Combate Virtual

I remember this uncut gem from the early days of SciFi Channel. It was their "Cinema Event" of the month or some such. Their way of making the repetitive nature of the channel with all its Buck Rodgers and 70's scifi, seem non-existent. So they threw some money into this concept and got themselves yet another low grade SciFi flick shot in Canada. Pare' was convincing as the lead but seemingly disinterested in his surroundings. The other actors/actresses seemed like they were overacting when matched against him. Though low budget it had some interesting set design. I even believe they built a miniature city for those futuristic exterior shots these films need. No pricey first generation computer effects here. Its a shame too, after seeing the stirring and incredible work of Mamoru Oshii and his film Avalon, I know this film could have been made better with a better budget and finer attention to details in story and effects. Alas, not every director seeks to max his budget for the sake of the art.

The biggest mistake the film makers made with this film is they actually FINISHED it. And the biggest mistake the TV network (whoever it was) made by buying this movie was that they actually BOUGHT it and AIRED it! This is so bad the film should be stripped from the reels and used to tow out cars stuck in the snow.

In a desolate future, people play VR games to escape their crappy reality. A totally lame attempt at a Phillip K. Dick kind of story showcases a pool of poor talent in all arenas.

Bad acting, bad script, bad effects, bad direction, bad cinematography.. And not in a "so bad it's good" way, either--this movie is so awful I cringed through the whole thing.

Did MST3K ever do this one? It's even worse than "Overdrawn at the Memory Bank."

You know the definition of a Popcorn Movie. It's a movie that you know you shouldn't take seriously. It's little more than an excuse to sit in front of the screen together with your friends and have a laugh.

If that's the approach you take to watching Carver's Gate, you might not be disappointed. The props are obviously smoke machines, black light, and rubber masks. The characters are decidedly one-dimensional. And the inspirations for the plot are something less than inspirational, even for 1995. And yet, there's something about this movie that makes you want to like it.

That something is Michael Pere. Pere has the most important (though not all) qualities of a leading man: a handsome face, a resonating voice, and an ability to appear cool in the most ridiculous situations. If James Bond were an American, Pere might be the next Timothy Dalton.

But, alas, this movie was made for television, and like so many other attempts at TV-movie greatness, this one has but a single attraction. (Take William Hurt in the SciFi Channel's take on Dune, for example.)

The rest is a throwaway story about a virtual-reality video game called Afterlife that makes its players feel as though they really are in another world, fighting demons and ghosts and whatnot. Inevitably, some people become addicted to the game, and a policeman of sorts (Pere's Carver) is needed to bring them back out.

The monsters are so real indeed that some of them cross over into the physical world, don rubber masks, and start attacking everyday folks, who inhabit a dark, misty environment not unlike dozens of others in the annals of sci-fi. (Picture Blade Runner on a made-for-TV budget.)

Throughout it all, Pere remains the focal point of our attention and hope for better entertainment. He is cool, collected, and cute, and if your company happens to be a gaggle of teenage girls, you might have a squealing good time. Otherwise, just turn down the lights and turn your mind off for ninety minutes' worth of dumb, low-budget fun.

Sure, there were things that this movie lacked, but on the whole it delivered on what it promised. It was a fast-paced action movie, that was ahead of its time (released years ahead of The Matrix and EXistenZ )

There are some very competent performances (Peter Wylde, and Tara Maria Manuel), and some that fell short (Michael Pare), but on the whole this movie was entertaining and without pretensions. Could this be the grandfather of virtual reality movies?