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After four years of post-production and distribution delays, the low-budget LARP horror-comedy Knights of Badassdom has finally made it out to the public. For the uninitiated, LARP stands for Live Action Role-Playing and generally involves groups getting together to play Dungeons & Dragons-style role-playing games in full costume with foam weapons. Considering that half the world is obsessed with fantasies like The Hobbit and Game of Thrones right now, this should be a pretty ripe target for parody.
Knights of Badassdom begins with slacker and wannabe hard-rocker Joe (Ryan Kwanten) getting dumped by his girlfriend, Beth (Margarita Levieva). His best friends, Eric (Steve Zahn) and Hung (Peter Dinklage), decide that the best way to help out involves dragging him out to a massive LARP event. After Eric gets a little too into his wizard character by summoning a demon that’s a dead ringer for Beth, the “Battle of Evermore” gets crazier and much more dangerous.
If nothing else, this film boasts one of the most nerd-friendly casts I’ve ever seen. After three years and an Emmy win, it’s impossible to see Dinklage swing a sword and crack wise while in full medieval armor and not think of his character on HBO’s Game of Thrones. He and Zahn bring the most enthusiasm as the hardcore LARPers, while Kwanten gives the audience some relief as the one guy who recognizes how insane this all looks to anyone from outside the group. There’s also a nice role for genre favorite Summer Glau as one of the more level-headed LARPers and the obligatory new love interest for Joe.
The main cast members are largely surrounded by real-life, dedicated LARPers, and the film’s affection for the admittedly non-mainstream group keeps the proceedings from sliding into outright mockery. It takes a shot here and there, secure in the knowledge that grown men throwing bean bags and yelling “Lighting bolt! Lightning bolt!” will never cease to look ridiculous. It’s all in good fun, though, and, to their credit, everyone seems to be having a great time.
That’s what makes it such a shame that the film as a whole comes across as a bit lifeless. There are great moments here and there, but Knights of Badassdom can’t bring them together enough to propel everything forward. The settings are sparse and empty, especially given some of the elaborate costumes brought by the LARPers. And many of the horror effects, though sometimes inventive, aren’t convincing enough to generate thrills or black comic laughs. Getting the tone right makes or breaks a good horror-comedy, and everything here just seems underdone.
As it stands, Knights of Badassdom should please those who’ve been waiting for a decent LARPing movie. That’s not a huge group, and unfortunately there’s just not enough spark here to cross over to a more mainstream audience. It’s a clever setting and a game cast, but the end result is all just pretty good, and that’s not enough for a film that wants to be bad-ass.
Blu-ray Review:
Knights of Badassdom comes with a small set of special features that are mostly forgettable, including promotional interviews and clip montages. The one that’s worth checking out is the full panel presentation from the film’s Comic-Con appearance with the cast and director Joe Lynch. Their enthusiasm and chemistry with the fans gives a nice boost to project.
