Director: Riyad Barmania
Starring: Stuart Ashen, Chris Kendall, Dan Tomlinson, Warwick Davis, Robert Llewellyn
Running Time: 89 Minutes
Certificate: PG
Whoever said you can’t make a Youtube star into a real star? Well, actually that was myself, but only after I suffered through that deplorable FRED: THE MOVIE. I guess my trepidation could be further excused by the fact that Ashens, the Youtuber who stars and writes in this film, is known for reviewing crap (or “tat” as he likes to refer to it) upon a now trademark brown sofa. It’s a great channel to be sure, with wry and natural commentary bringing many laughs to each of his videos. It’s a formula he’s been playing with for years: which is centuries in internet time. But surely you can’t translate internet reviews into a film with a narrative, likable characters, and engaging dialogue…can you?
ASHENS AND THE QUEST FOR THE GAMECHILD achieves more than it has any right to. What could have been an overblown journey into the mind of a Youtuber with delusions of grandeur is actually a wonderfully clever, funny, and impressive film that overcomes its low budget and lack of stars (excluding Warwick Davis and Robert Llewellyn) to offer one of the geekiest and hilarious films around. The plot reimagines Youtuber Stuart Ashen as the Indiana Jones of tat, as he goes on adventures searching out products to be reviewed. This leads him to the Gamechild, a cheap handheld console which has eluded Ashen his entire life. Taking Chef Excellence, a once loved mascot from a range of Italian inspired ready meals, under his wing, the duo set out to discover the truth behind this rare gem of crap.
Noticeable from the outset is the wonderful humour that is both present in the visuals and in the dialogue; a sinister looking man foolishly leans against a wheely desk chair, while geek references abound with the likes of “It’s hardly The Matrix. Maybe the third one.” It’s all a bit silly, but done under the smartest of circumstances. Many may expect the delivery to be subpar, but Ashen’s dry delivery carries over well from his Youtube channel and is complimented by the likes of dim but enthusiastic Chef Excellence (Tomlinson) and Ashen’s rival toy collector, the aptly named Nemesis (Kendall).
The story is hardly original, but it’s nice to see the old 80s stories of adventure and mystery solving referenced in such a madcap way. Children of the 80s will enjoy the references to their child, but it’s not essential. Also impressive is that the film rests easy in a PG rating. Instead of firing out offensive and crude humour, which could have easily been done, the film holds itself back in order to further replicate the films it loves to homage. Crowdfunded for a very small amount of money, ASHENS AND THE QUEST FOR THE GAMECHILD never uses its budget for humour, and great care has been taken to make it look outstanding.
[usr=4] ASHENS AND THE QUEST FOR THE GAMECHILD is released on DVD and Blu-ray from 14th July.
HLS
Jul 8, 2014 at 9:03 pm
Great review. I feel honored to have worked on it on some level.