming and the outsider’s perceived obsession with the “extreme-ness” of gaming are going to be cringe inducing.
I am much more interested in seeing Turbo http://www.turbothemovie.com/ which seems much more self-aware/self-deprecating and less pandering.
September 8, 2009
foo said:
Gamer culture == buy the newest and flashiest instead of being creative. How a movie can misunderstand that, I don’t know.
fool said:
And what about gamers who play old games and make thousand of very creative levels for their communities ?
Jokes aside, I’ll give a try for this movie, thanks for this review.
Anonnite said:
Nothing to do with the movie but… adding Ludacris is like adding nannites… overexposed and lame… and I can’t help but think of his Crank Yankers face when I see him. Amber Valetta does look like an old crackwhore there though, good casting on that front.
September 9, 2009
Theo said:
Although it’s, as you say, a “boom boom” movie, I was disappointed in the lack of camera stabilization. Shaky cameras aren’t good for suspension of disbelief.
I don’t know if Mark Neveldine or Brian Taylor was responsible for the soundtrack selection, but I think they also went lazy on that. There are many great bands out there that could have found excellent slots in this film.
Spencer said:
I think you’re overrating this. It was a fun movie, but 9/10? REALLY? Right…okay. This site has gone down my standards now.
Really though, this is a crap depiction of gaming, but a fun “boom” film, I guess.
September 10, 2009
Spookyelectric said:
Eagerly awaiting a review of “Surrogates” once the movie releases. That movie looks like it’ll be WAY more Cyberpunk than this film was.
Anonnite said:
Surrogates definitely looks like it has some nice Matrix/GITS going on. Let’s hope they push the story and don’t just sink into a chase film.
September 11, 2009
ghostdog said:
I’d wouldn’t give the movie more than 6/10. Sure it has a lot of cyberpunk content , and yes it tries to be more than just another action film. Unfortunately the execution is lacking. The story is rather naive and it ultimately misses the spot with the themes it decides to tackle.
arabyana said:
great post keep it up.
September 13, 2009
chlordane said:
I thought it was on point.
Eventually, the tech will be used against society in such a way, that freedom as we know it will cease to exist.
September 22, 2009
Anonymous said:
u think you are free? Hmmph
September 26, 2009
Hammerjack said:
Finally saw this movie and I agree with the review. I agree with the other comments saying it doesn’t represent gamer culture… but who cares? This isn’t a movie about gamer culture. I wish they hadn’t titled the movie “Gamer” because it isn’t about the gamer at all. It’s about becoming a slave to someone you don’t know or trust. This movie is disgusting in its social commentary. I agree with Mr. Roboto about Kable’s wife’s controller…. cannot be unseen. To me, this movie is what Running Man wishes it could’ve been. Unfortunately, when Fleetwood Mac loses popularity I guess you have to resort to Ludacris.
September 28, 2009
Anonymous said:
>>u think you are free? Hmmph
Wow man. You are deep.