Knights of Badassdom (2013) User Reviews

Not as bad as the reviews

[imbendingtime · 7/10 · 15 August 2014]

It's not as bad as some of the reviews make it out. But you do have to be a geek at heart.

You don't have to be a LARPer necessarily, but you do have to know a little about the culture. There are a lot of jokes and references that if you know nothing about roll play, LARP or just general geekdom, they will pass you by.

So yeah its not for everyone, but it is funny and the actors all put in exceptional performances for what it is.

It's not meant to be a block buster CG extravaganza, so don't expect a block buster action horror and you will enjoy it.

But again, if you know nothing about geek culture this will go right over your head.

Great performances by all, need to say that again.

Fun, actually solid comedy

[CelluloidDog · 7/10 · 17 December 2014]

Rarely do immature comedies get approval or good ratings. There are a few: Dumb and Dumber or There's Something About Mary….or anyone of Will Farrell's movies. But perhaps viewers take themselves too seriously. This film is centered around a LARP (live action role-playing game) battleground where characters do often take themselves seriously in some sense. Often costumes are makeshift and battle scenes are amateurish. Authenticity is mixed since imagination takes precedence. The movie takes the same approach, hence, the goofy dragon and monster from hell. Peter Dinklage as Hung is a fun, atypical hero and Summer Glau is slinky as Gwen (isn't every medieval female lead named Gwen, short for Guinevere?). Watch it for fun, light humor. It is funny, geeky and goofy. The subtitles are cute/creative, direction is average, acting is average (actors usually shouting), script is good at times, flat at other times and some gag just doesn't work. It's a slightly above average comedy but you have to appreciate the geekiness and lightness of the film. I'd give it a 6.2-6.3 rating…round off to a 7 just to counter the critics. Just unserious fun to bring a smile and chuckle but maybe not for everyone.

Lot's of fun for the right audience

[mecheart · 7/10 · 15 July 2014]

Let's get something out of the way straight off. 'Knights of Badassdom' is a low budget film rife with culture references, music and humor targeted at a specific cross section of movie viewers. If you're one of 'them' or one of 'us' perhaps, you'll get this movie, appreciate it, and likely recommend it to certain friends.

Did you play Dungeons and Dragons way back in middle school in the eighties? Maybe you were a teen when you purchased the debut albums of several late 70's early 80's heavy metal bands? If so, this flick is for you.

Buyer bewares aside, for what it is, what it intends to be and what transpires from start to finish 'Knights of Badassdom' does not disappoint. It's likely true that given the premise, much more could have been accomplished with the script, the cast, the "message", etc. That's all well and good criteria for evaluating many films. This one however, is about simple fun.

Suffice it to say, there's grown men prancing around in armor, wearing fairy wings and discussing plus 3 maces. There's an ancient book of spells, summoned demons, and Summer Glau doing combat with them in a short skirt of tasses. To top it all off, the hero fights a demonic monstrosity with lyrics from a death metal song he composed. Sound cool? if so, watch it!

Disappointing

[ateisti · 4/10 · 12 February 2014]

I had pretty high hopes for this movie. The premise seemed good, I love geek humor, and Peter Dinklage is nothing short of awesome. Unfortunately, the movie fell flat on pretty much all fronts.

The characters were boring and had no depth. The plot was non-existent. The paranormal stuff felt out of place, and the low budget special effects made it look like a campy B movie (but not in a good way). Majority of the jokes were neither geeky nor especially funny.

If you're into LARPing, you *might* get something out of this. For others the movie will most likely be a disappointment. If you haven't seen them yet, I'd recommend checking out Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2010) or The Cabin in the Woods (2012) for a similar (but better) comedy/horror experience.

Time to don your +3 ass of perfection!!

[lojitsu · 7/10 · 12 April 2017]

A-Z Horror Movie of the Day..."Knights of Badassdom" (R - 2013 - US)

Sub-Genre: Paranormal/Comedy

My Score: 6.5

Cast=8 Acting=6 Plot=7 Ending=7 Story=5 Scare=4 Jump=6 F/X=7 Creep=6 Funny=9

Live-action role players conjure up a demon from Hell by mistake and they must deal with the consequences.

