196 reviews
A Missed Opportunity
Firstly, let me declare an interest: I've been following Rolfe and The Angry Video Game Nerd since about 2007. I've bought his DVDs (mainly to contribute to his finances - since 90% of the content is available free online) and I regularly visit his website, Cinemassacre. His short videos are always a joy. They're informative and humorous, poking fun at the weird curiosities of video-games, board games, movies, TV shows and books.
However, when I heard about an AVGN movie, I was a little puzzled. How could that ever work?
The main problem is that The Nerd isn't really a true "character" as such, he's merely an exaggeration of James Rolfe's personality. Sure, the white shirt is a costume and the love of Rolling Rock is a vague attempt at character detail, but his main characteristic; the anger for awful games - well, that normally comes from embellished truth. This is why the most successful AVGN videos focus on the games that Rolfe has a true history with. Exposing the absurdities of 2003's "Big Rigs Over the Road Racing" (the subject matter of a recent episode) is a lot of fun, but it pales in comparison to The Nerd spitting bile at "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde"; a game which Rolfe hated as a child of the eighties and detests even more, decades later.
Nevertheless, The Nerd had built up a loyal army of fan and Rolfe had a guaranteed audience for a movie; irrespective of whether the format truly lent itself to one.
So, with format tinkering needed, where to go for the movie? The obvious answer would have been a small-scale character-based comedy. Explore and expand The Nerd; turn him into an actual character and, as a result,illustrate why he's deserving of a self-titled movie.
Unfortunately (and I take no pleasure in that term), Rolfe has always had desires to dream a little "bigger". Numerous episodes of AVGN and Board James have taken pretty radical deviations after the "reviews" have concluded. Viewers have been treated to bizarre story-lines with budget-stretching special effects, miniatures and fight-sequences. These have, for the most part, been fun - even if they weren't really the reason why Rolfe had been embraced so enthusiastically by the web community.
It are these episodes from which AVGN - THE MOVIE, takes its cues. Rolfe and co-director/co-writer Kevin Finn have delivered an unashamedly hokey B-Movie with an outlandish, wacky plot. There's no deep delving into the Nerd's character and the only "development" he goes through is overcoming a reluctance to do something incredibly minor. And if you're expecting more depth to Rolfe's performance, then you will be disappointed. I lost track of the number of times his reaction to something was simply a lip-pursing frown and a shake of the head.
There's also not a huge amount of comedy here. There are comic set-pieces, sure - but the intention seems to be that you will laugh at the sheer nonsense of scenes, rather than specifically funny dialogue. The closest I got to laughing was a bemused smile towards a couple of moments. And that's the biggest shame; I'd overlook the fact that this is a misguided format for AVGN : The Movie...if the resulting product had generated some decent laughs.
The plot is that a Games Company have developed a sequel to the infamous ET (or "Eee Tee" as it is here) and want the Nerd to review it, thus publicising it for them. This would have been the perfect springboard for a "Wayne's World" type story, with our protagonist being exploited by a large corporation. Alas, Finn and Rolfe seem to lose interest in this plot line...which is why we end up with a finale consisting of a chatty alien, a shiny spaceship and a giant existence-threatening monster.
Rolfe is accompanied by a surprisingly large cast. Most of the performers do what they can with the material but there isn't really much depth to the proceedings, so much of them are essentially cardboard cutouts. "Nerdy Sidekick", "Zany alien", "War-hungry General". I get that this is kind of The Point - but there needs to be more to "spoof" than purely pointing out that you know your way around clichés and conventions.
It's a little ironic that, by attempting to make the scale of this movie bigger, they end up showing the production up as far more amateurish. It seems that Finn and Rolfe dreamed a little too big in the scripting stage and, rather than reign things in with knowledge of budgeting, they simply kept things exactly as they were as they entered production. The result of this is that we get a huge amount of green-screen, miniatures and rubber suits. Yes, there's a charm to it (and Rolfe, as a big fan of Godzilla is obviously paying tributes), but it does make this seem more like the web sketch it came from, than the "Movie" it yearns to be.
I should stress that I didn't dislike AVGN : The Movie. It's far too long (shave off 40 minutes and it would be far tighter) and I was a little distracted during the sagging second third, but it's always watchable. It's certainly more entertaining than the output of The Asylum, with which it shares a similar "look".
And yet, I feel this is a missed opportunity. It's disappointing that Rolfe and Finn were so focused on pastiching monster movies and capers, rather than creating a movie as original as the web series that inspired it.
I leave you with the fact that Kevin Smith made his debut movie Clerks for less than $30,000. James Rolfe and Kevin Finn had 10 times that amount and made Angry Video Game Nerd : The Movie.
However, when I heard about an AVGN movie, I was a little puzzled. How could that ever work?
The main problem is that The Nerd isn't really a true "character" as such, he's merely an exaggeration of James Rolfe's personality. Sure, the white shirt is a costume and the love of Rolling Rock is a vague attempt at character detail, but his main characteristic; the anger for awful games - well, that normally comes from embellished truth. This is why the most successful AVGN videos focus on the games that Rolfe has a true history with. Exposing the absurdities of 2003's "Big Rigs Over the Road Racing" (the subject matter of a recent episode) is a lot of fun, but it pales in comparison to The Nerd spitting bile at "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde"; a game which Rolfe hated as a child of the eighties and detests even more, decades later.
Nevertheless, The Nerd had built up a loyal army of fan and Rolfe had a guaranteed audience for a movie; irrespective of whether the format truly lent itself to one.
So, with format tinkering needed, where to go for the movie? The obvious answer would have been a small-scale character-based comedy. Explore and expand The Nerd; turn him into an actual character and, as a result,illustrate why he's deserving of a self-titled movie.
Unfortunately (and I take no pleasure in that term), Rolfe has always had desires to dream a little "bigger". Numerous episodes of AVGN and Board James have taken pretty radical deviations after the "reviews" have concluded. Viewers have been treated to bizarre story-lines with budget-stretching special effects, miniatures and fight-sequences. These have, for the most part, been fun - even if they weren't really the reason why Rolfe had been embraced so enthusiastically by the web community.
