Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Trending
    • Amazon Prime’s Thriller CHLOE: Talking With Series Stars Erin Doherty, Pippa Bennett-Warner, And Brandon Micheal Hall
    • Jay Aston Of GENE LOVES JEZEBEL’s US TOUR 2022
    • Randy Rhoads: Reflections Of A Guitar Icon: Traciii Guns and Director Andre Relis (Interview)
    • Phil Tippett Talks Stop-Motion Film MAD GOD, Opening June 22nd
    • San Antonio Actor Antonio Raul Corbo On Voicing Lubicchi For POUPELLE OF CHIMNEY TOWN
    • Blumhouse Television & EPIX’s UNHUMAN Interview With Director Marcus Dunstan
    • Tribeca Film Festival World Premiere Of FAMILY DINNER: Writer/Director Peter Hengl and actors Nina Katlein and Alexander Sladek (Interview)
    • DASHCAM: TIFF Award-Winning Livestream Horror from Blumhouse and HOST Director Rob Savage (Interview)
    AMFM Magazine.tv
    • Features
    • Movies
      1. Movies – Indies
      2. Movie Reviews
      3. Movies- Wide Release
      Featured
      May 5, 20220

      THE OFFER: Miles Teller, Juno Temple, Matthew Goode, Burn Gorman, Patrick Gallo, Dan Fogler and Givanni Ribisi Talk About The Fantastic New Series Based On The True Story Of The Making Of The Godfather

      Read More
      Recent
      June 24, 2022

      Amazon Prime’s Thriller CHLOE: Talking With Series Stars Erin Doherty, Pippa Bennett-Warner, And Brandon Micheal Hall

      June 19, 2022

      Phil Tippett Talks Stop-Motion Film MAD GOD, Opening June 22nd

      June 17, 2022

      San Antonio Actor Antonio Raul Corbo On Voicing Lubicchi For POUPELLE OF CHIMNEY TOWN

    • Photography
      1. Event Photos
      Featured
      December 7, 20210

      Nat Geo Photographer Joel Sartore Founds Photo Ark Project To Document All The World’s Species – Before They Disappear

      Read More
      Recent
      February 11, 2022

      NAT GEO EXPLORER Gabby Salazar Documents Conservation Around The Globe

      December 15, 2021

      Nat Geo’s Photographer Gordy Medroz On Ski And Snowboard Illustrated Guide ‘100 Slopes Of A Lifetime’

      December 7, 2021

      Nat Geo Photographer Joel Sartore Founds Photo Ark Project To Document All The World’s Species – Before They Disappear

    • ABOUT US
    • Music
      1. Indies
      2. Majors
      3. Reviews
      Featured
      May 9, 20220

      Paul Humphreys Talks ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK North American Tour Hits Dallas, Houston 5/10 and 5/11

      Read More
      Recent
      June 23, 2022

      Jay Aston Of GENE LOVES JEZEBEL’s US TOUR 2022

      June 23, 2022

      Randy Rhoads: Reflections Of A Guitar Icon: Traciii Guns and Director Andre Relis (Interview)

      June 3, 2022

      Composer Theodore Shapiro Talks Apple TV+ Series SEVERANCE

    • THE WIRE
    • Literarians
    AMFM Magazine.tv
    You are at:Home»Comedy»AVGN: The Movie (The Review)

    AVGN: The Movie (The Review)

    0
    By christine on September 2, 2014 Comedy, Movie Reviews, Movies, Movies - Indies
    The Angry Video Game Nerd on a quest
    The Angry Video Game Nerd on a quest

    My guess is, if you found this review on your own, you already know who the Angry Video Game Nerd is, and that this movie was crowdfunded (at the time it was the most money ever raised, but that was in the pre-Veronica Mars days). If that’s you, no worries, you are going to enjoy this film. It was made for you and has all the charm of the popular long-running YouTube personality, the Angry Video Game Nerd. For the uninitiated, a little back-story must be provided. The AVGN, as he is often known (in print as well, as he is often quoted in gamers’ magazines), is a mean-spirited game reviewer, who often focuses on the worst games from our childhood, games that frustrated or bored us and from which we deserve our money back. They are vitriolic, foul-mouthed and hilarious reviews, often delivered shouting while playing said video game. James Rolfe created the AVGN character in 2004 and it has since become his profession. And now it’s a movie.

