Gamer is a smörgåsbord of ridiculousness that may have been compelling in 2006. As a movie that came out in 2009, the cool factor of seeing a movie about humans controlling other humans via a game lost its luster in 2006 along with Second Life. If you get over the fact that you are not going to see an innovative and serious movie, Gamer can be quite fun. The actors were the biggest treat of this film. Gerard Butler is always a good time. I honestly don’t remember a word out of his mouth. I do, however, remember bulging muscles which made the whole experience worthwhile. Another muscle bound hottie was Terry Crews who we’ve recently seen in The Expendables. Michael C. Hall brought us the crazy like only he can. He made for an odd choice for an all out bad guy but he was a lot of fun. Kira Sedgwick as a sleazy reporter worked. It’s good to see her in something other than The Closer. Ludacris, which is a main reason why I didn’t want to see this movie in theaters, wasn’t as obnoxious as I thought he would be and in fact, he was quite likable.
Gamer was right at the line of edgy and deep. I am all for turning my brain off to enjoy a summer popcorn flick but I can’t quite put my finger on what made this film “un-epic” for me. Was it the dialog? Was it the self-aware cheesiness? The plot hasn’t been overdone but it was familiar. The visuals were cleverly shot and the film looked amazing. There were explosions, gizmos, gadgets and displays of hot manliness but nothing. Maybe I’m over-thinking it. Gamer feels like it should have blown my mind but it just didn’t get there.
Gamer was released Septermber 4, 2009 by Lionsgate.