It are these episodes from which AVGN - THE MOVIE, takes its cues. Rolfe and co-director/co-writer Kevin Finn have delivered an unashamedly hokey B-Movie with an outlandish, wacky plot. There's no deep delving into the Nerd's character and the only "development" he goes through is overcoming a reluctance to do something incredibly minor. And if you're expecting more depth to Rolfe's performance, then you will be disappointed. I lost track of the number of times his reaction to something was simply a lip-pursing frown and a shake of the head.
There's also not a huge amount of comedy here. There are comic set-pieces, sure - but the intention seems to be that you will laugh at the sheer nonsense of scenes, rather than specifically funny dialogue. The closest I got to laughing was a bemused smile towards a couple of moments. And that's the biggest shame; I'd overlook the fact that this is a misguided format for AVGN : The Movie...if the resulting product had generated some decent laughs.
The plot is that a Games Company have developed a sequel to the infamous ET (or "Eee Tee" as it is here) and want the Nerd to review it, thus publicising it for them. This would have been the perfect springboard for a "Wayne's World" type story, with our protagonist being exploited by a large corporation. Alas, Finn and Rolfe seem to lose interest in this plot line...which is why we end up with a finale consisting of a chatty alien, a shiny spaceship and a giant existence-threatening monster.
Rolfe is accompanied by a surprisingly large cast. Most of the performers do what they can with the material but there isn't really much depth to the proceedings, so much of them are essentially cardboard cutouts. "Nerdy Sidekick", "Zany alien", "War-hungry General". I get that this is kind of The Point - but there needs to be more to "spoof" than purely pointing out that you know your way around clichés and conventions.
It's a little ironic that, by attempting to make the scale of this movie bigger, they end up showing the production up as far more amateurish. It seems that Finn and Rolfe dreamed a little too big in the scripting stage and, rather than reign things in with knowledge of budgeting, they simply kept things exactly as they were as they entered production. The result of this is that we get a huge amount of green-screen, miniatures and rubber suits. Yes, there's a charm to it (and Rolfe, as a big fan of Godzilla is obviously paying tributes), but it does make this seem more like the web sketch it came from, than the "Movie" it yearns to be.
I should stress that I didn't dislike AVGN : The Movie. It's far too long (shave off 40 minutes and it would be far tighter) and I was a little distracted during the sagging second third, but it's always watchable. It's certainly more entertaining than the output of The Asylum, with which it shares a similar "look".
And yet, I feel this is a missed opportunity. It's disappointing that Rolfe and Finn were so focused on pastiching monster movies and capers, rather than creating a movie as original as the web series that inspired it.
I leave you with the fact that Kevin Smith made his debut movie Clerks for less than $30,000. James Rolfe and Kevin Finn had 10 times that amount and made Angry Video Game Nerd : The Movie.
Underwhelming
- darkblood55
- Jul 30, 2014
- Permalink
Not a Nerd movie, but a B-movie starring the Nerd
Well, it finally arrived, after years of waiting. Sadly for James, it turns out that many people didn't like his character's outing to the big screen. However, I can't help but thinking a lot of the disgruntlement is misplaced. Don't get me wrong, it's not what most people would consider a good film, but I think I should offer an explanation of why it turned out the way it did.
First, this is more of a Cinemassacre feature than an Angry Video Game Nerd feature and you will be more inclined to like it if you have spent your time watching the endless movie reviews on the Cinemassacre website. James is a fan of what a lot of people would describe as trash and a lot of this film contains schlock content - dumb characters, corny jokes and silly special effects. Bad / over the top acting and silly dialogue therefore isn't really the point for this type of film - it's a given. If you don't like this sort of thing, then you aren't going to like this movie, period.
The reality, though, is that people love the Nerd character first and foremost above Cinemassacre and sadly he does suffer mildly in the context of this movie. His dislike of E.T. is taken from an amusing irrational hatred into irrational behaviour and his insistence that he won't review the game is a card played a little too strongly. Still, I really don't think the criticisms that there are ego issues going on here are valid. The Nerd is an enormously popular character and people have flocked to cinemas nationwide across the states to support their hero. James showed his popularity in the movie for the purposes of a joke, being that the fictional public assumed that the Nerd videos are for comedy/fun (which obviously they are), which dismayed the fictional Nerd character who simply hated the games - he is famous for the wrong reason. I think this has been wildly and widely misinterpreted as James stroking his own ego and I think that's unfair. It's driving to the plot point to the film.
The plot, of course, is ridiculous and silly. It's a fun concept but gets bogged down by being the film being too long, which makes the plot too slow. Things do get rather confusing towards the end as the Nerd's companions go off on their own mini-adventures but to no real consequence. People just want to see the Nerd. As for the ludicrous monster that appears towards the end, we are right back in Cinemassacre territory with plastic models and men in rubber suits - the ridiculousness is the point.
Regardless of the target audience, the film is at least partially a comedy and it does raise a few smirks. As the laughs are more frequent and punchier in the Nerd episodes, this has left a lot of people disappointed. What we all love is seeing the Nerd spit venom at "***** games", but he's not doing that here until the credits of the film (which is probably the most entertaining and interesting part). The various cameos and fan moments are kind tributes, but are mostly goofy and unnecessary.
I suppose I can summarise by saying that this is not the Nerd movie many of us were hoping for, but just a B-movie starring the Nerd. It was an ambitious project in which an amateur film-maker had the means to pay homage to the films he loved. Unfortunately this was at the expense of the character that the audience loved, which is what everyone really wanted to see. However, I have a huge amount of respect for the project as a whole. What James has achieved with his Nerd character is impressive and a lot of blood, sweat and tears went into this movie. There's a lot of heart here and that context gives it a special charm. Standing it by itself though, against slicker and meaner films, it's an easy target for criticism. But to do so in the overly aggressive way that others have is to miss the point entirely.
That's what I think anyway.
First, this is more of a Cinemassacre feature than an Angry Video Game Nerd feature and you will be more inclined to like it if you have spent your time watching the endless movie reviews on the Cinemassacre website. James is a fan of what a lot of people would describe as trash and a lot of this film contains schlock content - dumb characters, corny jokes and silly special effects. Bad / over the top acting and silly dialogue therefore isn't really the point for this type of film - it's a given. If you don't like this sort of thing, then you aren't going to like this movie, period.