    For a fan-funded film, the story of AVGN: The Movie is surprisingly well-developed. Because of his fame, the AVGN is sought by a video game to review a new game they are releasing, ET 2, a sequel to the Atari 2600 game that many people feel to be the worst video game of all time, and, not coincidentally, the one game AVGN refuses to review. A widespread urban legend surrounds the original ET, that, after it basically tanked the Atari stock prices, near two million copies were buried somewhere in a desert. AVGN’s ‘manager’ Cooper convinces AVGN to find this hidden stash of games and then review both the old and new ET in one shot. However, they uncover a vast conspiracy involving the military, area 51, and aliens. It’s ridiculous and actually works pretty well. Having played the original ET, I truly enjoyed his hatred of that particular cartridge, as it caused me hours of failure in my formative years. The best sequences, not surprisingly, involve AVGN ranting about something, and the payoff, at the end of the film, is he does indeed review the original ET. So if you’ve seen the series online, you know what it is, and it’s funny. Rolfe easily makes the transition from the online world to the big screen, and they’ve managed to create a fairly entering storyline that fits his character. The rest of the ensemble is also pretty solid. Now, the whole film is sort of operating in an over-the-top world, so the performances are very campy, but they all work together, and I think they would have to be in order to mesh with AVGN. The film has a great score provide by fan and Walking Dead and Battlestar Galactica composer Bear McCreary. It even has a cameo from the creator of the original ET game.

    A screenshot from the original ET Atari 2600 game
    A screenshot from the original ET Atari 2600 game

    Where AVGN: The Movie goes wrong is in the production value. Possibly the choices made to really set the film up as a B-movie will be enjoyed by its core audience of fans, but to us outsiders, it all looks hokey. This is a shame because there is so much to like about the film. The dialogue is great, the characters well (if broadly) drawn, and the plot points all hold together. However, the alien character, the Godzilla-like monster that destroys Las Vegas (sorry, spoiler, although strangely, it’s not a major part of the plot), and other ‘special effects’ are all done using methods perfected in the fifties, and I am sorry to say, basically destroy any sense of the film’s world. They constantly intrude on the story being told, by pulling us out with visual elements that are laughable at best. The ‘ET’ character is the worst, especially since we all know what ET is, and this barely maneuverable puppet makes Howard the Duck look like Gollum. Now it’s very easy to blame the budget but I’ve been watching indie films for years with one-sixth the budget of AVGN: The Nerd that managed to find a way to tell the story they wanted to tell on the money they had raised. In fact, a majority of the money supplied by the crowd-funding campaign seems to have gone to a human sized model of Las Vegas for the Godzilla-like creature to destroy. Again, maybe this is keeping within the aesthetic desired but since this is the first expansion of the AVGN character outside of his rants, anything was possible, and I think this film needed to seriously reconsider what it could and couldn’t accomplish.

    AVGNMovie001rs
    The AVGN team discover the real programmer behind ET

    Another unforgivable error is the film’s length, which is at least twenty minutes too long, and feels a bit self-important. This is a silly, fun movie, and simplifying the story and focusing the efforts on decent effects could have better utilized the budget. Where as I was laughing and cheering on the little film that could at the open, by the end I was exhausted and waiting for the credits. The film does pull you back at the very end, when AVGN reviews the original ET game, but for me, that was more about exorcising the demons of my youth than the plot of the film.

    In the end, the film resembles a fan film such as Batman: Dead End or Pink Five, but without the production value. And this is its biggest problem. The team behind the film did the most difficult thing, taking a preexisting world and expanding it into a believable and fun viewing experience for a new audience. However, there was not enough gut-checking done on the length of the film and the ‘effects’ and the team may have been too small without enough outside voices to steer the choices. Still, AVGN: The Movie will probably please fans of the original character, and is certainly more entertaining than Sin City 2, but I can’t help but imagine what countless indie producers could have done with the money raised for this film, and the intellectual property.

    Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie is available on VOD today, September 2nd, after playing a string of sold-out dates around the country and playing Fantasia Fest in Montreal.

    MV5BMjA2NzYzMTg4NF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNDcyMzIwMjE@._V1_SY1200_CR76,0,630,1200_AL_

    Share this:

    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • More
    • Print
    • Reddit
    • WhatsApp

    Related

    Angry Video Game Nerd Movie Review Bears Fonte
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Previous ArticleBLACK FRET INAUGURAL 'BLACK BALL' GALA SET FOR NOVEMBER 8 AT PARAMOUNT THEATRE
    Next Article 'THE ONE I LOVE' – INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR CHARLIE MCDOWELL AND MARK DUPLASS
    christine

    Related Posts

    Amazon Prime’s Thriller CHLOE: Talking With Series Stars Erin Doherty, Pippa Bennett-Warner, And Brandon Micheal Hall

    Read More

    Phil Tippett Talks Stop-Motion Film MAD GOD, Opening June 22nd

    Read More

    San Antonio Actor Antonio Raul Corbo On Voicing Lubicchi For POUPELLE OF CHIMNEY TOWN

    Read More

    Comments are closed.

