Geekscape’s Sundance 2013 Review: ‘Virtually Heroes’
VIRTUALLY HEROES is a fun comedy about the sarcastic and self-aware hero of a first person shooter, Sgt Brooks. It is actually the first Roger Corman produced film to be programmed at Sundance in the festival’s history. The director, G. J. Echternkamp, and screenwriter, Matt Yamashita, were given the task by Corman of coming up with a story that could make use of 11 Vietnam War action films in his vault that were all produced in the 1970’s & 80’s. Their first attempt was a story about a Rambo inspired character who goes on a brutal mission in the jungle while taking time to pursue his passion for bird watching. No joke, they revealed this tidbit at the Q&A after the screening. Fortunately for us, Corman passed on that treatment and the guys wrote a video game inspired script that became this film.
The movie starts with Sgt Brooks realizing his life in a rut. Yes, video game heros have feelings too. He and is partner, Nova, are playing the same levels over and over again as they tirelessly try to advance in the game. The attractive female at the end of every level constantly eludes Brooks because right as she is freed from the level boss, another villain appears to take her to the next stage. Amidst severe depression and in search of his true self, Brooks abandons the missions and seeks counsel from an elusive monk thought to be a flaw in the programming code.
The filmmakers craft an engaging story mixing the footage they shot with all the fighting, explosions, and action sequences taken from those 11 films in the Corman archive. While it is evident that they shot in the canyons outside of LA, clever editing and filmmaker cheats blend the scenes together nicely. Sprinkled in are countless video game references to such classics as Call of Duty, Streetfighter, World of Warcraft, and even Contra. The cast’s performances are solid and Robert Baker owns the role of Sgt Brooks. Unfortunately for you die hard Corman fans, there is no gratuitous nudity. For the scene in which it would have been most appropriate, the director hired his girlfriend and her BBFs as extras and it would just have been to too awkward for him…bummer for us. The good news is that there is a sweet cameo by Mark Hamill.
Expect this laffer to come to DVD and VOD soon and if it does well, I bet Mr. Corman can find another bunch of films in his archives to convert to a modern day video game.
Cast and Credits
Director: G. J. Echternkamp
Screenwriter: Matt Yamashita
Executive Producer: Roger Corman
Coproducer: Dwjuan Fox
Cinematographer: James Mann
Producer, Editor: G. J. Echternkamp
Principal Cast: Robert Baker, Brent Chase, Katie Savoy, Mark Hamill, Ben Messmer