The reality, though, is that people love the Nerd character first and foremost above Cinemassacre and sadly he does suffer mildly in the context of this movie. His dislike of E.T. is taken from an amusing irrational hatred into irrational behaviour and his insistence that he won't review the game is a card played a little too strongly. Still, I really don't think the criticisms that there are ego issues going on here are valid. The Nerd is an enormously popular character and people have flocked to cinemas nationwide across the states to support their hero. James showed his popularity in the movie for the purposes of a joke, being that the fictional public assumed that the Nerd videos are for comedy/fun (which obviously they are), which dismayed the fictional Nerd character who simply hated the games - he is famous for the wrong reason. I think this has been wildly and widely misinterpreted as James stroking his own ego and I think that's unfair. It's driving to the plot point to the film.
The plot, of course, is ridiculous and silly. It's a fun concept but gets bogged down by being the film being too long, which makes the plot too slow. Things do get rather confusing towards the end as the Nerd's companions go off on their own mini-adventures but to no real consequence. People just want to see the Nerd. As for the ludicrous monster that appears towards the end, we are right back in Cinemassacre territory with plastic models and men in rubber suits - the ridiculousness is the point.
Regardless of the target audience, the film is at least partially a comedy and it does raise a few smirks. As the laughs are more frequent and punchier in the Nerd episodes, this has left a lot of people disappointed. What we all love is seeing the Nerd spit venom at "***** games", but he's not doing that here until the credits of the film (which is probably the most entertaining and interesting part). The various cameos and fan moments are kind tributes, but are mostly goofy and unnecessary.
I suppose I can summarise by saying that this is not the Nerd movie many of us were hoping for, but just a B-movie starring the Nerd. It was an ambitious project in which an amateur film-maker had the means to pay homage to the films he loved. Unfortunately this was at the expense of the character that the audience loved, which is what everyone really wanted to see. However, I have a huge amount of respect for the project as a whole. What James has achieved with his Nerd character is impressive and a lot of blood, sweat and tears went into this movie. There's a lot of heart here and that context gives it a special charm. Standing it by itself though, against slicker and meaner films, it's an easy target for criticism. But to do so in the overly aggressive way that others have is to miss the point entirely.
That's what I think anyway.
I really wanted to like this
I've been a fan of the AVGN for years, and love his web episodes. I think some of the comedy in them was genius. I also love his short videos where he talks about other stuff from the 80s (TMNT show/films, Rocky, Ghostbusters etc). Consequently, I was so happy that he got to live his dream of making a feature length indie film, through many months of hard work. I was going to see this in the theatre but it was sold out in my city. I was even ready to buy the Blu-Ray to support him, but couldn't wait for it to come out so I watched this in advance of the disc release.
After watching the film, I have to say I was pretty disappointed. Most of the comedy was bad, and the story seemed convoluted. Too many ideas were crammed in and much of it didn't work. There were weird story elements that didn't make sense, the characters were too one dimensional and not likable, and many of the pay-offs were unearned. I could go on but I feel bad bashing James because I like his other work so much.
In the end I respect James for what he did. I just wish I could have liked this film more than I did.
After watching the film, I have to say I was pretty disappointed. Most of the comedy was bad, and the story seemed convoluted. Too many ideas were crammed in and much of it didn't work. There were weird story elements that didn't make sense, the characters were too one dimensional and not likable, and many of the pay-offs were unearned. I could go on but I feel bad bashing James because I like his other work so much.
In the end I respect James for what he did. I just wish I could have liked this film more than I did.
Ends up being bad
This movie is not even near as funny as a standard AVGN episode on You Tube. But the question is, if it even tries to be. It seems to me that it is trying to be so bad, it's good on purpose - and just ends up being bad.
A little sloppy, but good fun.
- endoftruthmusic
- Aug 13, 2014
- Permalink
Such a disappointment.
I love AVGN videos, but this film is just wrong. Firstly, for the most part the plot is to find the legendary bad video game, would be fair enough, but it's very dragged, it features very few jokes, not much interesting stuff happens. The only great thing is the ending because Nerd reviews a game. I understand there was tons of love put here, but for the most part it feels nothing like AVGN videos. It features tons of actors/characters who were never in any AVGN video before. Smosh The Movie did a much better job, since it felt like a very long video of smosh, the cast was mostly same, the storyline was just like from smosh video, but this feels like a completely different thing from AVGN videos.
- Kdosda_Hegen
- Nov 7, 2020
- Permalink
Some guy on YouTube LOVES his fans and makes a movie about it ! :D
I saw the movie at Fantasia Film Fest in Montreal Canada with a bunch of fans and, that's the best way to see this movie. James loves his fans and he shows it.
I was waiting for this movie for about 2-3 years and, it was TOTALLY worth the time waiting!
The film is a big "Thank you!" letter to all AVGN fans. References, intended "amateur" visual FX, kick-ass soundtrack, surprises cameos, that's all we wanted and got with Angry Video Game Nerd : The Movie.
So, if you can, watch the movie at some theatre when it tours and if you can't, get a bunch of friends that are fans of the nerd, buy some Rolling Rock and ENJOY !
I was waiting for this movie for about 2-3 years and, it was TOTALLY worth the time waiting!
The film is a big "Thank you!" letter to all AVGN fans. References, intended "amateur" visual FX, kick-ass soundtrack, surprises cameos, that's all we wanted and got with Angry Video Game Nerd : The Movie.
So, if you can, watch the movie at some theatre when it tours and if you can't, get a bunch of friends that are fans of the nerd, buy some Rolling Rock and ENJOY !
- willplaygame
- Aug 7, 2014
- Permalink
Nerd Fans Should be Happy
I had the privilege of seeing this film at the Hollywood Premiere, and as a die hard nerd fan, myself, it was a dream come true. I had a chance to go up and down the line and talk to people about their favorite AVGN episodes or what brought them to the premiere. As I was enjoying the wave of Nerd fandom I worried deep down, what if the movie sucked the rotten asshole of a roadkill skunk that I couldn't down with beer?
Luckily, that's not the case. The movie remains entertaining throughout. The special effects using the miniature buildings and cars were particularly well done and lots of fun. My main complaint is that the plot splinters off in multiple directions and loses focus. However, it does lead to moments of great Nerd humor.
