Rogue Elements: A Ryan Drake Story

I like the critical drinker and enjoy his reviews but this movie just goes to show that it's much easier to review movies than it is to create them.

The movie was very amateurish, not just due to the budget. The writing, acting, sound. All of it was like a student film and a bad one at that. Talented film makers can hide the budget but when I came here and saw the budget for this film I was actually surprised they had so much.

The worst part of this film though is that it is just incredibly boring. Everything you see you've seen a million times before (in the 80s) and done much better. I cringed at the dialogue many times, it was cheese on steroids.

There are plenty of short films on YouTube that are far more interesting and unique and fun. It might have been a better ideato have condensed it all into a ten minute short. I don't think this would have made the movie better but at least fans of critical drinker who are curious to see this wouldn't waste as much of their time on this Earth watching this.

Anyway, if you can't do - teach. If you can't make movies - review them.

I was originally planning on giving this 4 stars but that was when I thought they were working with a miniscule budget of about 20k tops. After seeing how much was spent I've knocked it down to 2 stars and that's being generous. If you're a fan of critical drinker I'd recommend avoiding this movie because it is going to be hard to watch his reviews and take his opinion seriously moving forward after seeing what he personally produces.

Rarely has a crowdfunded project more comprehensively dunked on the mugs who gave it money. But Rouge Elephants goes all-out to subvert expectations by displaying all of the very same tropes that its creator mercilessly mocks when he observes them in others:

An anodyne, anonymous John Guyman lead with no character or presence. I've watched this twice and still couldn't name one trait of Nothing Dork.

Pacing that opens with a mild bang then immediately slips into flashbacks, tell-don't-show, and even as-you-know exposition to pad out the run-time.

Not one but two girlbosses who perform ridiculous feats of combat, when they would be laid flat by the first hand put on them.

Dialogue that's stilted, cheesy, clumsy, interchangeable, repetitive and rambling.

An utterly generic plot that's so genre-compliant that surely it must qualify as parody.

Bear in mint that all this comes from a writer / producer who can recognise all the traits of a great indie production, and yet chooses to use absolutely none of them himself.

It's telling that not one of the creator's circle of content creators has reviewed this short, because there is literally nothing in it to praise, either objectively, or in comparison to any contemporary production like Terminal List or Reacher.

A creator with courage would do a "The Drinker Fixes: Rogue Elements", but we still await that moment of humility and self awareness.

Disclaimer: I do not like the writer's YouTube channel. I feel that most of their videos are soulless grifter/rage-bait content made simply to cultivate more views. When this debuted, I wanted to give it a fair shake because there was FINALLY something on that channel that didn't capitalize on the bare minimum of its fanbase. Something more to offer viewers other than the "I-dislike-their-views-so-lets-all-bully-them" garbage content.

First off, the proof was funded around 300k-400k, which is pretty impressive for a fundraiser and a small film project. Unfortunately, the presentation still felt amateurish. The cinematography focused on Bourne-level shaky cam during dialogue scenes, a method used to artificially make the moments seem more tense than they actually are. Blocking? Lighting? Color-grading? There are so many technical elements that I find in projects on a $1,000 budget that look infinitely better than this. The performances, while mostly ok, were on par with a lot of Straight-To-VOD action flicks I have come across.

Secondly, the dialogue itself was a string of exposition dumps. Sure, you want to establish stakes, establish the world, and get the audience up to speed. But, if you spend the runtime with characters spouting exposition you only get plot points and cardboard cutouts - there's no semblance of real characterization. Yes, it is only 40 minutes but that's no excuse. I don't think doubling the runtime would have allowed for any characterization, it would have only serviced for more exposition.

Lastly, the fight choreography was absolutely uninteresting. Fast cuts, sometimes indiscernible angles, and at no point was I convinced these were specialized agents/killers actually fighting each other.

In conclusion, this was a proof with zero proof of creative merit. A compilation of action cherrypicked from better movies. As a writer, I think this and the titular book series fail on multiple counts of being a lesser version of many many many that came before.

I'm actually a fan of Drinker and wanted to support his movie. I'll be fair in my critique, but I have to say upfront that I think this film was poor and reflects what happens when amateurs bite off more than they can chew on their first production.

