Virtually Heroes

Well, what do you expect? The film opens with Robert Baker gunning down generic bad guys COD style, with stylistic throwbacks to arcade games like Street Fighter. The title credits are set to a fun chiptune/Call of Duty/Capcom mash-up, and the rest of the score doesn't disappoint. Baker meets up with his trash-talking, tea-bagging partner (Brent Chase), who could put Leeroy Jenkins to shame, and they set out to kill guys in tan (who are, of course, tougher than the ones in black). It's not so much a parody of video gaming as an homage to gamers and the characters they control, and it's a fun one.

This isn't your average treatment of video games, where the actors are mashing buttons on controllers from different systems that aren't plugged into anything. It's clear the writers actually know their audience or did their homework. The attention to detail is surprisingly good, complete with some topical Easter eggs. That being said, it should be rewarding for non-gamers too; it's not your average shoot-em-up war movie.

It's interesting to see what happens when characters act on gaming logic as if it were normal. It's not just pulling an absurd number of guns from your bag - it's comments like "I think I can keep you safe if I lock you in a closet" that reflect the gaps in virtual realities back at us. And the actors handle these things well enough that you can suspend your disbelief for a while.

Some of the scenes are a bit awkward, as the cuts between stock footage and new material are quite obvious. This is only a problem for the action sequences though - otherwise, the editing is great.

Never having heard about this movie when I stumbled upon it by random chance here in 2025, and seeing that the movie had Mark Hamill on the cast list, of course my interest was peaked. And also with it being a movie that I had never seen, of course I had to check it out.

As I had never heard about it, I didn't know what I was in for. So I didn't harbor any expectations, to be honest. And as such, writer Matt Yamashita and director G. J. Echternkamp had every opportunity to entertain and bedazzle me with their movie.

Writer Matt Yamashita put together a script and storyline that I found incredibly stupid, laughable and downright annoying. There was nothing funny about watching two men run around in something that resembled a bad computer game. And the storyline was just downright idiotic. I am amazed that a dumpster fire such as this actually would get funded and see the day of light.

Of the entire cast ensemble, I was only familiar with Mark Hamill and Isaac C. Singleton Jr. The acting performances in "Virtually Heroes" was pretty terrible. I am astounded that Mark Hamill opted to participate in garbage such as this.

My rating of director G. J. Echternkamp's 2013 movie "Virtually Heroes" lands on a two out of ten stars. The movie has zero entertainment value. And only the production level of the movie prevents this stinker to land a flat-out one star rating from me.

The film is self-aware which is fine, but it's one of the more poorly blocked/shot films I've seen in awhile. Wherever the camera should not be to get the maximum impact of a shot, count on it being there. =(

Also, anytime the protagonists are sharing a scene together, count on dead air and a complete lack of energy on screen. The movie also uses stock footage for a lot of its action sequences, while still shooting its actors on today's more modern digital cameras. This creates a visual disparage in quality that reminds constantly takes you in and out of any kind of world the film was trying to build. It's an interesting concept, but the editing, shot design, and cinematography all feel like they were grasping at straws to make this production work.

Kudos to the team for getting it in the can, but I would definitely not recommend this to anyone who likes video games. It may insult them. =/

Virtually Heroes is a smart, funny movie that will surprise you with its clever blend of comedy, action, and film making tricks. Director GJ Echternkamp raided legendary producer Roger Corman's vault of stock footage and spliced it with newly shot material to hilarious effect in this campy, fun film about "Call of Duty"-style video game characters in existential crisis. The story is punctuated by several laugh out loud moments as well as some very effective effects sequences. The cast is also well assembled. Lead actor Robert Baker (Grey's Anatomy, G.I. Joe: Retaliation) shines as the moody, reluctant "hero" Books, and Brent Chase nails it as the gung-ho, violence-loving sidekick Nova. Other notable performances include Ben Messmer as the hilariously twisted villain Merk, and an entertaining cameo by the one and only Mark Hamill. Video game fans will enjoy the film's many knowing nods to the pastime, but non-gamers need not worry as it never strays too far into geek territory.

Virtually Heroes is a real gem of a movie and an instant cult classic in my book. Recommended!