KNIGHTS OF BADASSDOM

US, 2013, 86 minutes, Colour
Steve Zahn, Ryan Kwanten, Peter Dinklage, Jimmi Simpson, Summer Glau.
Directed by Joel Lynch.


The Internet Database notes that the director of this film, Joe Lynch, was raised on a steady diet of B-movies, Stephen King novels, heavy metal, games and comic books, creating home spun effects to shock his family members.

This is the mentality of a precocious boy who wants to make movies. And that describes something of what this film is. For most audiences it is exceedingly silly.

For those who play computer games with overtones of Dungeons & Dragons and Knights, for those who design them, for those who become absorbed with Game of Thrones and have an easy tolerance barrier, there could be some entertainment.

This is a story of friends and people in an American town who are so enamoured of such Game of Thrones worlds, that they spend their time studying up mediaeval lore, preparing costumes for re-enactments, for cultivating and ye-oldy vocabulary and deliverance, thinking up spells and other concoctions – as well as having strong rivalries.

As the initial credit show, they do some rituals in the forest with the help of a book which has a mysterious stone glow, and open up the dark regions. Much of the film is re-enactment, corny mediaeval-type encounters, real life when time out from the game is demanded, and a whole lot of silly incidents are depicted. Until a spell is uttered and the sky produces a femme fatale (looking exactly like the hero’s ex-girlfriend) who proceeds to destroy a lot of the players. For those audiences with a bit of a humane touch, the killings are rather unexpected as well as gory. However, computer game players who are bent on destruction of enemies as they play will take all this and their stride.

The hero is played by Australian Ryan Kwanten, who has broken up with his girlfriend, is more than a bit sick of playing mediaevil games but is persuaded by his friends, especially the towns Wizard, Steve Zahn, to participate. He meets an attractive young girl who also takes the game seriously and they discover the dead bodies, finding that they have to confront the evil spirits, and speak out some spells. The rather obnoxious captain of the other team is played by Jimmi Simpson as a vain twit.

Unfortunately, too many drugs (which might explain the screenplay and the direction) and sexual references for younger audiences, under 12, who might find that this is a show with buzz.