Parents' Guide to

Gamer

By James Rocchi, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Ultra-violent sci-fi action film aims to shock and offend.

Movie R 2009 95 minutes
Gamer Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 16+

Based on 18 parent reviews

champhouse
champhouse Parent of 11 and 13-year-old
February 16, 2023
age 18+
Within the first 10 min, boobs were flashed three times. Ok whatever But then two topless women were making out and feeling each other up. Cmon! I wanted to watch an action movie with my son. Those scenes weren’t necessary to the movie.

This title has:

Too much sex
mayjay
mayjay Adult
May 4, 2015
age 18+

No way

Sadistically stupid, full of exagerrated violence and nudity.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
See all 18 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In a near-future world, advances in technology have made it possible to link the central nervous system of one human with another -- so that one person can control the other's actions and acts remotely. A high-tech entrepreneur (Michael C. Hall) has built two lucrative programs from this technology -- one a Second Life-styled social game called Society, and the other a more dangerous, direct form of entertainment called Slayers, in which controlled death row inmates fight and battle -- and anyone who survives 30 "games" earns a pardon. Kable (Gerard Butler) is three games away from his pardon, and his operator, Simon (Logan Lerman), is eager for the glory that achievement will bring him. But as the game grows more deadly, a secret set of facts comes to light, and Kable and Simon both have to fight to survive.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (18):
Kids say (15):

Glossy and gory, GAMER doesn't offer much to moviegoers aside from hyper-realistic violence and slam-bang slivers of sexual material. Kable's need to liberate himself from the system to save his family is an incredibly familiar plot arc, and the amoral cast of characters occasionally doing the right thing as the plot progresses doesn't do much to hold our interest. The villain is a fairly thin character as well -- his motives are muddled at best, and we're simply supposed to accept his actions without being given much reason as to why.

There's no denying that writer/directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor have a flair for rapid-fire shooting and cutting; what's more in doubt is whether they can use that hyper-swift style to create anything like coherent storytelling. There are a few smart moments in Gamer (including an inventive way of refueling an abandoned car), but they're by and large adrift in a sea of gore, nudity, and under-written character moments. Gamer is all fizz and sugar, with no real substance or skill behind the wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am plot stolen in bits and pieces from other films.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about some of the tricky questions that often surround video gaming: Is the high-tech simulation of violence a way to blow off steam or a dangerously desensitizing process?

  • Why do so many people respond so strongly to the idea of living a second, different life through computer technology?

Movie Details

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