"'Tis not the size of the young knave's blade, but the lust in his thrust by which legends are made!"  I have only LARP'ed a couple times, but I really enjoyed this. You really don't need to know much about it to get the movie...and with a great cast like this it was very fun to watch. This kind of had an "Army of Darkness" feel to it, but that does not mean it's THAT great. If thou wishes to join a fine quest full of adventure, mirth, and peril...don your +3 ass of perfection and put this in thy player.

Wanted to love it. Sadly, I couldn't

[paperbackwriter28 · 1/10 · 15 February 2014]

I admit, I was disappointed as well.

The trailer for Knights of Badassdom came out in 2011 and I was immediately a fan based on the material present in the trailer. After all, it had three of the most recognizable names of the time: Steve Zahn whose acting chops have been untouchable since his first theatrical appearance, Ryan Kwanten who was staring in one of HBO's biggest episodic dramas; and Peter Dinklage, who at the time had become one of the biggest breakout stars of HBO's newest, most popular episodic drama at the time. Those 3 names alone have made me sit on pins and needles for the last three years waiting the release of this film. The film had all the makings of an awesome movie. So why didn't it deliver?

Anticipation was perhaps the biggest factor that killed this movie. After 3 years and after the rumors and endless failed promises about its release, everyone was expecting more. Four years after shooting principle photography and 3 years of what we now know to be cuts and more cuts to the movie and changes of the original script, we are left with a movie that didn't' live up to its potential, didn't utilize its impressive cast, didn't deliver clever or witty dialog, didn't give depth to its characters and fell flat on an entertaining plot. Instead, it tried to build a plot around stoner humor and failed to really find the sense of fun befitting this wonderful geekfest that is LARP.

The target audience of this movie is obviously anyone who is part of a LARP, SCA, or renaissance festival clan. I, myself, am proudly part of one and I know several hundred people who were anticipating this movie. And while the movie does well in "mapping out" LARP, showing the intensity with which the players get into their characters, the costuming, the weapons, the banners, the trips and even the elaborate nature of our tent cities, the story should have spent more time exploring that side and give it more justice. Instead, it rushed through it as a punch line that never delivered a laugh. I so wanted to like what this movie could have brought to LARP and cosplayers because from what I saw in the trailer, I naturally recognized either myself, my friends and my camp at faire. Instead, I was given more disappointment.

The movie furthermore failed to really deliver purpose and motivation for the characters. I found the motivation of Steve Zahn's character. His purpose was very clear. You know Gunther's motivation, only because his cousin spends 5 minutes of dialog telling the audience. Yet, they are the only ones. Why were the redneck paintballers so against the LARPers? Why did Ronnie know so much history about the spell book? What were the relationships and histories of any of the other LARPers that later showed tension and animosity toward each other? Creating a history based on catching another nerd masturbating is not even trying in the writing department. It's uninspired and quite frankly, is probably the oldest nerd joke in the book.

And the body count. Beware, this paragraph contains spoilers. The biggest mistake the story made was killing Peter Dinklage's character. Of course, this movie was filmed BEFORE he became a household name and before he was nominated for every acting award in television. But I felt very little when his underdeveloped character was killed other than the fact that the movie was going to start going south very quickly for killing one of the best actors on the cast. Hind sight is 20/20, so unfortunately the director and writers wouldn't have known what a mistake it would have been to kill him at that point. So, there's not much else I can say about that. However, the remainder of the gore was very unnecessary. I understand if the succubus was going to kill a few to create the sense of evil, but it should have been better used to the advantage of the story as a whole. An entire LARP community is wiped out in 20 minutes. If that's not insulting to nerds, I don't know what is. And who survives? The hot guy and the hot girl who had no real interest in LARP (and were practically dragged there in the first place) and their nerdy friend who is independently wealthy and lives in the suburbs in a house with a castle façade. What is the underlying message the movie is trying to deliver in killing every LARPer present? Seriously, that was the best they could come up with?