For AVGN fans, it's a must see. Lots of laugh out loud moments with some visual easter eggs to the show. For those who aren't already fans, I'd recommend watching some of the AVGN episodes first. If you like those then I think you would get a kick out of this movie.
Luckily, that's not the case. The movie remains entertaining throughout. The special effects using the miniature buildings and cars were particularly well done and lots of fun. My main complaint is that the plot splinters off in multiple directions and loses focus. However, it does lead to moments of great Nerd humor.
For AVGN fans, it's a must see. Lots of laugh out loud moments with some visual easter eggs to the show. For those who aren't already fans, I'd recommend watching some of the AVGN episodes first. If you like those then I think you would get a kick out of this movie.
- thisisbs911
- Jul 21, 2014
- Permalink
It sucked
The only thing worse than the actual movie itself is the fans praising it. Having been a fan of the AVGN and James Rolfe's films/reviews since 2006, I've pretty much grown up with the nerd. I started watching when I was around 13 and now I am 22. That being said the movie simply was a let down. For all the build up, all the hype, and the anticipation of the nerd reviewing what could be debated as the worst game ever created in "E.T.", it simply was not a good film. There were some enjoyable moments, like Nathan Barnatt's cameo, or Doug Walker's cameo, but aside from that there really isn't much too talk about. The jokes were the same things you'd see in your average episode of the webseries, the script was decent, but in the end juggled too many ideas and ended up being very convoluted. For what it's worth, with a budget of 300k there are worse movies out there, and if you're a fan you will find some enjoyment out of it. Personally his films like "The Deader the Better" or "The legend of the blue hole" were much more enjoyable than this. Maybe it's a growing up thing, maybe I've grown past the humor, or maybe it just feels dated, I'm not sure. The film left a very sour taste in my mouth, and I would have much rather seen multiple AVGN episodes as opposed to this mediocre film. Seriously though why do the fans have to ride his dick so hard? If you keep telling someone something is amazing when it's not, they'll continue to put out the same mediocre crap. It's out of criticism that they decide to work harder and put more effort into creating something great. To the fans that give this film 10/10, you need to learn to form your own opinions and not be another sheep in the heard. Don't ride his dick, look at this film honestly. Especially when he can be so critical of other peoples work, but doesn't have very many critics of his own.
He's Gonna Take You Back To The Past!
I had the privilege of seeing The Angry Video Game Nerd Movie at the Colonial Theatre premier in Phoenixville, PA (yes, the theater from The Blob). As a long-time admirer of James Rolfe's work as the AVGN, I had high hopes—I was not disappointed at all. This movie exceeded my expectations in every regard. This movie is wonderfully casted, well- written, and had a ton of laughs! Some of the jokes were very inside and only TRUE fans of The Nerd's work would appreciate
which was awesome! But, even first-time viewers can expect to enjoy the movie as it just strives to pack as much fun as possible into each moment. I literally can't say a bad word about this movie. Even the movie's "flaws" are intentional and, in fact, garner some of the biggest laughs. So far as video game movies go (The Wizard, The Lawnmower Man, Tron, etc.), this one is an instant classic and deserves to be seen by all the joystick jockeys out there!
- blesyk-563-738100
- Aug 5, 2014
- Permalink
Review from a longtime fan - Underwhelmed
- pureorangeness
- Sep 3, 2014
- Permalink
Please, Nerd, review the AVGN movie
AVGN episodes are a lot of fun. James Rolfe took all his frustrations, funny and odd moments one experiences while playing those old, retro games and created a series that not only old school gamers enjoy, but also the younger generations, because it introduces them, in a humorous way, how gaming used to be. It's a clever idea and executed in an efficient way. The show makes fun of the "so bad it's good" moments and, most importantly, feels genuine. The movie however... well where do I start?
Its not that much of a problem that the movie immediately feels amateurish. That is pretty much to be expected, after all this is a low-budget production and his first time at a project this big. The same goes for the plot, acting, writing, special effects etc. Some of it is deliberately that way. But even at the lowered expectations, I can't help it not to feel disappointed. The main issue here is that it tries to be so much more than it actually is. For a series that is about a guy expressing his frustrations on an old game (or movie) it sure strays far away form it. And this is where it loses all the charm that makes the series work. It never leaves enough room for the nerd to do what he always does. Too much of it is wasted on the build-up and on things that just aren't relevant to the series. His hilarious rants are replaced by incredibly cheesy dialog, lame jokes and bad slapstick. There isn't even an actual game in it, instead you get some imitation called "Eee Tee", which is understandable since they would have to get the license, but the let-down here is that the movie is all about getting him to review it, and not about the review itself. There isn't much game in it. What is kinda a saving grace for a movie like "The Wizard" is completely absent here.
It goes for the so-bad-its-good-humor, but being that the movie is so self-aware about it, it always ends up feeling forced like it deliberately lets something shitty happen and then just expects you to laugh it up. The first half of the movie drags on and almost bored me out. The second half was better, mainly due to the action, Godzilla-style scenes, which were fun, but ultimately are wasted because it ends absurdly quick with a poor conclusion.
So was the movie worth the wait and the sacrifices? Probably only for the die-hard AVGN fan(boy)s. Everyone else will likely agree that the amount of episodes he could've made in the meantime would've been so much more worth it. For James and his crew I hope it's a valuable lesson and that he stays humble about it. AVGN isn't exactly movie friendly material, so I at least can applaud his attempt. It is ironic that the movie thematizes the "shitty is the new good" idea yet tries to promote the same thing for itself, while completely failing to deliver any good laughs or at least make it feel authentic. The fun the crew apparently had while making it, never showed on the screen. Trash can be fun if done right, but that's not the case here. It's just so bad it's bad.
Its not that much of a problem that the movie immediately feels amateurish. That is pretty much to be expected, after all this is a low-budget production and his first time at a project this big. The same goes for the plot, acting, writing, special effects etc. Some of it is deliberately that way. But even at the lowered expectations, I can't help it not to feel disappointed. The main issue here is that it tries to be so much more than it actually is. For a series that is about a guy expressing his frustrations on an old game (or movie) it sure strays far away form it. And this is where it loses all the charm that makes the series work. It never leaves enough room for the nerd to do what he always does. Too much of it is wasted on the build-up and on things that just aren't relevant to the series. His hilarious rants are replaced by incredibly cheesy dialog, lame jokes and bad slapstick. There isn't even an actual game in it, instead you get some imitation called "Eee Tee", which is understandable since they would have to get the license, but the let-down here is that the movie is all about getting him to review it, and not about the review itself. There isn't much game in it. What is kinda a saving grace for a movie like "The Wizard" is completely absent here.
