13 Demons

I always feel compelled to give a shout out to movies that pleasantly surprise me, and this is one. I almost didn't watch it, because the box cover makes it look like a cut-rate "Warcraft". It is most definitely not that.

"13 Demons" is really the spiritual successor to movies like "Mazes & Monsters", in that it marries the D&D panic of the early 80s with a more general fear of what happens when nerds go berserk. I will say that the structure of the film is problematic, in that it spells out the entire plot in the first five minutes, and doesn't provide any grand revelations. What is left, then, is a character study.

Fortunately, I found this film very compelling in that regard. The three main actors (one of whom is the director) quickly transition from broad stoner stereotypes to more interesting, obsessive personalities. The arc of their transformation is interesting to watch, and they play well off of one another. The dialog, which appears to cause some people consternation, rang very true to a gamer and general nerd from the 80s, and the delivery of said dialog was top notch.

I would never claim that the film is without flaws -- it has some very jarring issues. Somebody went absolutely nuts with the fake sweat, to the point that it is actually distracting. The two main characters are very difficult to distinguish at the beginning of the movie, as they both appear very similar when smeared in blood. And, as previously mentioned, the first 10-15 minutes of the movie can be a slog because of the annoying stoner stereotypes.

That said, I was absolutely pleasantly surprised by this film. I thought the acting was positively stellar, and I am willing to forgive a lot for films in the "Satanic Panic" sub-sub-subgenre. And, since I was expecting "World of Fightcraft", I was absolutely delighted to discover an entertaining, subtle character film.

And, yes, I realize that it does not speak well of me that I was willing to watch "World of Fightcraft".