And lastly, the special effects and ending….cheesy, laughable, pathetic. When Ryan Kwanten's character started singing at the end to defeat the daemon, I wanted to turn it off. There simply are no other words to describe how horrible the ending was. And the coda at the end was pointless.

Believe me, I spent three years waiting on this movie. Three years wanting to like it and told all my friends about it. I promoted it when our local theatre wanted to present a special showing of it. I planned to have a viewing party built around it. Luckily a friend bought the YouTube download of it and let me watch it ahead of time. Maybe you get what you paid for.

Disappointed. Simply disappointed.

Promising Start, But Doesn't Know Where To Go...

[knight110tim · 6/10 · 9 April 2014]

Knights Of Badassdom exists in a mystical confluence, equal parts Monty Python & The Holy Grail, Animal House, Galaxy Quest and Friday 13th but never quite rises to the brilliance of its forebears.

Having just been dumped by his girlfriend, wannabe doom metal singer Joe (True Blood's Ryan Kwanten) is 'kidnapped' by his two best friends - hardcore LARPers Eric (Steve Zahn) and Hung (Game Of Thrones' Peter Dinklage) - to the site of their next big event, The Battle Of Evermore.

Joe is reluctantly talked into joining the Live Action Role Playing game - helped by the presence of the lovely Gwen (Firefly's Summer Glau) - but, unfortunately, in his quest for authenticity Eric has purchased a magical tome off eBay that turns out to be a long lost book belonging to the famous Elizabethan sorcerer John Dee.

When Eric reads a page at random as a mock spell, he unknowingly summons a succubus from Hell that proceeds to feed on the souls of the LARPers.

Soon after that Joe and Gwen realise that people are dying for real and take up arms to strike back at the monstrous demon and try to save their friends.

Knights Of Badassdom starts very promisingly, with plenty of loving nods to both LARPing and Dungeons & Dragons (this certainly isn't a mockery of geeks), but once the horror aspect enters the mix, the film doesn't really know where to go.

Now, I'm pretty certain that I read a ways back that this release of the film was not the director's vision of the story but a cut put together by the producers. This might explain the feeling that after a while the story is just spinning its wheels.

What starts off as belly-laughing funny (very much in the style of The Big Bang Theory, but with more swearing) that had me thinking this might one day equal The Holy Grail as geeks' go-to game quote movie eventually lapses into mildly amusing, by-the-numbers fare.

There are plot holes a-plenty and a lot of undeveloped characters (for instance, what was the deal with the redneck paint-ballers and their major hate-on for the LARPers? Outside of explaining why the police didn't turn up at the camp site when the slaughter began, they were totally redundant to the plot), which again suggests to me to retrospective re-cutting of the film for whatever reason, making do with what footage was on-hand.

Don't get me wrong, it's good and certainly clever in parts, but there's an inescapable feeling that it could have been much better. There are some great characters, and great "in-story" world-building by the LARPers, but it all degenerates into a big slug-fest with a rubber-suit monster.

Depending on your mood - and your attitude to random absurdity in movies - the climax of Knights Of Badassdom will either have you smirking at its ridiculousness or reaching for the remote control to turn off the television.

It's such a shame because I genuinely believe this could have been - if done right - a cult classic. As it is, I fear it will simply be swept under the carpet as a missed opportunity and promptly forgotten about.

Of course, the film's biggest mistake: not enough Dinklage.

Mediocre at Best

[IKnowGoodFilms · 1/10 · 12 February 2014]

This was one of the biggest let downs of recent memory. After reading all of the positive reviews, and seeing the incredibly high rating, I really thought I would be in for a treat. The movie wasn't funny, except for a few mild smiles here and there. The special effects, especially towards the end, were atrocious. And the characters were wooden with nothing brought to the screen. And the main premise for the demon was a cringe worthy rip off of the Necronomicon from Evil Dead. The movie has a incredible cast with Peter Dinklage, Summer Glau, Ryan Kwanten, and Steve Zahn. But unfortunately they totally failed to use almost any of their characters to their full (or any) potential. Ryan Kwanten was the only one who was even half way interesting. There were countless times that they could have made something humorous, or even hysterical, but instead it fell totally flat and was just bland. (Where was them humor after the games began and they set it up so obviously for Dinklage?!) I can understand fans of larping enjoying this film, as that unique aspect was the only half way saving grace of this snore-fest. But I can't imagine anyone else could even find it more than mildly entertaining.