It goes for the so-bad-its-good-humor, but being that the movie is so self-aware about it, it always ends up feeling forced like it deliberately lets something shitty happen and then just expects you to laugh it up. The first half of the movie drags on and almost bored me out. The second half was better, mainly due to the action, Godzilla-style scenes, which were fun, but ultimately are wasted because it ends absurdly quick with a poor conclusion.
So was the movie worth the wait and the sacrifices? Probably only for the die-hard AVGN fan(boy)s. Everyone else will likely agree that the amount of episodes he could've made in the meantime would've been so much more worth it. For James and his crew I hope it's a valuable lesson and that he stays humble about it. AVGN isn't exactly movie friendly material, so I at least can applaud his attempt. It is ironic that the movie thematizes the "shitty is the new good" idea yet tries to promote the same thing for itself, while completely failing to deliver any good laughs or at least make it feel authentic. The fun the crew apparently had while making it, never showed on the screen. Trash can be fun if done right, but that's not the case here. It's just so bad it's bad.
- grintemcstinger
- Sep 10, 2014
- Permalink
Incredibly Cheesy...Just as I expected!
To all the people who look down or where disappointed with this film. You clearly did not get it. The movie perfectly captures the cheesy-ness and imperfections that we know and love in the AVGN series. and in that regard everything suits just fine.
Because you don't watch a movie like this for it's Plot, it's incredible CG or incredible Action scene's. So what do you watch it for? Besides the fact that it's an Homage to the Nerd and having a great deal of respect for someone that has achieved his childhood dream. I watched it, and Enjoyed it the same way I enjoyed watching someone's high school film project.
You know the kid in your class that's alway's tinkering and creating stuff that gets you curious and jealous at the same time. That's Rolfe. It's fun to see where his imagination has taken him this time. And what he created with the little tools he had to work with.
Especially during the second half of the movie I really got a Thunderbirds vibe out of it. Rolfe's choice to NOT use 3D and instead turn to models and miniatures is what adds to the charm. And really impressed me, sure it looks Goofy as hell. but consider for a moment that all those props where handmade and had to be shot right in One take. else you have to make the prop all over from scratch!
The only real problem I had was with the Nerds new sidekick Cooper. he served NO purpose when Mike Matei or Kyle Justin would fit that role so much better. They where already established characters from the show and they only get a 5 second cameo. Which was a big disappointment.
All 'n all it's not a perfect film, and neither where any of the Nerd episodes. Most of us have grown up since first seeing the Nerd and it has changed our perspective on the AVGN's comedy and charm when newer episodes come out today. It's the same thing with the movie. Rolfe made this movie in the image of the classic nerd. with all it's cheesy elements in it.
Because you don't watch a movie like this for it's Plot, it's incredible CG or incredible Action scene's. So what do you watch it for? Besides the fact that it's an Homage to the Nerd and having a great deal of respect for someone that has achieved his childhood dream. I watched it, and Enjoyed it the same way I enjoyed watching someone's high school film project.
You know the kid in your class that's alway's tinkering and creating stuff that gets you curious and jealous at the same time. That's Rolfe. It's fun to see where his imagination has taken him this time. And what he created with the little tools he had to work with.
Especially during the second half of the movie I really got a Thunderbirds vibe out of it. Rolfe's choice to NOT use 3D and instead turn to models and miniatures is what adds to the charm. And really impressed me, sure it looks Goofy as hell. but consider for a moment that all those props where handmade and had to be shot right in One take. else you have to make the prop all over from scratch!
The only real problem I had was with the Nerds new sidekick Cooper. he served NO purpose when Mike Matei or Kyle Justin would fit that role so much better. They where already established characters from the show and they only get a 5 second cameo. Which was a big disappointment.
All 'n all it's not a perfect film, and neither where any of the Nerd episodes. Most of us have grown up since first seeing the Nerd and it has changed our perspective on the AVGN's comedy and charm when newer episodes come out today. It's the same thing with the movie. Rolfe made this movie in the image of the classic nerd. with all it's cheesy elements in it.
- rageragger
- Sep 14, 2014
- Permalink
This movie should be shown in all film schools
Yeah, they should do it. Because it's the perfect example of how you can ruin a movie.
I have tried to enjoy it. My first experience was horrible. It was a total disaster and I felt bad for all those who have worked in it because they wasted their time. But the second time... oh, man, it was worse. It has been five months since that boring 2 hour day where I was tempted many times to shut down the computer. Now, after seeing that atrocity again, I can assure you it is the best option.
The movie was a great idea. If you tell the plot to your friends, they will be interested. Raiding for the lost "ET" cartridges? Evil scientists? Hot girls? Wow, this should be amazing! But no, It isn't. It's the worst movie I have ever seen. I have seen many. The Nerd isn't angry, he is just dull. Cooper, his partner, just disappears from mid movie until the very end. The nerdy-girl has a horribly choreographed fight, worst than Pamela Anderson's VIP series. The monster is completely absurd and pointless.
The jokes are not funny, the non-professional actors are lame and the "special effects" are annoying. The film is long and it suffers from it. Many scenes in the second half are unnecessary.
Why is this a total disaster? The acting is bad, yeah, but the directing is worse. They seem to have chosen just the first cut of each scene. Just because a scene had "special effects" is included, regardless of his uselessness. The plot was boring, and that is something that they should have understood before the filming, with lack of humor. And there are many phrases that send yo back to the episodes... but they don't work. Just an example: James raged in the TMNT 3 episode about the horrible fall of the evil character. Well, here he does the same. It was supposed to be funny? To copy a bad scene from a bad movie is funny? I tell you, it doesn't.
My personal view is that they knew this was bad and tried to maximize the errors so this would become a cult movie, such as the toxic avenger, for example. But even in that they failed.
