The Gamers

This little movie is vastly better than it had any real right to be. When sitting down to watch a movie made about fantasy roleplaying by gamers on a shoestring budget, I was ready to cringe. Instead, the whole thing was well-paced, always funny and professional in every way (given the budget constraints). The DVD purchase is highly recommended. I eagerly await the next Dead Gentlemen production.

If you've played D&D, or just about any other role-playing game, check this out. The acting is for the most part, terrible (except the young lady: she conveys anger fairly well...). The special effects are not very special. The script is not too bad, though a little on the silly side. But, the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts. The characters in some of the scenes could be replaced with nearly anyone who has played a role playing game in the past. And that's it's real charm. You can picture yourself in it. You've experienced it before. You can watch it and say to yourself; 'I've been there before.' Though, if you've never played a role-playing game before, then this film is nearly a complete waste of time. Also note: there is some strong language, so parents beware. Violence is implied, but not shown.

"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.