Ashens and the Quest for the Gamechild

//If you haven't heard of or even seen Steward Ashens work yet, your reaction to this may be mixed.\\

Ashens and the quest for the game child was not something I was expecting to come out. When the first video about it came out, I thought it was just a joke but little did I know that it was actually serious... and that the movie would be a fun movie that makes fun of itself in the progress! Egg my house because I'm not British, but I'm proud to say that I loved watching Ashens look for a worthless video game console for one hour and 30 minutes, and without spoiling anything, the ending made me both happy and odd feeling. However, the jokes are for the most part funny, yet not all of them were very funny. Some jokes were references to some British shows I've never seen, and a few others won't be very funny if you don't get the reference. But that's this movie's fatal flaw: if you don't get the references, you won't be laughing that much. While I do recommend Ashens and the quest for the game child it has a big star sign that clearly states that this movie is not for everyone. I also thought it the claymation scene was cool, and I instantly caught on to the fact that it was done by Lee Hardcastle. The plot was a little hit and miss, sometimes it caught onto something I hadn't thought about, but most of the time it was being silly just to mock itself later. I liked the plot when it was being silly but by the time it got serious I just facepalmed. I liked it when it mocked itself but sometimes I was just left with a 'what just happened' face.

So overall do I recommend Ashens and the quest for the game child? It really depends on if you get the references or not, but overall it's still very funny, and a good effort for a bit of a low budget film.

(also the films now on DVD and Blu-Ray, but that's only in the UK)

Pros: +Often funny plot +Funny... for the most part +Ashens is a good main character

Cons: -Jokes rely too heavily on references -Ending kinda lost me -Sometimes hit and miss plot

If you have no prior knowledge of Stuart Ashen, this film isn't going to make a lot of sense. It's well filmed, and it ties in with the themes from his other work. The jokes probably won't make any sense if you are watching this as a stand alone film....they are very dependent on seeing his YouTube series.

Personally, I think it's pretty good for what it is. It's quite amazing what can be accomplished with a tiny budget. There are things in it that could have a wider appeal, but I'm not sure it's about that. I don't believe he's looking to be the next Simon Pegg, more just trying to do something to the best of his ability that resonates with his existing audience. It achieves that and a bit more....so it will be interesting to see how it develops.

I watched this after Polybius but it did not matter. I liked it overall, but Polybius is way better. There are plenty of nice and funny moments, but I really preferred the ensemble characters of the other. Also as a woman the female characters here were lacking. So you have the crazy one and the nice but a bit dull one which doesn't do it for me, in fact I am scared to think men could see women in these two categories alone (like the Heartbreak Kid and The Wrong Missy, both so awful). I have looked at the Ashens channel on YouTube and it is very different to the films being just a pair of hands and his voice. He has a good voice though. I would really advise to watch the second one by preference.

I must admit that after seeing the initial trailers, each focused on an individual character, that I was slightly worried about the final product. I was worried that Chef Excellence was too much of a departure from the Tesco Value gin drinking Italian we all know and love. I worried that the film would be overloaded with secondary characters that would detract from the film. I must confess to also being worried that Stuart would be a bit wooden in the acting department.

So when it was released I sat down to watch the film ready to be disappointed... but then I laughed. And again. I laughed virtually from beginning to end.

My fears were completely blown out of the water within a matter of minutes. From an absolutely brilliant Bond-inspired intro sequence to the very last post-credits scene this really is a gem.

Despite my initial hesitation regarding Stuart's acting ability I was pleasantly surprised. Aside from a couple of moments of woodenness on the whole he is great. He really comes across as a very likable lead and his comic timing is perfect.

The rest of the cast are just as good. Dan Tomlinon played a very different Chef Excellence than we have seen before but it is a change that works. He flirts from sad to manic all in a second and his rivalry with a certain other chef is, er, brilliant. From Guru Larry and Crabstickz to Warwick Davis and Robert Llewellyn the film is full of memorable parts. The brilliant thing is that none of them outstay their welcome and slow the film down. The film always remains focused on our unlikely hero and his even more unlikely sidekick.

With a script that references everything from 'The Goonies' to 'Indiana Jones' it really is a cracking film.

I would even say that I enjoyed this more than recently released 'The Worlds End', which is a real testament to everyone involved with the film.

Well done lads.

Stuart Ashens (Ashens) may be a guilty pleasure of some... Not as popular as some of the American YouTube Stars such as PewdePie or Markiplier but he is definitely a hit... Especially with UK audiences.

And like many more he has produced a movie... Whats it like? Well actually its pretty fun!

Do not expect ground breaking effects from a man who reviews complete cr*p for a living - But marvel at the amazing number or Pop culture references he manages to squeeze in... Squirm at the obvious little "nods" against political correctness (People not being able to say 'Don't get your knickers in a twist' is so stupid but so fun!!!)

And ask yourself the question everyone is asking - How the bloody hell did he manage to get Warwick Davis and Robert LLewellyn to do Cameos in such a low budget production???

So, yeah! This is your typical, low budget, slightly off the wall film...

But damn its good! It has just the right level of humour and cheese to make it truly watchable.

Its hard to pick a favourite point, as its just one of those films that relishes being what it is... Ashens reviews Tat and made his film to be Tat... And its that which gives it such a unique flavour and makes it work so well.

While it will not win any academy awards or even BAFTA's... Crikey it would be lucky to win a Grammy and everyone and their dog seems to be able to get one of them... It is a fantastic piece of work and well worth watching.