I have tried to enjoy it. My first experience was horrible. It was a total disaster and I felt bad for all those who have worked in it because they wasted their time. But the second time... oh, man, it was worse. It has been five months since that boring 2 hour day where I was tempted many times to shut down the computer. Now, after seeing that atrocity again, I can assure you it is the best option.
The movie was a great idea. If you tell the plot to your friends, they will be interested. Raiding for the lost "ET" cartridges? Evil scientists? Hot girls? Wow, this should be amazing! But no, It isn't. It's the worst movie I have ever seen. I have seen many. The Nerd isn't angry, he is just dull. Cooper, his partner, just disappears from mid movie until the very end. The nerdy-girl has a horribly choreographed fight, worst than Pamela Anderson's VIP series. The monster is completely absurd and pointless.
The jokes are not funny, the non-professional actors are lame and the "special effects" are annoying. The film is long and it suffers from it. Many scenes in the second half are unnecessary.
Why is this a total disaster? The acting is bad, yeah, but the directing is worse. They seem to have chosen just the first cut of each scene. Just because a scene had "special effects" is included, regardless of his uselessness. The plot was boring, and that is something that they should have understood before the filming, with lack of humor. And there are many phrases that send yo back to the episodes... but they don't work. Just an example: James raged in the TMNT 3 episode about the horrible fall of the evil character. Well, here he does the same. It was supposed to be funny? To copy a bad scene from a bad movie is funny? I tell you, it doesn't.
My personal view is that they knew this was bad and tried to maximize the errors so this would become a cult movie, such as the toxic avenger, for example. But even in that they failed.
Basically a good movie
Has nothing memorable about it
Whereas other low budget films like "Tokyo Gore Police", "Vampire Girl VS Frankenstien Girl", "Machine Girl", "Bad Taste" and the original "Evil Dead" were very low budget, they are memorable because of how extreme and screwed up they were.
They have moments that would have you talk to your friends about; "Oh there's a moment where this gruesome scene happens" and so on.
AVGN The Movie has nothing screwed up or extreme about it.
It doesn't have any exciting scenes that you're dying to tell your friends.
It is cool that James has finally made his first feature film. But he's not a professional filmmaker, he's more of an internet video maker.
The jokes in this are quite poor. Since neither James or Kevin are professional comedy writers, we have some really lame jokes that are obviously from first timers who have never written comedy before.
James himself is not an actor and yes, his bad acting adds a charm to the Nerd. That's fine for 15 minutes, but when you keep up the bad acting for 2 hours, the charm wears out very fast.
Yes, the overuse of the Nerd making references to fecal matter is just tiresome. It was tiresome in the show and it is no better here.
The cinematography is lame and feels like a straight to DVD film than an actual movie. Even the trailer looked cheap and bad.
This movie looks more like something you would see on the Sy-fy channel than a theatrical feature.
The special effects in this movie are bad, but are intentionally so for the sake of comedy, like in Austin Powers, Team America, The Lego Movie, Harry Hill's work and The Young Ones. But those movies and shows were actually funny.
Here, the joke doesn't work. It could be the really bad HD and straight to video feel that puts off the charm of the bad effects.
Also the sloppy editing. There are some unfinished looking shots here.
The movie is self aware it's low budget and tries to make fun of itself, but it's just not funny. I'm not a fan of self deprecation. It's too "winking at the audience" for me.
I will have to admit, the score is very good. The opening theme is amazing and I like the theme "Birds Before Nerds".
If this was an internet movie like the TGWTG Anniversary specials, it would've worked. But here, it's an internet movie trying to be theatrical and fails.
AVGN works as an internet series, but not as a movie.
They have moments that would have you talk to your friends about; "Oh there's a moment where this gruesome scene happens" and so on.
AVGN The Movie has nothing screwed up or extreme about it.
It doesn't have any exciting scenes that you're dying to tell your friends.
It is cool that James has finally made his first feature film. But he's not a professional filmmaker, he's more of an internet video maker.
The jokes in this are quite poor. Since neither James or Kevin are professional comedy writers, we have some really lame jokes that are obviously from first timers who have never written comedy before.
James himself is not an actor and yes, his bad acting adds a charm to the Nerd. That's fine for 15 minutes, but when you keep up the bad acting for 2 hours, the charm wears out very fast.
Yes, the overuse of the Nerd making references to fecal matter is just tiresome. It was tiresome in the show and it is no better here.
The cinematography is lame and feels like a straight to DVD film than an actual movie. Even the trailer looked cheap and bad.
This movie looks more like something you would see on the Sy-fy channel than a theatrical feature.
The special effects in this movie are bad, but are intentionally so for the sake of comedy, like in Austin Powers, Team America, The Lego Movie, Harry Hill's work and The Young Ones. But those movies and shows were actually funny.
Here, the joke doesn't work. It could be the really bad HD and straight to video feel that puts off the charm of the bad effects.
Also the sloppy editing. There are some unfinished looking shots here.
The movie is self aware it's low budget and tries to make fun of itself, but it's just not funny. I'm not a fan of self deprecation. It's too "winking at the audience" for me.
I will have to admit, the score is very good. The opening theme is amazing and I like the theme "Birds Before Nerds".
If this was an internet movie like the TGWTG Anniversary specials, it would've worked. But here, it's an internet movie trying to be theatrical and fails.
AVGN works as an internet series, but not as a movie.
- bazmitch23
- Mar 19, 2015
- Permalink
I expected better from James
James Rolfe is a huge inspiration to me and led me to discover my love for filmmaking, i'm also a huge fan of the AVGN series. So it saddens me to say I couldn't even finish this waste of time. I followed the production from announcement to completion and I can't believe how truly awful it is.. After seeing this Im left to wonder if James is in any way a competent filmmaker. Ive seen all his college films and while they aren't great they show technical competence and at least some creative ability. What it boils down to is James doesnt seem to be an especially imaginative or creative person, at least if this film is anything to go by. Everything in this film is ripped from things James likes such as video games, giant monster movies, zombie movies you get the idea. Ive seen almost all his videos so I know what he likes in movies and while he loves the superficial elements things like story, character, good writing and all the key components of a good film dont seem to interest him and this film fully demonstrates it. This isn't a movie its James Rolfe emptying his nostalgic fantasies onto the screen and putting his angry video game nerd character in the centre of it all. There is no attempt to tell a compelling story, give us interesting characters or even competent effects. The comedy is pitiful and well below what James has demonstrated in his AVGN series. James has always had a love for practical effects and has given many a bitter tirade about modern cgi so in this film he aimed for as many practical effects as possible. Are they charming? Sure. Are they in any way convincing? Of course not and maybe this was the intention but James, if you aren't gonna take this film seriously why should we? This movie is just a massive in joke and comes across as senseless. Its not funny its not entertaining and as a huge AVGN fan I was severely let down. I wish James all the best in his future projects but honestly as much as his journey inspired my younger self part of me wonders if James is just a poor filmmaker. I love James' passion but that passion is wasted in garbage like this.