3/10 stars and that's being generous.

Not As Good As It Could Have Been, But Enjoyable None The Less

[Schnayblay · 7/10 · 18 July 2014]

There's something refreshing about a film that is only made for a certain, small audience. They usually know precisely what they are, and therefore the audience ends up enjoying themselves all that much more when they watch it. But every once and a while, there are movies of the sort that have so much potential and yet the end up squandered and falling short. While not the complete case here, "Knights of Badassdom" definitely needed another draft or two on its script. As much as I wanted to love this movie, I just couldn't. At least, not fully.

"Knights of Badassdom" is about a group of friends whom, after one of the three getting dumped by his girlfriend, go to a LARP festival for the weekend to get his mind off her. What is LARPing? Live-action-role- playing. Imagine a bunch of dudes in armour and robes with foam weapons playing out scenarios from Dungeons and Dragons. This alone was enough to get me interested in the film. I've always considered attending one of these events, if just for the experience. The money and passion some people put into this stuff is out of this world. And even the most anti- fantasy person could get down with swinging around a sword of any type against other people without consequence. It taps into a child-like imagination that I think really ups the enjoyment in the film for me. Had this been any other type of event where the plot happened, I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much I think.

The second things that got me into wanting to watch this knight's tale is the cast. "Game of Thrones"' Peter Dinklage (who also produces this film) and Summer Glau of "Firefly" and "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" (two of my favourite TV shows) are both featured. No matter what these two do, I'll always watch it. And they are without a doubt the best parts of the movie. Not just from a fan-based perspective, but they have the two most interesting characters in my opinion. Dinklage is an accidental millionaire who is a regular attendee and enthusiast of LARPing, while Summer Glau plays chaperone to her hardcore LARPing cousin whom she watches after, due to him having a mental disability. Quite touching for a movie that didn't really require any emotional depth to the characters, but it's highly welcomed and appreciated that the film actually took this next step and made it more logical for a drop-dead gorgeous woman to attend something like this. Not to say LARP women can't be attractive, it's just in media, the stereotype works against that.

So how is the acting in the film? Well, it's hit and miss. Some characters are great, others aren't. Our main hero is Joe; a heavy-metal singing guy who just wants to live a normal life, despite his eccentric friends. Actor Ryan Kwanten does him decently, but his characters archetype is so clichéd that I can't help but barely care for him. I don't know if he didn't do as great of a job because of the weak nature his portions of the script were, or because Kwanten himself just isn't that great an actor. Either way, mediocre to say the least. For me, the biggest disappointment was Steve Zahn as Eric, the most dedicated of the company. I like Zahn in what I've seen him in, especially the highly underrated (in my opinion) "A Perfect Getaway". Here, however, his character was flat, annoying and expendable. I think this fault is more on the writers and director Joe Lynch, as whenever Eric makes a joke it always falls flat and I wind up hoping for his scenes to end.

The two final things I want to address here are the special effects and the climax. I feel like with a film like this, it's important to point out how impressed I was with these elements. The special effects are almost all practical, with a little bit of low-quality CGI. However that kind of works with the half-assed nature of LARPing and the characters costumes in general, so I can run with it. In the end of the film, there is a giant monster that goes on a killing spree. And I was so joyed to see it was rubber suit. Too many low-budget horror films use almost all their spendings on terrible CG to make their creatures, or they try to make sure the monster is in the film, but just rarely or never show it to "add mystery". It's so refreshing to see this art has not completely died out. Considering the nature of this film, I think they nailed this perfectly. Also, the climax of this film is great. It's a fun little field battle, speeches and all. The comical nature of legions of grown people waving foam swords around had me thoroughly entertained and I think it was the best part of the whole film. Also, the way the monster is defeated completely lives up to the title of 'badassdom' and is one of my favourite film kills as of late.

