The Controller (2008)

Powerful

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

THIS IS GREAT FUN! Not too good actors. Sometimes ( in the beginning) you feel that they are reading directly from the manuscript. They are "stiff" as zombies! And sometimes I was wondering if the director had a day off... The plot is OK. This COULD have been a great one with real players and real directors. Could have been a good SF in fact now that we have "good" tools to make it.... But the mix of "real" and VR? Great for relaxing! Okay -I guess X-Box (Microsoft) payed for the whole shabang, but still! Loved it! :) Maybe a little violent for kids. But as a time killer? Have fun even though it's kind of old. ;)To end this outburst: This is not a great movie. This is not even a "good" movie. This is totally relaxing. Just bare with the first 15 minutes and you will either fall asleep or enjoy. :)

I spent a fair amount of time on Playstation and Dreamcast and Nintendo 64 in the late 90's and on X-Box in early 2003 or so, so I might be considered part of the target audience for this film. It's not as if I don't understand the conventions of computer games and the way they approach story telling.But let's be honest here - "The Controller" is a horrible misfire. I happened across it one night on a cable channel and was transfixed by the amazingly bad graphics and the awful dialog the actors were forced to mouth.I can't judge whether the actors were actually any good or not because the dialog they had to work with was impossible for any live human being to deliver. Seriously, if you were a writer and tried to pass this for dialog in a cut scene from "Net/Hack" or "Metal Gear Solid" or any other video or computer game from 2008 (or 1998), the game producers would have had you beaten to a pulp.Maybe it's my imagination, but I swear I can see the actors dying inside and hating themselves and each other as they try to make these wretched scenes work.Supposedly this was an independent venture. I tend to believe that, because no real experienced producer would have allowed this thing to be released.

I was recently visiting friends in Kona, Hawaii and we ran into The Controller showing at a local film festival. My son and I really enjoyed it. It was very ambitious for an independent film, but it was fun and entertaining throughout. And unlike most indie films, I could enjoy it with my son. He especially liked PappaPooh. This character was trying to play this online video game and take care of his two young children at the same time. Needless to say that caused many funny moments. Also, there was a lot of CG in the movie, and although it was not to "Hollywood standards", it seemed to fit into the framework of the movie and created some good action moments. Overall, we were really impressed. I'm glad someone finally made a movie about a hobby that millions of people enjoy, including myself.

This movie had the quality of a high school production. Some of the actors were terrible, especially the one playing William Bell. Some of the "Armchair Combatants" were pretty good, though. It's hard to believe this was made in 2008. The "animation" for the battle scenes looked like something from the early 90's. There's shareware that can do a better job, when someone knows how to use it. The "twist" ending was obvious in the first 10 minutes. It extremely stupid and unoriginal (think "The Game" with Michael Douglas). Skip the The Controller and instead get TRON, it's special effects were more realistic even though it was 26 years earlier.