Delayed Reaction: Knights of Badassdom

The Pitch: What if LARPing became real?

How I Came Into It: This was a movie that was in production hell both in post-production and distribution. That alone intrigued be, because I'm reminded of Cabin in the Woods, which was simply too weird to know what to do with.

Why I Saw It: I'm curious if they actually went to a LARPing event and asked the people there who they'd like in the movie because I imagine Summer Glau, Peter Dinklage, and Danny Pudi would top those lists. Look, it's incredibly easy to make LARPing sound ridiculous, so even though the movie speaks in defense of it, it leans into all the jokes and responds with a defiant "yeah, and?". Just look at the title. It's designed for a specific niche (heavy metal LARPers who love violence: A pretty circular Venn diagram) and does everything it can to please them.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: This reminded me a lot of Raturepalooza. It's an indie comedy that I didn't really laugh at and felt to much like a side project or tryout for another job. I love the indie spirit of it, but it felt like everyone was there because they didn't have any plans for a couple weekends...although I'd rather watch something like this because it's fun and the filmmaker found a way to make it work than something lifeless that got churned out because of too much studio involvement.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend