Knights of Badassdom

Do you people ever just watch a movie and enjoy it without analyzing the crap out of it? I thought this movie was fun and entertaining, despite it not being THE GRAETEST MOVIE EVAR MADE. "Oh no, the effects aren't perfect." "Waah.. they didn't have a $100million budget" "OMFG there's a plot hole in the 23rd minute of the 2nd act!!" I keep seeing reviews that say "Oh, I was EXPECTING such and such, and it didn't deliver". Stop creating expectations based on a 2-minute trailer. Just try watching a movie for fun and turn off your brain... This movie is actually pretty funny if you know LARPers. Summer Glau is super-hot, as always. I really enjoyed how they would build up mega-drama with the music and dialoge, and then turn it off instantly and it's back to Nerdville -- I thought that was clever. Make some popcorn and watch this, just make sure to take the stick out of your arse first..

Rarely do immature comedies get approval or good ratings. There are a few: Dumb and Dumber or There's Something About Mary….or anyone of Will Farrell's movies. But perhaps viewers take themselves too seriously. This film is centered around a LARP (live action role-playing game) battleground where characters do often take themselves seriously in some sense. Often costumes are makeshift and battle scenes are amateurish. Authenticity is mixed since imagination takes precedence. The movie takes the same approach, hence, the goofy dragon and monster from hell. Peter Dinklage as Hung is a fun, atypical hero and Summer Glau is slinky as Gwen (isn't every medieval female lead named Gwen, short for Guinevere?). Watch it for fun, light humor. It is funny, geeky and goofy. The subtitles are cute/creative, direction is average, acting is average (actors usually shouting), script is good at times, flat at other times and some gag just doesn't work. It's a slightly above average comedy but you have to appreciate the geekiness and lightness of the film. I'd give it a 6.2-6.3 rating…round off to a 7 just to counter the critics. Just unserious fun to bring a smile and chuckle but maybe not for everyone.

I thought I would watch 5 minutes and then turn it off, ended up watching the whole thing. It was a very odd movie overall, and probably takes the right mindset to enjoy. Basically take a movie with the plot described, but written by high schoolers. Then give them some decent actors, a decent director and a decent film crew. Then have the high schoolers make sure they include the "good" stuff and you pretty much have this movie. So it is a weird hodge podge of decent B-movie, with some A-actors, and a high school film project. I enjoyed it, even if it wasn't great and at times pretty uneven. BTW there is quite a bit of blood and gore, but it isn't super graphic despite that.

It's not as bad as some of the reviews make it out. But you do have to be a geek at heart.

You don't have to be a LARPer necessarily, but you do have to know a little about the culture. There are a lot of jokes and references that if you know nothing about roll play, LARP or just general geekdom, they will pass you by.

So yeah its not for everyone, but it is funny and the actors all put in exceptional performances for what it is.

It's not meant to be a block buster CG extravaganza, so don't expect a block buster action horror and you will enjoy it.

But again, if you know nothing about geek culture this will go right over your head.

Great performances by all, need to say that again.

LARP's on a lark get chewed up and spit out for laughs in "Knights of Badassdom" (BTW: a terrible title!). The elaborate medieval role players are nothing but gore fodder, the production values are surprisingly high (the costumes are brilliant) and one of my favorite actresses (Summer Glau) is a highlight as she vamps it up in a pretty-good bad movie. This movie is made to order for Riff Trax, or just gather your nerdiest friends for a night of (deliberately) cringe-worthy dialogue and as fine a rednecks vs. nerds battle as has ever been filmed.

I would compare this movie to "Sharknado" in that both give the impression of being movies that were originally written as serious genre films (disaster and horror respectively) and someone had the sense to make them so over the top as to become entertaining camp.