- AstridKent
- Jun 19, 2018
- Permalink
Fans should be happy
I was able to catch the last screening of the fantasia film festival in Montreal. I am so glad James decided to take the movie here. As a huge Nerd fan, i couldn't wait to see the movie.
The audience at this screening was much more into then what the other guy said for the July review. People applauded for a lot of scenes and special moment that i won't mention for surprise purpose. I was glad to be part of that and keep a good memory of this.
The movie itself was very funny. Its true there was some jokes that felt flat, and its not a perfect things from A to Z, but which movie is perfect? As a fan of the web series i enjoyed it a lot. Of course it had to go out of the Nerd room, but i think they respected the Nerd universe very well. There is a lot of winks in the movie to previous stuff and if you understand what James tried to do, you will like the style of it as well.
Some people mentioned the side kick character being not the best point of the movie, and i kinda agree. The fact of having an iconic character like the Nerd with a random "new" character added was hard to get at first but as time pass by i got used to him. Not the actor's fault at all. As for all the other characters, i enjoyed them, good villains especially.
Since Mike Matei does not really "exist" as himself in the nerd universe i can understand he was not one of the main character but somewhat i wish they would had write a character for him, the chemistry with him and James would had been better. And we are used to the guy.
In any case, an awesome time, and its the first time i attend a film festival, so for my first time it was a great one and I'm glad i was able to be part of this. I will surely buy this on DVD when it release and i am sure its one of those movie i will even enjoy more when i see it for a second, third, fourth time and such.
It took a long time to finally be able to see this movie, but it was worth the wait. Congratulation to James and the Cinemassacre team.
The audience at this screening was much more into then what the other guy said for the July review. People applauded for a lot of scenes and special moment that i won't mention for surprise purpose. I was glad to be part of that and keep a good memory of this.
The movie itself was very funny. Its true there was some jokes that felt flat, and its not a perfect things from A to Z, but which movie is perfect? As a fan of the web series i enjoyed it a lot. Of course it had to go out of the Nerd room, but i think they respected the Nerd universe very well. There is a lot of winks in the movie to previous stuff and if you understand what James tried to do, you will like the style of it as well.
Some people mentioned the side kick character being not the best point of the movie, and i kinda agree. The fact of having an iconic character like the Nerd with a random "new" character added was hard to get at first but as time pass by i got used to him. Not the actor's fault at all. As for all the other characters, i enjoyed them, good villains especially.
Since Mike Matei does not really "exist" as himself in the nerd universe i can understand he was not one of the main character but somewhat i wish they would had write a character for him, the chemistry with him and James would had been better. And we are used to the guy.
In any case, an awesome time, and its the first time i attend a film festival, so for my first time it was a great one and I'm glad i was able to be part of this. I will surely buy this on DVD when it release and i am sure its one of those movie i will even enjoy more when i see it for a second, third, fourth time and such.
It took a long time to finally be able to see this movie, but it was worth the wait. Congratulation to James and the Cinemassacre team.
- destroyerwod
- Aug 8, 2014
- Permalink
Too many forced moments
Looking at the reviews here on IMDb.com, it seems that a lot of people don't understand James Rolfe's direction he took with this film. It is meant to be a parody of every movie cliché basically. Even on those merits though I am not sure if the movie still works.
If you have followed James Rolfe's work on his website cinemaccarcre.com you will know that he is not just a video game buff, but also a movie buff of the horror genre in particular. I think he is actually more of a monster/horror movie fan more than a video game fan. The reason why he came off as mostly a video game buff is because he realized that his "Angry Video Game Nerd" character was the most popular of his video series so he directed his attention on that character the most.
When he got a chance to make his AVGN movie, he didn't just want it to be a video game movie but more of a "Cinemassacre" movie incorporating all of the elements of his videos into the movie well as putting every movie cliché in the film for humor.
It's hard for me to critique this movie because it doesn't take itself seriously. In some ways I like it and in some ways I don't. I think the biggest problem with it is that James has scenes and ideas shoehorned in rather than bridged in a coherent manner. There is also too much forced humor. If you watch earlier episodes of the Angry Video Game Nerd pre-2010/2011 you will find he is much more subtle in his role. At some point he became too self aware of the character and his acting became forced.
He said in one of his videos that he had been writing the script since he started the Nerd character, I was hoping it would be more of the pre-2010 nerd writing and not the post 2010 writing. Unfortunately it sounds awfully like his post 2010 writing.
The funnest part of the film I thought was the campy effects. The soundtrack for the movie by Bear McCreary is also excellent. I suggest you check that out if you haven't already.
If you have followed James Rolfe's work on his website cinemaccarcre.com you will know that he is not just a video game buff, but also a movie buff of the horror genre in particular. I think he is actually more of a monster/horror movie fan more than a video game fan. The reason why he came off as mostly a video game buff is because he realized that his "Angry Video Game Nerd" character was the most popular of his video series so he directed his attention on that character the most.
When he got a chance to make his AVGN movie, he didn't just want it to be a video game movie but more of a "Cinemassacre" movie incorporating all of the elements of his videos into the movie well as putting every movie cliché in the film for humor.
It's hard for me to critique this movie because it doesn't take itself seriously. In some ways I like it and in some ways I don't. I think the biggest problem with it is that James has scenes and ideas shoehorned in rather than bridged in a coherent manner. There is also too much forced humor. If you watch earlier episodes of the Angry Video Game Nerd pre-2010/2011 you will find he is much more subtle in his role. At some point he became too self aware of the character and his acting became forced.
