Long time watcher of AVGN - the older episodes are classically watchable and a testament to Rolfe's passion for cinema, training, and general capability. After seeing the film, I found myself more impressed with the production of the movie than the actual product - meaning I didn't overall enjoy the film but can tell a lot went into it.
The story goes as follows: AVGN hates Eee Tee, an infamous Atari-era game that ruined his childhood, but is hounded by a company making a sequel to use his reviews as a marketing technique. This leads to AVGN and others seeking out the legendary landfill of Eee Tee cartridges and the plot (and jokes) go from there.
During his initial announcement video, Rolfe described how the film would be like Wayne's World - where characters initially limited to a particular format go out into the world at large. He also (in his game review of WW) describes the films as a series of jokes. That's what this film is, to be honest - AVGN as inspired by Wayne's World. An exploitative corporation sponsors a local media program as an instigating event leading to a series of jokes and basic plot points leading to an ultimate finale - in this case the game review. It feels like the film children would make if they had the resources rather than just using their imagination running around the backyard.
Which is not to say it's unimpressive. In segments, the film is enjoyable, even splendid. Rolfe's passion for video games, horror, monster movies, and other influences rings out clear as a bell. The connection, however, between all of the segments, is where the story breaks down.
Also notable are some jokes that require intense familiarity with the AVGN series to appreciate. A reference to the "Glass obstacle" from LJN's BTTF game might just be a confusing non sequitur to the casual viewer rather than a funny reference.
Which leads to my final point - this film feels like it was written at an earlier point in Rolfe's career, say when the web series was just starting, before several years of independent creation enhanced his technique and he didn't have the willpower or perhaps the interest in rewriting the film to bring it up to par. Perhaps AVGN simply doesn't work outside of individual game reviews. I can recognize the effort required for the logistics, the special effects, and in general the sheer energy needed to make this film a reality and respect him for it. Still, while I still turn to AVGN web episodes every now and then, don't anticipate returning to this film any time soon.
More impressed with the production than the product
Long time watcher of AVGN - the older episodes are classically watchable and a testament to Rolfe's passion for cinema, training, and general capability. After seeing the film, I found myself more impressed with the production of the movie than the actual product - meaning I didn't overall enjoy the film but can tell a lot went into it.
The story goes as follows: AVGN hates Eee Tee, an infamous Atari-era game that ruined his childhood, but is hounded by a company making a sequel to use his reviews as a marketing technique. This leads to AVGN and others seeking out the legendary landfill of Eee Tee cartridges and the plot (and jokes) go from there.
During his initial announcement video, Rolfe described how the film would be like Wayne's World - where characters initially limited to a particular format go out into the world at large. He also (in his game review of WW) describes the films as a series of jokes. That's what this film is, to be honest - AVGN as inspired by Wayne's World. An exploitative corporation sponsors a local media program as an instigating event leading to a series of jokes and basic plot points leading to an ultimate finale - in this case the game review. It feels like the film children would make if they had the resources rather than just using their imagination running around the backyard.
Which is not to say it's unimpressive. In segments, the film is enjoyable, even splendid. Rolfe's passion for video games, horror, monster movies, and other influences rings out clear as a bell. The connection, however, between all of the segments, is where the story breaks down.
Also notable are some jokes that require intense familiarity with the AVGN series to appreciate. A reference to the "Glass obstacle" from LJN's BTTF game might just be a confusing non sequitur to the casual viewer rather than a funny reference.
Which leads to my final point - this film feels like it was written at an earlier point in Rolfe's career, say when the web series was just starting, before several years of independent creation enhanced his technique and he didn't have the willpower or perhaps the interest in rewriting the film to bring it up to par. Perhaps AVGN simply doesn't work outside of individual game reviews. I can recognize the effort required for the logistics, the special effects, and in general the sheer energy needed to make this film a reality and respect him for it. Still, while I still turn to AVGN web episodes every now and then, don't anticipate returning to this film any time soon.