Stay Alive (Unrated) (DVD)
Boy oh boy, aren't inconceivable ideas fun? Too bad a movie with such a ridiculous idea went the wrong way with that very inconceivable idea. It could have been fun.
Our story begins as a young videogame tester comes across a new game and after playing it he dies. Fortunately enough for our filmmakers the friends of said dead guy don't yet know of how he came to meet his demise and decide playing the game is a necessity. I guess it isn't so silly that a group of guys would be excited to play a new videogame that hasn't yet hit the market, but when a couple of hotties played by Samaire Armstrong and Sophia Bush join the group I think it is a bit of a stretch.
So we get deep into our story and as people that played the game the second time around begin to die the mystery grows and our lead characters go all Scooby-Doo and hop into Abigail's (Armstrong) van and search out the origins of the game and the story behind it.
Even though I didn't see the theatrical cut it is pretty easy to figure out what extra footage made it into this director's cut and the filmmaker commentary also reveals the rest, such as a scene in which Abigail is going to the bathroom and needs a fresh roll of toilet paper. Thank the Lord that scene is now in the film! Other than that there are more than just the one "fuck" that can be used in a PG-13 movie, more blood, a little gore and even a little nudity. However, I think we all know that these unrated cuts of films rarely turn out to be any better, and since this movie is a stinker it doesn't really matter. By the way, who has sex wearing a fucked up looking pig mask? Does that really happen and what girl allows this?
As for the special features there is really nothing special, but there are some things to mention. First off there is a silly little "game" involving matching menu characters up with the proper configuration of weapon and shirt and you get access to a secondary menu containing nothing special. Oh boy. Next is a silly little 90 second visual effects reel that quickly rushes through quick shots of pre-vis effects shots among other things. Finally is the filmmaker commentary with director William Brent Bell and writer Matthew Peterman. While the commentary is actually more interesting than the movie itself, it doesn't really matter because I didn't really care to listen. However, there are a couple things to mention. First, Peterman is talking about something when Brent farts and with a quick quote of, "Dude, Brent that was gross..." Peterman continues his thought. Sorry, that just made me laugh. The more important thing, that is actually a bit disturbing, is that the commentary seems to be edited or dare I say censored, and not by the commentators. There is even a section that follows a long pause in the commentary and the guys say that the worry that a lot of the commentary won't even be heard... I just wonder what they were saying. Oh well, I am sure I will forget about it once I am done with this review.
Although I didn't like this movie I wouldn't be surprised if hardcore gamers find some enjoyment in it. It speaks a little to that genre but I am not even sure if this is going to be enough to pull you away from that online multiplayer extravaganza you are knee deep into at the moment.