He said in one of his videos that he had been writing the script since he started the Nerd character, I was hoping it would be more of the pre-2010 nerd writing and not the post 2010 writing. Unfortunately it sounds awfully like his post 2010 writing.
The funnest part of the film I thought was the campy effects. The soundtrack for the movie by Bear McCreary is also excellent. I suggest you check that out if you haven't already.
- keith-janski
- Sep 14, 2014
- Permalink
This movie sucks.
- concannon_b
- Sep 4, 2014
- Permalink
It is everything any fan could want it to be
- robhigg2203
- Sep 1, 2014
- Permalink
A movie From the Nerd, The imagination of James Rolfe, Creates an at least satisfying movie for those who love the series.
A Let-Down... a HUGE Let-Down
As much as I love James Rolfe and his reviews, and with how long I've been watching his stuff, his first film suffered from some serious problems.
My first issue with it was how the first half hour of the film was all of the self-puffery. What I expected going into the movie was just the Nerd going about his usual day. A lot of immersion into his story was removed by the instant flood of "look how famous I am." Don't get me wrong, I'm really proud of Mr. Rolfe, and he deserves the credit for trying and working so hard, but it really put me off with how full of himself he seemed through most of this. He's the ANGRY Video Game Nerd, not the narcissistic.
It is James' character, so he's allowed to create it any way he wants, but it really rubbed me the wrong way. It seemed so prideful.
Second... the dialogue is some of the worst I've ever heard, and the worst acted. I'm sorry, but it was just terribly corny. I know that it's SORT OF in the spirit of the AVGN, but he had a system that worked fine in his reviews that seemed a bit... tweaked in the movie to fit "mass appeal." I know James is a child at heart, but there's a difference between being youthful, and acting like a kid. In fact, I have a feeling that if I saw this film as a CHILD, I might like it better. As an adult, it was just bad. Really bad. Unwatchably bad.
I can't give James a hard time for the special effects. He's not a mega-millionaire and he had to work with the budget he had. Some of the effects looked well-done. Others were... embarrassing.
The story had potential to be amusing, but what killed most of the comedic value for me was the "black buddy" Cooper. He had no purpose in the film other than to crack bad jokes and annoy everyone. I don't know if his dialogue was written that way on purpose, but every time he opened his mouth, I wanted to punch it repeatedly.
Overall, I love AVGN reviews... but I think James should just stick to those, and hopefully never make a sequel. I applaud him for putting in all of the effort-- it's not easy to make a movie all by yourself with very little advice on how to do so-- and I can tell he tried really hard. It just was a massive waste of time and money.
I'd rather have a buffalo take a diarrhea dump in my ear than watch it a second time.
My first issue with it was how the first half hour of the film was all of the self-puffery. What I expected going into the movie was just the Nerd going about his usual day. A lot of immersion into his story was removed by the instant flood of "look how famous I am." Don't get me wrong, I'm really proud of Mr. Rolfe, and he deserves the credit for trying and working so hard, but it really put me off with how full of himself he seemed through most of this. He's the ANGRY Video Game Nerd, not the narcissistic.
It is James' character, so he's allowed to create it any way he wants, but it really rubbed me the wrong way. It seemed so prideful.
Second... the dialogue is some of the worst I've ever heard, and the worst acted. I'm sorry, but it was just terribly corny. I know that it's SORT OF in the spirit of the AVGN, but he had a system that worked fine in his reviews that seemed a bit... tweaked in the movie to fit "mass appeal." I know James is a child at heart, but there's a difference between being youthful, and acting like a kid. In fact, I have a feeling that if I saw this film as a CHILD, I might like it better. As an adult, it was just bad. Really bad. Unwatchably bad.
I can't give James a hard time for the special effects. He's not a mega-millionaire and he had to work with the budget he had. Some of the effects looked well-done. Others were... embarrassing.
The story had potential to be amusing, but what killed most of the comedic value for me was the "black buddy" Cooper. He had no purpose in the film other than to crack bad jokes and annoy everyone. I don't know if his dialogue was written that way on purpose, but every time he opened his mouth, I wanted to punch it repeatedly.
Overall, I love AVGN reviews... but I think James should just stick to those, and hopefully never make a sequel. I applaud him for putting in all of the effort-- it's not easy to make a movie all by yourself with very little advice on how to do so-- and I can tell he tried really hard. It just was a massive waste of time and money.
I'd rather have a buffalo take a diarrhea dump in my ear than watch it a second time.
- melancholy_rose
- Sep 3, 2014
- Permalink
Another Tribute to Console Gamers of Old
I've been a fan of James Rolfe since the 80s so I can say I'm a bit of an expert here. My question to most of these reviewers is: why would anyone think this film would be anything other than Rolfe's pleasure child? It's a fan-funded film. I can't imagine that anybody involved would expect a studio to pick it up or fund a sequel. It doesn't have enough of an advertising budget for that. Rolfe made this for himself and for the fans, and it shows. It's his life's work (and at such a young age!).
It's clear that he threw his absolute creativity into this. His love for Godzilla-like movies took the stage in what was for me the best part of the movie. Lots of console-cult-culture pumping. Some jokingly obvious lesbian overtones that border on the erotic (perhaps too much).
This film's not exactly good, but it certainly has enough creativity to keep me watching. I can't say that for most of the films many of you watch these days.
Makes me sad, as always, that an equivalent 80s-90s PC gaming culture never flourished outside of the deep dark caverns of the 'true' nerds who still have yet to see much cult recognition, save for a few legendary RPG and RTS developers.
Anyways, congrats to Rolfe on this, and keep doing what you do best.
It's clear that he threw his absolute creativity into this. His love for Godzilla-like movies took the stage in what was for me the best part of the movie. Lots of console-cult-culture pumping. Some jokingly obvious lesbian overtones that border on the erotic (perhaps too much).
This film's not exactly good, but it certainly has enough creativity to keep me watching. I can't say that for most of the films many of you watch these days.
Makes me sad, as always, that an equivalent 80s-90s PC gaming culture never flourished outside of the deep dark caverns of the 'true' nerds who still have yet to see much cult recognition, save for a few legendary RPG and RTS developers.
Anyways, congrats to Rolfe on this, and keep doing what you do best.
- org1andrew
- Oct 13, 2014
- Permalink