There’s a school of thought that believes the best video game movies are the ones that aren’t even based on existing console favorites, with the likes of Dwayne Johnson’s Jumanji sequels, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Wreck-It Ralph, Free Guy, Crank and Ready Player One all making for a solid argument. Depending on which side of the divide you fall on, last year’s Hero Mode could be worthy of adding to the discussion, too.
Director A.J. Tesler’s independent comedy may have only secured a 46 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes and an average rating of 4.4/10 from over a thousand votes on IMDb, but users of the aggregation site have praised the intriguing adventure to the tune of an 84 percent consensus, highlighting the vast chasm of opinion.
The story finds Chris Carpenter’s gaming prodigy Troy being tasked by his mother (played by Academy Award winner Mira Sorvino) to create a game from the ground up in 30 days to help boost her struggling indie developer and make a splash at an upcoming invention, something that creates a rift between Troy and his fellow coders.
That’s without even mentioning Nelson Franklin’s Rick, the shady CEO of a rival conglomerate looking to take over the struggling smaller outfit, strip its assets, and fire all of the employees. The ensemble cast features an eclectic mix of recognizable actors and gaming personalities, which has clearly been enough to propel Hero Mode to streaming success.
As per FlixPatrol, the divisive deep dive into an unrealistic portrayal of a multi-billion dollar industry has cracked the HBO Max global Top 10, by virtue of charting high in 20 nations. It might not be for everyone, but it’s been a winner for subscribers, at least.
Published: Aug 12, 2022 8:03 AM UTC