Ashens and the Quest for the Gamechild

Seeing the cover and subject, I though I'd be in for a nice little indie treat with 80s nostalgia and some laughs. However, this didn't have much of either (a little bit of nostalgia, zero laughs). Normally I wouldn't have cared enough to write a review about this, but because of all the other reviews giving it great scores I felt I had to give another perspective so people wouldn't get their hopes up.

I've never seen the YouTube series so I didn't know what to expect, but this film wasn't entertaining at all. I seemed like it was trying to be funny, but I couldn't really tell. I guess that's how bad the humour was, since it didn't even really register as humour. I don't remember laughing once. The story wasn't that great either. It was just things happening to move the plot along, but failed at doing it in an interesting way.

In the end I could only get through about half of the film before I had to stop due to lack of any entertainment whatsoever. I'm baffled at why there are so many good reviews. Perhaps friends of the crew? If not, then I'm happy they could find some entertainment in this since I certainly couldn't.

Don't say you weren't warned. I've seen good indie. This isn't it.

More enjoyable than I had anticipated.

I do watch the Ashens YouTube channel, so knew I'd probably like this to some degree after watching. It in fact beat my expectations, as it's a film that I actually had a fun time watching.

Stuart Ashen's acting is better than expected, while Dan Tomlinson makes for a decent sidekick. 'Ashens and the Quest for the GameChild' also features a few well chosen minor cast members too, whilst having noteworthy people like Warwick Davis and Robert Llewellyn appear.

The plot is solid, the pacing is good and it brings humour with it. A pleasant surprise, this.

I must admit that after seeing the initial trailers, each focused on an individual character, that I was slightly worried about the final product. I was worried that Chef Excellence was too much of a departure from the Tesco Value gin drinking Italian we all know and love. I worried that the film would be overloaded with secondary characters that would detract from the film. I must confess to also being worried that Stuart would be a bit wooden in the acting department.

So when it was released I sat down to watch the film ready to be disappointed... but then I laughed. And again. I laughed virtually from beginning to end.

My fears were completely blown out of the water within a matter of minutes. From an absolutely brilliant Bond-inspired intro sequence to the very last post-credits scene this really is a gem.

Despite my initial hesitation regarding Stuart's acting ability I was pleasantly surprised. Aside from a couple of moments of woodenness on the whole he is great. He really comes across as a very likable lead and his comic timing is perfect.

The rest of the cast are just as good. Dan Tomlinon played a very different Chef Excellence than we have seen before but it is a change that works. He flirts from sad to manic all in a second and his rivalry with a certain other chef is, er, brilliant. From Guru Larry and Crabstickz to Warwick Davis and Robert Llewellyn the film is full of memorable parts. The brilliant thing is that none of them outstay their welcome and slow the film down. The film always remains focused on our unlikely hero and his even more unlikely sidekick.

With a script that references everything from 'The Goonies' to 'Indiana Jones' it really is a cracking film.

I would even say that I enjoyed this more than recently released 'The Worlds End', which is a real testament to everyone involved with the film.

Well done lads.

If you have no prior knowledge of Stuart Ashen, this film isn't going to make a lot of sense. It's well filmed, and it ties in with the themes from his other work. The jokes probably won't make any sense if you are watching this as a stand alone film....they are very dependent on seeing his YouTube series.

Personally, I think it's pretty good for what it is. It's quite amazing what can be accomplished with a tiny budget. There are things in it that could have a wider appeal, but I'm not sure it's about that. I don't believe he's looking to be the next Simon Pegg, more just trying to do something to the best of his ability that resonates with his existing audience. It achieves that and a bit more....so it will be interesting to see how it develops.

Stuart Ashens (Ashens) may be a guilty pleasure of some... Not as popular as some of the American YouTube Stars such as PewdePie or Markiplier but he is definitely a hit... Especially with UK audiences.

And like many more he has produced a movie... Whats it like? Well actually its pretty fun!

Do not expect ground breaking effects from a man who reviews complete cr*p for a living - But marvel at the amazing number or Pop culture references he manages to squeeze in... Squirm at the obvious little "nods" against political correctness (People not being able to say 'Don't get your knickers in a twist' is so stupid but so fun!!!)

And ask yourself the question everyone is asking - How the bloody hell did he manage to get Warwick Davis and Robert LLewellyn to do Cameos in such a low budget production???

So, yeah! This is your typical, low budget, slightly off the wall film...

But damn its good! It has just the right level of humour and cheese to make it truly watchable.

Its hard to pick a favourite point, as its just one of those films that relishes being what it is... Ashens reviews Tat and made his film to be Tat... And its that which gives it such a unique flavour and makes it work so well.

While it will not win any academy awards or even BAFTA's... Crikey it would be lucky to win a Grammy and everyone and their dog seems to be able to get one of them... It is a fantastic piece of work and well worth watching.