In the end, I didn't completely love nor hate "Knights of Badassdom". I'll say it was worth the watch, but I'm unsure whether I'd buy it. Maybe if I saw it for $5, as Dinklage and Glau definitely add rewatchability to it and the overall premise is amusing. Not as good as it could have been, but it didn't fail in its purpose either. Now, if these knights select to go on a second quest, I would most certainly accompany them once more.

Kind of A Stinker

[MarkDGardner · 5/10 · 26 January 2014]

After reading the other reviews, I can only conclude that either the reviewers were paid to say complimentary things, or else they saw a completely different movie than the one that got filmed.

"Knights of Badassdom" is disappointing. The plot is that of a very standard evil-monster movie, with no surprises. Normally, it would disappear without a ripple and never see the light of day except on DVD for fans of obscure, poorly-written films. The acting is mediocre, the filming is average, and the production values are, at best, unexceptional.

The only bit of novelty here, and indeed, the only bright spot in the film at all, is the fact that the producers chose to make the lead characters be live-action role-players. This is indeed unusual, and the humor in the film comes about nearly exclusively from the parody of the various clichés of role-playing, and gaming in general. Some of this was reasonably well done, and is entirely why I gave the film a rating of 5; without it, the film would have gotten a 3, as being a standard, low-budget, gore-filled monster movie.

Considering the respectable amount of effort put into the production, the result is rather sad; one would think that they could have come up with a better and more interesting script.

Ultimately, the movie is mildly entertaining, but for the wrong reasons. It's funny mainly because it's so ridiculous in its portrayal of the characters. The audience laughs frequently - but mostly when someone gets killed. Kind of the way you laugh at a really inept home video. This is unfortunate in a movie where the actors and crew worked so hard.

Overall, the film is only notable for being one of the few to mention LARPers at all. Fans of LARPing will be tickled. Fans of phony blood will enjoy seeing plenty of it scattered around.

Other than that, it's completely forgettable. Save your money.

Enjoyable, entertaining

[poopjuggler · 8/10 · 12 April 2014]

Do you people ever just watch a movie and enjoy it without analyzing the crap out of it? I thought this movie was fun and entertaining, despite it not being THE GRAETEST MOVIE EVAR MADE. "Oh no, the effects aren't perfect." "Waah.. they didn't have a $100million budget" "OMFG there's a plot hole in the 23rd minute of the 2nd act!!" I keep seeing reviews that say "Oh, I was EXPECTING such and such, and it didn't deliver". Stop creating expectations based on a 2-minute trailer. Just try watching a movie for fun and turn off your brain... This movie is actually pretty funny if you know LARPers. Summer Glau is super-hot, as always. I really enjoyed how they would build up mega-drama with the music and dialoge, and then turn it off instantly and it's back to Nerdville -- I thought that was clever. Make some popcorn and watch this, just make sure to take the stick out of your arse first..

For the nerd in us...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 23 March 2014]

If you enjoyed "Zero Charisma" then chances are that you will also like "Knights of Badassdom". And, of course, if you are a super geeky LARP enthusiast, then you will definitely enjoy this movie. As a player of Dungeons & Dragons, but with no possible interest or understanding in the LARP thing, then I still found the movie to be enjoyable.

The story is about a bunch of geeks coming together in the forest for a weekend endeavor of LARP (Live Action Role-Playing) when an in-game sorcerer accidentally unleashes a succubus into the mortal world. Things quickly turn bloody and foam-weapons need to be exchanged for steel.

There are some really fun and inside references to everything nerdy in aspects of being a roleplaying game enthusiast; such as the Manowar and King Diamond references. Not to mention the namedropping of various monsters and races from the Monster Manual. Those who play D&D will surely pick up on those throughout the movie.

Despite the movie's budget, then director Joe Lynch actually managed to put together a fun and enjoyable movie. The storyline was geeky, yes, but it was nice and fun to watch. And despite the nerdy geekness, then the storyline was actually very entertaining.

It should also be said that the movie had some nice talents to it, and people did great jobs with their given roles and characters (in every sense of the word). And the actors and actresses really helped the movie along quite nicely.