Conceptually, the movie misunderstood its audience. It seems tailored as a "web movie spinoff" for fans of the Ryan Drake series, yet being released on Drinker's channel meant its core audience wasn't actually fans of the book series, but rather fans of his critiques on modern Hollywood. While the narrative choices might work for established fans of Ryan Drake, they jar with the broader demographic of Drinker's channel and those who crowdfunded the project. The wiser move would have been making the short a proper on-boarding point for new audiences, actually introducing the characters and the world in a clearer way.

The characters could have been conveyed far more interestingly. Think how Bond, Indiana Jones, or even Gene Hunt are introduced: their unique traits are shown through unique memorable action and unexpected character moments. Ryan Drake, in contrast, was presented in a forgettable way. The actor chosen for the role lacked charisma and that X-factor essential to separate this from generic action movies.

As a short, the movie would have been stronger if it focused on character rather than plot. When I think of the recent Mission: Impossible films, the memorable elements aren't just "doing the thing to get the thing." It's the chemistry between Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, and the cast, with relatable, raw moments of humanity and occasional comedy that keep us invested even when the action is intense. This short lacked that personality and character-driven engagement, which was half a writing issue and half a casting one.

On the acting front, most performances felt hammy and over-the-top. Acting isn't about stealing the scene - it's about reacting, about being present. Far too often, each actor seemed to be waiting for their turn to start chewing the scenery, rather than playing off each other. More blocking, rehearsal, and perhaps splitting duties between a VFX-focused director for the action and a drama-focused director for the character work would have helped significantly. That said, Andrea Pavlovic was very good and leagues ahead of the rest of the cast.

The action scenes were competently choreographed but ultimately forgettable. They felt generic, as though they could've taken place anywhere. Redrafting these sequences to better incorporate the environment would have made them feel more original and exciting.

Cinematography was solid but lacked establishing shots, which are essential for setting mood, tone, and spatial awareness. The audience needs wide shots to ground them in the scene before cutting into close-ups. Don't underestimate how atmospheric sound such as distant guard shouts, howling wind, or the creak of a prison gate-can transform a location from generic to immersive.

Which brings me to the weakest and most amateur aspect of the production, without question, the music. The score felt overbearing and cheap, dominating scenes where silence or subtle sound design could have been far more effective. The deathly echo of an empty prison, the sound of ragged breathing, the creaking of rope - these details can elevate a limited budget far better than drowning the entire soundscape in generic music.

All in all, this wasn't the worst short film ever made, but the premise had potential that was undercut by amateur mistakes, and core talent working with a budget far too big for their experience level. The script needed a redraft to better serve new audiences, and the direction was very weak. It's probably a valuable learning experience for Drinker as an executive producer: you can't just rely on a producer to make things cinematic. You need the right producer and the right director - someone who can demonstrate the knowledge and contacts to elevate the production properly.

Lastly, the opening logo was terrible and set a cheap, straight-to-DVD tone from the outset. It was 17 seconds long with clunky, amateurish animation all in a single unbroken static shot. The concept was nice, but next time, invest around £1500 to hire a skilled 3D artist who can create a cinematic photorealistic sequence with sweeping camera movement and a big budget cinematic flare. First impressions matter. Oh - and keep it under 12 seconds. I'm here for the movie, not a showcase of the producers ego.

Anyway, that's all I've got for today. Go away now!

Overall it was an enjoyable watch if you like fight scenes. It is not a complete story and if you haven't read the books you might be lost. Except for the Ryan character, most of the acting was not up to snuff. Some of the dialogue was stilted and cheesy. Overall this feels like a bunch of guys wanted to make a fighting and shooting short and here's nothing wrong with that! TBH I guess I had the expectation of an actual complete story seeing how it is the Drinker. But that's my fault. My expectations were subverted. The cinematography, coloring, and music are really good. The sound design was mostly good. The music mix was too loud and some of the atmosphere foley was wonky and amateurish. All of the gun sounds and fight sound design were great. The after credit scene with the Drinker at the end was hilarious (probably my favorite scene in the film) but it was totally out of place for the feel of the piece. I hope the Drinker gets a chance to make a full film with a complete story that has character development, arcs, etc. Would love to see what he can do if he gets a say in what shows up on screen. 40 min plus is plenty of time to accomplish this BTW. There are plenty of short films that feel like a complete narrative that are half the length of this film.