Gauntlet

Great story and final twist. I was left thinking, "Wait, this story should not be over. Surely, there's a next chapter." Contemplating the storyline after the film and thinking what might be next is my litmus test in determining how well I liked it.

This movie was filmed and set in the 90s, so I could appreciate the non-HD camera and overall feel. The visual effects are definitely modern though (even the retro ones) and worthy of a major motion picture.

As other commentors have mentioned, the actors were a bit green during this time, but they told the story very well. This is one of those films they will be referring to a "remember when" segments on Entertainment Tonight.

Note to the film's creator: Make a next chapter. When it hits the big screen or gets picked up by syndication, consider a post credits scene with a tease of what's to come. I can't wait to see where it goes.

If you're reading this review, find a way to watch it!

Let me start by saying that I watched the movie and wrote this review as a favor to a friend. I can only imagine that all these 8 and 9 star reviews have been written by the cast members? Or their family and friends? I have seen better films directed by high school students. The acting is so cringe.

It IS impressive that the writer/director/producer created this entire movie in his garage apparently? That's absolutely more than I (or the average person) could accomplish. But I don't feel as though people are reviewing this movie objectively. As an average person's random accomplishment, this is great! It's cool that they learned how to film, edit, etc. As a movie, it is NOT great. It's not like this film is going to win any awards, and if this is what they came up with after ten years of work, I think it would be a while before they created something that I would actually want to watch.

Also, the entire story line seems to be a poorly-made Tron rip-off.

This is by far the best low-budget & self produced I've ever seen. And trust me...I've seen some BAD ONES.

But to give a more detailed review here are my highs & lows.

Highs: The VFX are great for the film. And for the most part are utilized really well in conjunction with film's storyline. Also the plot itself was intriguing as it played off Tron & Tron Legacy only a bit. At first I was a bit concerned that it may seem like a Tron rip off, but I was pleasantly surprised that there was much more to plot than just retelling a 40 year old story. It also made me want to revisit some video games from my childhood, but that's just an added bonus. Finally, assuming that the actors are not professionals, their dedication to the roles & plot was very clear.

Lows: It's hard to be too critical of the talent within the film, but a few characters did leave a something to be desired. As various lines were delivered or battle scenes carried out it felt a bit awkward. The only other low was some of the costumes. There were holes on the sides of the masks that were distracting in scenes & the overall fit of some costumes remind of the budget of the film.

All-in-all, this movie was really good. The story drew me in & the production quality for such a project was very surprising. This project took a handful of people 10+years to complete, with the vast majority of it done by one person. All things considered, it was BRILLIANTLY DONE!

Absolutely love the story line of this movie. I won't give any spoilers, but the twist at the end definitely leave the viewer contemplating the intricacies of what they just watched. I've got to say, as others have mentioned, the effects and the performance in the movie definitely exceed the expectations for indie films. I enjoyed the nostalgic, yet modern feel of the game setting. You feel the "age" of the VFX, but I actually enjoyed it... you could tell that immense effort and time was put into producing them, and of course, they're 10-years old, when VFX technology was very young and new. The story arc is classic... with the villain turning out to be the person you didn't expect and the revealing of unforeseen allies the protagonist meets along his journey. Definitely worth sitting down, popping a bag of popcorn, and diving straight in. Can't wait until this is public so I can share with my friends.

I've been wanting to check this one out for a while. I knew that the production was several years in the making, given all the animation/graphics that were involved. It's a super fun flick that really shows how much you can accomplish when you're willing to take on piles of work and not stop until you reach the top of the mountain. It's an indie passion project so it's obviously going to be a different experience than watching the next $200 million dollar studio sci-fi movie but if you're up for something different you should check it out. I look forward to seeing what this team comes up with next!