The effects in the movie were quite alright as well, and the demonic version of the succubus was actually quite cool, looking like something of a mixture between (and here comes one of those things only RPG nerds will understand) Tanar'ri, Baatezu and a gremlin from the "Gremlins" movies.

"Knights of Badassdom" is well worth watching if you are into roleplaying games, LARPing, or if you just had a geeky nerd hidden somewhere in your heart.

As much as I detest LARPing, then I tried not to let that color my impression of the movie. For its entertainment value, then I am rating "Knights of Badassdom" 6 out of 10 stars.

Please rename the movie Knights of Dumbassdom

[marthanewsome · 1/10 · 12 February 2014]

It was a big disappointment to watch. This movie seems to be the brain child of someones drunken weekend. It was not at all funny and very predictable. I think the LARP theme was suppose to make it funny, but failed to pull off any comedian element at all. I placed the mental age of the movie at 10 years or under. It really should be renamed Knights of Dumbassdom. Wish I never wasted my money and time watching it. I even tried to laugh to humor myself that I didn't just waste my money on such garbage. There was a full audience where I went to see it and only two people seemed to enjoy what they were watching and they were two late teenage boys, who seemed high. If you enjoyed this movie and you are over the age of 10, I would urge you to seek mental help and stop your drug use to minimize anymore brain damage.

Complete utter shite

[Alexxx_Horror · 1/10 · 14 February 2014]

It had the makings of a good movie but somehow they just blew it. Taking mushrooms in LARP event, summoning a demon from hell, nerds etc... you can write a brilliant comedy just from those but this time they just didn't. There was not a single funny moment or a line in the whole movie...C'Mon there's a little person doing a lot of drugs and somehow they manage to make that not funny. How is that even possible. The only good thing about this tragedy is that it's short. Acting was not that bad but this movie just wasted their talent...

Don't WASTE YOUR TIME. WATCH TUCKER AND DALE VS.EVIL INSTEAD!!!!

(I cant get my head around the fact of how bad this movie is)

Stupid awesomeness

[Bored_Dragon · 7/10 · 21 June 2018]

This movie is simultaneously extremely stupid and awesome. Although "Kick-Ass" is much better, this movie is for epic fantasy what "Kick-Ass" is for the superhero genre. If you like FRP, LARP, epic fantasy, B horrors and heavy metal, or if you were the fan of "Todd and the Book of Pure Evil" series, this is something you simply must not miss.

In the middle of some forest nowhere a big live-action fantasy role play tournament is held, but one of the "wizards" accidentally uses the real spell and the innocent game turns into real bloodshed.

Story and characters are not particularly well-developed and everything is two-dimensional, so in combination with a small budget we get a production fiasco. On the other hand, the idea is great, the gore scenes are fun and the cast is fantastic. In the leading roles there are legendary Tyrion Lannister, nerdy Steve Zahn, then Ryan Kwanten and cutest sexy ballerina Summer Glau, whom I am in love with since the "Firefly" series.

I rate it seven, which is the average grade between its objective (un)quality and my enthusiasm.

7/10

Wow this is so bad it peels paint from the walls

[bkbirge · 3/10 · 14 February 2014]

OK I went into this expecting a lot more. I mean Dinklage, Zahn? Both great and funny actors with lots of charisma. I wouldn't say they are going through the motions here but the material they were given is awful and their characters have zero depth, there's nothing for them to do in this movie. There was no reason for them to be in this movie. There are some funny self aware moments and maybe if you are into this LARP stuff the movie will speak to you more than me, but overall this is a major low budget cheese-fest. Jimmi Simpson was the main bright spot in this movie, playing the "villain" (kind of) in such an over the top manner that you can't help but chuckle every time he says something. I would have liked to see what the Super Troopers guys would have done with the same budget and characters, I have no doubt that it would have been 100x better, and their movies are hit and miss too. The movie itself outside of the LARP setting is a purely paint by numbers affair targeted to the frat boy stoner demographic. Pacing is not bad and the film makers have a handle on the craft part, but there is no story and very little humor. And in that stoner genre there are WAY better movies, the aforementioned Super Troopers for one, and the Harold and Kumar movies for another. Don't waste your time. This is barely on par with straight to cable "ScyFy channel" crud.

