When teen gamer Sarah finds an “easter egg” and accidentally opens a portal into her favorite side-scroller, she becomes trapped in a notorious intergalactic prison, home to the galaxy’s most dangerous villains. To escape, she must finish the game with a little help from her not-so-savvy friend on the outside…or remain a 16-bit character forever.
In the vein of “Ready Player One” and “Wreck ‘Em Ralph,” “The Intergalactic Adventures of Max Cloud” is set in a retro 16-bit video game. The titular Max Cloud (Scott Adkins) is muscular and polished resembling an ass-kicking Doll. He crash lands on the planet turned prison charmingly called Heinous with his smart-mouthed sidekick Jake (Elliot James Langridge). While communicating with a Space Witch (a man dressed like Bowie in the ‘70s), Max shows a strong belief in traditional gender roles. The space witch in a thick cockney accent tells Max that “men can be witches and women can be wizards.” Cloud says it’s as nonsensical as “a woman captaining a spaceship.” Before leaving he warns of a nasty foe named Revengor (John Hannah) who rules the prison planet and wants to kill the duo.
Turns out this is a video game being played by Sarah (Isabelle Allen), a teenager living with her single father Tony (Sam Hazeldine). She’s nearing the end of the game when her dad storms in and chastises Sarah for wasting her time on the TV. Judging by the character’s room and clothes, the film takes place in the 1980s. Her best friend, adorably named Cowboy (Franz Drameh), is coming over to hang out and wants to help finish the game.
Unfortunately, as these things happen in fantasy films, Sarah is transported into the game. She wakes up as Jake and is equally happy and terrified with her predicament. Logic isn’t important and somehow Sarah can communicate with Cowboy through the output audio TV speakers. Her best hope is to finish the game and be transported back to her known reality.
The screenplay, co-written by Martin Owen and Sally Collett, is silly and self-aware but I was ready for it to end about halfway through. I’m sure this film would please fans of “Doctor Who.” Collett also co-stars as Rexy a female pilot who keeps Max’s conservative thinking in check. In a humorous and relevant scene, he confesses to Rexy that he’s always wanted to cook and bake but “space heroes don’t belong in the kitchen.” The unexpected gamer bromance between Cowboy and Sarah’s father who admits to being a lifelong gamer and wants to help save his daughter was also a highlight.
Scott Adkins’ physical performance and fight choreography is spot on. I’ve seen him in action a few times so it’s clear he’s intentionally fighting stiff like an old-school arcade game character. It works comedically and a few fight scenes displayed impressive action.
It would have benefited the production if they toned down the costumes and sets. Max looks great but Jake and the other intergalactic citizens look too kitschy, like some fuzzy dice on a rearview mirror. With the gap between virtual reality and our perception of reality narrowing, the last thing we need is more video game immersive films. If you put on a pair of Oculus VR goggles, I promise it’ll be better than any film experience could try to capture. Also, I read there’s going to a “Ready Player One” sequel and I’m looking forward to not watching or reading that.
Now available on Digital HD and on Blu-ray™ and DVD January 19th
