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Audience Member 6.5/10. Imaginative with sincere and likable performances. Offbeat in a nice sort of way. It doesn't always works, but it does often enough to be entertaining. Good score, creative cinematography. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member [IMG]http://www.mediamax.com/susurruskarma/Hosted/reviewstills/0093-gamerz.jpg[/IMG] ‘Gamerz’ is a great low-key fantasy comedy with sentimental overtones that does a lot to create a warm, feel-good experience without trying to. Although clearly independent in production and showing some amateurish writing here and there, the film as a whole nevertheless convinces and believes in itself throughout which helps suspend the belief needed to travel along with our adventurers. For an independent film however, everything is notably sharp, professional and well conceived, quite often reaching qualities attributed too much bigger, more expensive projects. The story centres on Ralph who is described as one of life’s ‘little guys’; a nerd and a bully victim to local gangs. As a way to vent his frustration and alienation he creates a roleplaying game and joins a union at his new university where he finds admirers of his work, friendship, love and heartbreak along the way. Although the plot revolves around a nerd and his love for roleplaying games, don’t be put off if this isn’t your cup of tea. It sure will help, but for the majority of the film, this takes a back seat for far more interesting characterisation and comedy which works very well when played against the parallel world of Ralph’s game. The movie which explores friendship and love uses both the real world lives and the game lives of the characters in sync to offer both a realistic and a fantastic interpretation of their personalities and shows the contrasting similarities between them. It doesn’t always work for sure, but even when it doesn’t I still found it entertaining and a well thought out, refreshing way to tell an otherwise formulaic story. The script which caters very often to both the fantastical and realistic elements of the film’s plot is more or less spot on, with key elements and general structure worked out to be both engaging and constantly entertaining. The biggest gripe I have with it however is the tendency to switch between proper Old English (during the game scenes) and Glaswegian slang. Although very well considered and more than probably very suitable on paper, the actors constantly have problems delivering their lines with any conviction at all which only distracts. So while such dialogue can work at some points and does create a comedy in its own because of how badly forced it all sounds (as a local I too know that I’d sound like a pretentious idiot trying to voice such dialogue) it more often than not just draws attention to the illusion rather than suspending it, particularly during early scenes. There are also a few key moments throughout which seem to submit unwillingly to conventional structuring which comes off as forced simply because such things are deemed essential for breaking up acts. So although such things eventually work to the film’s favour, many seams are apparent throughout, again disconnecting the viewer from the story, if only temporarily. Performances from the cast are more or less strong with (as mentioned above) only a few shortcomings here and there with delivery of dialogue. I found that it was a lot of the supporting actors who actually gave the strongest performances, particularly with Edward Tudor-Pole as the eccentric professor and Young, Austin and Sutherland all stealing most scenes away from Stewart and Finbrow. While the latter two members hold their own and deliver performances of a high standard consistently throughout the entire duration, I simply found the smaller characters more believable, convincing and likeable. As an ensemble however, there is terrific chemistry between all members and in the end, all work brilliantly together to create a very charming and enjoyable set of characters to follow. The photography is well utilised as a whole and throws in some weird angles and lighting here and there to create a sense of fantasy even in the real world scenes. Throughout I was constantly reminded of the magical and surreal atmosphere of the Harry Potter movies, which combine both a sense of childhood fascination with teenager recklessness and adventure. In essence the whole thing parallels the journey of the characters well, symbolising the adventure they take with each other, and within themselves. Furthermore the real standout feature of the visuals is Fraser’s choice of silhouette action atop beautifully coloured and realised fantasy backdrops during the game scenes. Although clearly a budget constraint and one enforced to stop the movie from looking ridiculous and unbelievable, it is nevertheless a style which does well to visualise the imagination of the players themselves in an original and creative manner. The soundtrack too, although not as refreshing per se, all the while manages to create an atmosphere on its own; combining many different styles to complement the visuals appropriately. While ‘Gamerz’ probably won’t be for everyone, as a ‘gamer’ and a citizen of the city myself, I found the film to be a refreshing and imaginative sentimental tale full of great characters and a more than steady plot. For an independent film too, Fraser manages to craft a story that seems far larger than it is thanks to superb photography and atmospheric soundtrack. Essentially, ‘Gamerz’ is a wonderful couple of hours that may not be life changing or profoundly spectacular, but does the absolute best with what it’s got; delivering an experience that beats quite a lot of the big-guys out of the water. Nice one Ralph. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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