The Gamers

"The Gamers", a story about a hilarious fantasy role playing session, is the best no budget movie I've ever seen.

I assume, it's the best thing you can do with $0.00, a cheap camera and a bunch of really motivated friends. Don't expect good acting, good costumes or anything like a complex script. So why do I give this movie 8 out of 10 points? Because it's funny. Really, really funny. You probably have to be gamer yourself, to get most of the jokes, but when you do, they'll make you laugh. Hard! Even years later you'll smile, whenever anybody mentions them.

I highly recommend this movie to every gamer out there!

Make no mistake about it; The Gamers is not a perfect movie. The script is wrought with hackneyed dialogue, predictable situations, and fan-boy in-jokes that serve to alienate most while entertaining few. But beneath all that is something you can't find in any Jerry Bruckheimer blockbuster or Michael Bay monstrosity; genuine enthusiasm of storytelling. Every person involved in every element of this film clearly loved what they were doing. The sheer joy for the material leaps out of the screen and into the faces of the audience. You can't help but smile the whole way through this energetic and ebullient film. And for those of us to whom the film is directed, the current and former members of the cult of nerd, this film is a real treat.

The film is funny, not in the shocking way of a teenage sex comedy or the schmaltzy way of a romantic "comedy," but in the same way that real life is funny. You laugh at this movie for the same reasons you laugh at your friend's bad jokes; the humor touches a nerve at the collective subconscious of all geeks.

If you are now or have ever been a nerd, geek, dork, or dweeb, do yourself a favor and find this movie. And if you aren't, see it anyway. You may catch yourself laughing along with the rest of us.

"The Gamers" is the solution that the universe found for the atrocity that was the D&D movie. It chronicles both the real-world and fantasy-world exploits of some college guys as they try to rescue the princess while avoiding being sent packing by the campus police. The "natural 20" scene is not to be missed, and even non-gamers will likely get a laugh from it. The DvD has a commentary track my Monte Cook, and you can even get subtitles in Latin. If you check your local gaming conventions, you may even get to see a free screening of the film. It's well worth the trip.

Went back and watched this after seeing the "sequel." Definitely not as well-acted or put together as Dorkness Rising (which is amazing!), but the bright spots of the film made up for any of that. The budget for this couldn't have been much, but I still enjoyed watching it.

You can tell that the people who put it together have a real love for gaming themselves, and that goes a long way in how I view the film. While not overly polished, it comes across as a labor of love with nuggets of brilliance speckled throughout.

I recently found out that it comes in two versions, and that the later one has a "family friendly" option. If you have small kids or are offended by swearing, you'll want to go with that version--though it seems to me that most actual gamers have the mouths of the "uncut" version.

Worth picking up if you're a gamer, worth a viewing if you're not.

I am a gamer, and this movie had me cracking up for the entire 48 minutes. It's short, but it gets its point across. From the looks of things, a comedy troupe made this movie. They obviously had a very low budget. The sets looked very fake, but it was okay. It sort of added to the humor.

Sometimes, with higher budget movies featuring big stars, the actors seem wrong for the parts. The guys in "Gamers" seemed exactly right for their roles, as if they really ARE gamers in real life. Each actor played two roles: a gamer, and his character. The gamers were funny at times and argumentative at others, just like real live gamers. The characters - a barbarian, an archer, a mage and a thief - were cheesy and overdramatic, just like the characters played by a lot of real live gamers. The film might as well have been a documentary about players of role-playing games. As I watched the silly drama unfold, all I could think was "This is how my gamer friends and I look to outsiders!" The idea made me laugh.

I'd bring this movie to a party or friendly gathering. It's not too long for the subject, it's funny, and it's almost true to life.