Enjoyable geek comedy

[jfgibson73 · 6/10 · 8 August 2021]

This movie follows a group of live action role players on the day of their big game. Except that someone has a spell book that's real, and they accidentally summon a demon who is killing them off one by one. This was goofy fun. The breakout character was Ronnie, the over the top gamemaster. It's pretty low rent, but I would watch it again.

such an awful movie

[leofender70 · 1/10 · 18 February 2014]

when i first discovered this movie it's rating was 9.1!!!!and it was such a surprise for a comedy..when i watched it had a rating of 8 and i totally regret watching this movie..if you want to torture someone then its good..otherwise don't waste your time unless you are drunk ...i am happy that its rating keeps falling and hopefully will go below 4 ..i am not a hater and generally i don't write reviews but this movie was a large disappointment according to the rating..if the rating falls to 4 then you will know what to expect...there are some known faces in the movie but no one manages to improve the movie ..in another movie maybe this cast would have performed better

Quite Funny, Mixes Well With the Horror Elements

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 11 February 2015]

Live-action role players conjure up a demon from Hell by mistake and they must deal with the consequences.

Due to meddling from the studio, director Joe Lynch has notoriously distanced himself from this film. Although how his version differs from the cut available on Netflix and in stores is unknown, one must assume Lynch would have given us even more gore. He is, after all, a master of gore.

Lynch's reservations notwithstanding, the film is still surprisingly good. The cover looks terrible, but sometimes that old adage about judging a book (or film) by its cover rings true. This is a superb blend of humor and horror with some recognizable faces. While no one is A-list (sorry Steve Zahn and Peter Dinklage), there are many faces that will be known to viewers. Even better if you have a background in role playing games.

Boring and Unfunny

[bloodweiser1 · 2/10 · 16 February 2014]

Knights of Badassdom is not a good movie at all. In fact, it's trash. It had a decent idea as a foundation to build on (Live Action Role Playing) and should have been able to come out with something a lot better than it did. Instead, it came up with nothing. The basic story is about group of friends who take part in a LARP in the woods of US and who unwittingly unleash a demon. Said demon then bumps into LARP players (mainly in the dark) kills them and steals their souls. Group of friends then decide they have to stop said demon. Now that premise should be a basis for some great visual and verbal gags, right? Wrong. The humour was stale and the visuals were almost non-existent. There wasn't a single moment in this movie where I grinned, let alone laughed. It offered nothing in the way of humour whatsoever. Don't let people fool you into thinking only "geeks" or LARPers would get this movie. There's nothing in there that would fly over the head of a "regular" guy and which would be looked upon as an in-joke and there's simply nothing fresh or original on offer here. The acting is OK but then there really wasn't much for the actors to work with. Special effects? Again, nothing to note really. Script? Boring and unfunny - I can't recall a single line that stood out amongst the crowd. And I can't even say that Knights of Badassdom would make a decent popcorn movie. Sure, PMs tend to be empty and shallow but at least they come with at least one redeeming feature like humour or action. KoB gives nothing in that respect. So my advice is to give this one a miss. Go LARP for real. Even if you hate it, you'll have more fun than you would watching this movie.

I Agree With Poopjuggler

[BeauThai · 10/10 · 21 October 2016]

This is a popcorn movie, and one that was made on the cheap. You can't expect an epic like the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy from a production with a budget like a "Little Rascals" neighborhood play. So chill out, pop some of that popcorn, grab a cold soda, and kick back and enjoy.

FYI - There was one aspect, towards the end, that I was a little disappointed with.....but what the hell. Unfortunately, I can't add any more detail to this comment without risking a spoiler.

BTW - Normally I would have given this a rating of 7 or 8, but since it is deserving of a much higher average than the measly 5.7 that it currently has, I've given it a perfect 10!

