Emesis Blue

I've been a fan of TF2 for a long time now, with many hours spent in the game, but even more spent in the community watching SFM films. And as much as I love the classic takes on the TF2 world, any serious take on it especially grabs my attention, with Emesis Blue being the finest example of this. The plot is intriguing, the writing is sophisticated, and the animations and cinematography are subtle and striking. TF2 is a game that (even in the lore) fixates on the concept of cheating death, with the Mann brothers' Australium fueled life extension, the Respawn system, and even the Medic making a deal with the devil to prolong his death. But Emesis Blue is a serious examination of the mortality of the character's and how their moral actions bring about consequences. Will they persevere or will their minds fracture? Lastly, the film brilliantly understands how to use psychological horror, with its most chilling scenes not relying on music, or jumpscares, but merely on the silent facial expressions of the characters. We experience the scene as they do. It's a remarkably sophisticated film that pays homage to classic horror films, and keeps me thinking about it due to how rich the plot is. It's a masterpiece, and you should watch it.

One of the best movies I've seen in the past months. This movie manages to build tension without jumpscares. The plot is interesting, building upon that of TF2 without fully sticking to it, allowing much creative freedom. The visuals are impressive for source filmmaker, with the sound design being immaculate as well. I can recommend this to anyone as it manages to scare without cheap jumpscares or loud sounds. It's not only scary but heartfelt too at moments, as well as being interesting outside of the horror. It's a classic, despite being based off a 15 year old game. Definitely watch this one.

The premise of the movie is downright comical - a serious horror film about team fortress 2 characters, the same ones who use literal rockets for jumping around and say quirky one liners after manslaughter. Not only is it extremely true to the original canon, it incorporates it perfectly into the psychological horror narrative and is terrifying. The graphics, despite mainly using models from 2007, look good and have spectacular animation and lightning. The voice acting and sound design is on point and sounds professional. The story, while intentionally confusing and fractured, is extremely engaging and will leave you thinking about it even after the movie ends.

I wasn't sure what to expect going into Emesis Blue, but I have to say, it's beyond incredible. In the past, I've considered Spy's Disguise to be my favorite SFM movie and a standout in quality and production value, yet this blows it out of the water.

The animation is realistic, with characters having a real depth to them. Ludwig and Doe are excellent protagonists, with badass moments and moments of human vulnerability. Even the side characters have hints at their own stories, with their distinct models and personalities helping them stand out in their own right. While the movie clearly has its basis in canon Team Fortress 2 lore, it also has plenty of its own twists and additions, with cool and memorable characters that you won't forget.

As a surreal horror/mystery thriller, Emesis Blue performs extremely well. The imagery is haunting, in no small part thanks to the cinematic look and feel of the whole movie. Every frame's a poster (in fact, Fortress Films did actually release hundreds of 4K posters on their Patreon). The voice acting is superb, much better than you'd expect from a fan project like this (calling it that feels like a disservice at this point).

I'm able to follow the main gist of the story, yet there's still a great deal left to interpretation. Some people feel that the story is too confusing - I'd say that you're really not supposed to understand everything on your first watch. That would defeat the point of the mystery, no? What's important is that you understand the premise, and you can follow the basic plot as it progresses. You don't need a Ph. D. to tell that some messed up stuff is happening in the Slaughterhouse.

This movie is free to watch on YouTube, but if I had to buy an actual ticket to watch it at a theatre, I would've done it in a heartbeat.

Using Source Film Maker to make a feature length film is incredible enough on it's own. But due to the fantastic editing, acting, pacing, cinematography and sound design, it soars above any horror film released in recent years. It blew me away, and I can't believe it's even real. The premise on it's own is interesting enough, but you get elements from Fritz Lang's "M", and ideas similar to Interstellar, Resident Evil, Inception, and many more. The fact that when I watch it, looking at these TF2 characters, I'm not even thinking about the original game. I'm sucked into this world that is so intriguing that it hurts. I highly recommend checking it out if you love weird conceptual horror as much as I do.