Monster Camp (2007)

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

The acting in this movie is really good.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Now, I've read my share of fantasy fiction and I'm addicted to Battlestar Galactica. I've even played a bit of D&D, but I'm not much of a gamer. As a result, at the beginning of the movie, I wasn't sure what to make of the NERO players. Through the light touch of the film makers, I grew to like and understand the players in a way that never felt forced or contrived.The mother of Fern, one of the players, said it well, our society idolizes the individual and yet there is a human need to be part of something larger than ourselves. At this moment in time, in particular, there seems to be a hunger for this. That's what this movie is about. A group of people who otherwise might be gaming alone in front of screens find society, community, and even love. There is a moment toward the end when all might be lost, but ultimately community prevails.

Another home run for the crew that brought you Freedom State.This movie is edited beautifully to take you on a constant ride where you question what is "acceptable" behavior for adults and what is not. I would say that the average person comes into this movie with an initial impression of "they spend their time doing what?" However, the film is crafted to make you question why there must be a solid line between reality in fiction and if NERO, while strange, is really something that adults "shouldn't do because it isn't 'healthy'." The film stays true to it's documentary form.I watched this film with a NERO player "outlier" in the sense that he has what most players do not ( a steady job, lots of education, is married with a daughter, and yet was still very involved in the game )I think his words speak louder than mine when he said that this film actively portrays the entire gamut of most NERO players, regardless of location. The film makes you reconsider the Toys-R-US catch phrase, "I don't want to grow up" and eventually made me come to the conclusion that maybe a good balance of reality and fantasy is not only healthy, but can be quite fun too.

I absolutely loved this movie! Not only does this film open your eyes to a world of gaming that you never knew existed, but it provides hours of comedy. You can't help but enjoy hearing and experiencing the out of this world realms where people pretend to be characters and battle to see who the winner will be. If you are familiar with World of Warcraft this film takes you to a whole new level of game play.The movie meets a dual purpose: broadening one's intellect and tightening their stomach muscles.

Director Cullen Hoback dives into the world of live-action roleplaying.In Seattle, a group of young men and women gather every year to live out their fantasy-based fantasies. They dress up as warriors and monsters and re-enact battles based on World of Warcraft.The group, known as NERO (New England Roleplaying Organization), follows the rules outlined in their 184-page rulebook. Throwing packets of birdseed (which they use as spells to cast) and hitting one another with padded swords, the players spend 48 consecutive hours as their characters.Hoback's film does a wonderful job of being informative about the NERO culture, while at the same time, telling the stories of quite a large amount of participants.An important note: the film does not make fun of these people. While it might have been easy to make a film at their expense, Hoback does not do this. The themes of this film are companionship, escapism, and most importantly, imagination.Monster Camp is extremely entertaining. If you get a chance to watch it, do yourself the favor and get some friends together one night and check it out.