    SEARCH BY CATEGORY
    • MOVIES
    • Music ICON
    • AUTHORS
    June 24, 2022

    Amazon Prime’s Thriller CHLOE: Talking With Series Stars Erin Doherty, Pippa Bennett-Warner, And Brandon Micheal Hall

    June 19, 2022

    Phil Tippett Talks Stop-Motion Film MAD GOD, Opening June 22nd

    June 9, 2022

    Composer Lorne Balfe Talks Scoring TOP GUN: MAVERICK

    September 8, 2017

    GLEN CAMPBELL: ICON Pays Tribute With “Glen Campbell Live”

    May 6, 2017

    ICON PRESENTS: The Eagle’s Greatest Hits Volume 1

    March 3, 2017

    ICON SEASON FIVE: Get Ready To Rock And Roll

    June 14, 2022

    Author Angie Thomas on THE HATE U GIVE And CONCRETE ROSE

    June 6, 2022

    CONFESSIONS OF A DORK LORD And Book #2 GRAVE DANGER: Interview With Author Mike Johnston

    May 29, 2022

    SKANDAR AND THE UNICORN THIEF: Breakout Debut From Author A.F. Steadman (Interview)

    Hulu

    [instagram-feed]

    Recent Posts
    • Amazon Prime’s Thriller CHLOE: Talking With Series Stars Erin Doherty, Pippa Bennett-Warner, And Brandon Micheal Hall
    • Jay Aston Of GENE LOVES JEZEBEL’s US TOUR 2022
    • Randy Rhoads: Reflections Of A Guitar Icon: Traciii Guns and Director Andre Relis (Interview)
    • Phil Tippett Talks Stop-Motion Film MAD GOD, Opening June 22nd
    • San Antonio Actor Antonio Raul Corbo On Voicing Lubicchi For POUPELLE OF CHIMNEY TOWN
    Archives
    amazon prime
    June 24, 20220

    Amazon Prime’s Thriller CHLOE: Talking With Series Stars Erin Doherty, Pippa Bennett-Warner, And Brandon Micheal Hall

    Interview by Paul Salfen Becky compares herself to the picture-perfect lives on Instagram, compulsively returning to one account: Chloe's. However, when Chloe dies suddenly, Becky's need to find out how and why leads her to assume a new identity. The series has been written by Netflix's Sex Education writer Alice Seabright. She is a writer

    Share this:

    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • More
    • Print
    • Reddit
    • WhatsApp
    Read More
    Featured Music
    June 23, 20220

    Jay Aston Of GENE LOVES JEZEBEL’s US TOUR 2022

    Interview by Paul Salfen ay Aston’s Gene Loves Jezebel will be taking their 40th Anniversary Tour over to North America this month. After the two dates at Pasadena’s Cruel World Festival, the band will embark on a 31-date tour of the US, with a date in Canada at Toronto. The dates and ticket links will

    Share this:

    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • More
    • Print
    • Reddit
    • WhatsApp
    Read More
    Featured Music
    June 23, 20220

    Randy Rhoads: Reflections Of A Guitar Icon: Traciii Guns and Director Andre Relis (Interview)

    Interview by Paul Salfen You can see Tracii Guns on tour now  with his band L.A. Guns.  Austin and Dallas SCHEDULE HERE Randy Rhoads, the legendary guitarist known for his unmatchable guitar riffs, re-shaped rock’n’roll as the lead guitarist for Quiet Riot and Ozzy Osbourne. After forming Quiet Riot with bandmates Kelly Garni, Drew Forsyth, and

    Share this:

    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • More
    • Print
    • Reddit
    • WhatsApp
    Read More
    Blockbuster Movies
    June 19, 20220

    Phil Tippett Talks Stop-Motion Film MAD GOD, Opening June 22nd

    Interview by Paul Salfen Synopsis: Follow The Assassin through a forbidding world of tortured souls, decrepit bunkers, and wretched monstrosities forged from the most primordial horrors of thesubconscious mind. Every set, creature, and effigy in this macabre masterpiece is hand-crafted and painstakingly animated using traditional stop-motion techniques. MAD GOD is a labor of love, a testament

    Share this:

    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • More
    • Print
    • Reddit
    • WhatsApp
    Read More
    Copyright AMFMSTUDIOS LLC
    • About
    • Privacy
    • Contact
    • Cookie Policy (US)
    Copyright AMFMSTUDIOS LLC
    • About
    • Privacy
    • Contact
    • Cookie Policy (US)

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.