Genre mash-up makes for a fun video and popcorn evening

[jaywensley2004 · 6/10 · 12 December 2014]

LARP's on a lark get chewed up and spit out for laughs in "Knights of Badassdom" (BTW: a terrible title!). The elaborate medieval role players are nothing but gore fodder, the production values are surprisingly high (the costumes are brilliant) and one of my favorite actresses (Summer Glau) is a highlight as she vamps it up in a pretty-good bad movie. This movie is made to order for Riff Trax, or just gather your nerdiest friends for a night of (deliberately) cringe-worthy dialogue and as fine a rednecks vs. nerds battle as has ever been filmed.

I would compare this movie to "Sharknado" in that both give the impression of being movies that were originally written as serious genre films (disaster and horror respectively) and someone had the sense to make them so over the top as to become entertaining camp.

Waste of time ever

[PawelSokolowski · 1/10 · 26 February 2014]

I am not sure if this title was supposed to be scary or funny, but it was neither of them. I deeply regret I wasted 80 minutes of my life on this. Special effects are far from professional. Acting mostly poor, Peter Dinklage is an exception, his name probably works as a bate for viewers. I am not very often mislead by IMDb ratings, but this time it was real surprise. Although I am also a gamer and familiar with LARP, but voters must have been from some LARP fan club, voting on the movie only because this is first movie about LARP, at least first one I heard of. Non existing plot, boring from the beginning to the end. One thing that was funny, was poor attempts of makeup artists to make scary effects.

Just Terrible

[shoshfor · 2/10 · 28 February 2014]

I love LARP and Renaissance Faires. I wanted so badly to love this movie, but it was so very disappointing. I give it two stars because I love the idea of the story and the cast. That being said, they could have done so much with this movie and it could have been great. But it fell so short. True it is a bit of a rip off from Evil Dead but that is a cult classic, an amazing movie, and many people do spoofs. However the QUALITY of a movie shouldn't suffer because it's a spoof.

The plot development was absolutely horrible and there was no substance to this movie at all. Thank god, I didn't waste money to see this in theaters. It felt like this movie was thrown together in a week and someone with enough funding gave the green light.

The biggest problem in this movie was the demon, which is a huge problem because it's the most essential part of the movie. For starters:

1) It had absolutely NO character. Why create a demon that acts like it can't speak and mimics what others say? Even if it's learning, there should be some kind of portrayal that it understands human weakness and preys on them. There is none. I can pretty much count on my hands the number of times it spoke which is a joke.

2) It makes far more sense for it to be dressed in the time period in which the book was constructed. It would fit the LARP theme and make the movie more interesting and cohesive, and provide camouflage while preying on the LARPers. A woman running around in a prom dress, growling and eating people is hardly what I consider to frightening character in a LARP movie.

3) The live action demon was just plain laughable. Can you say rubber anyone? I've seen better monsters on face off. I knew that this was supposed to be a comedy horror but it was funny for all the wrong reasons.

I couldn't ,in all good conscious, give this anything above 2 stars.

Loose yourself into fantasy for a bit and enjoy!

[chrichtonsworld · 7/10 · 17 February 2014]

Knights of Badassdom was one of the few titles that had a trailer that truly made me look forward to a title. Believe me when I say that there haven't been many titles who managed that. Now I have read that the director did not sign of on this and that the studio's interfered and have edited it against his vision. That is very regrettable but in this case not leading to dissatisfaction as much as some would have you believe. The film has an incredibly fast pace with a cast that clearly is having fun and it shows. Plus it is one of the few that managed to make a contemporary movie with a heavy Eighties vibe that made you nostalgic for all the good reasons. I liked how LARP (Live Action Role Playing game) was being made fun of and respected at the same time. It's just a bunch of guys and gals that are having fun with a more active approach on those old boardgames like Dungeons and Dragons or online games like World of Warcraft. Even people who aren't into these kinds of things must admit that the fun factor is immediate appealing. Come on we all got lost into fantasy when we were children. Why should that have to change when you grow up? As long as you not get lost in it too much (which is also being addressed in the film) but that goes for everything. Knights of Badassdom is badass, go watch it!