Product Details

• Actors: Shane Macomber, Dave Overman, J.P., Paul Vorvick, Fern Zimmerman
• Directors: Cullen Hoback
• Format: Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Lifesize Ent.
• DVD Release Date: September 2, 2008
• Run Time: 80 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001AZIRVS
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #125,114 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

MONSTER CAMP - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An interesting look into a misunderstood world., September 29, 2008

By 

M. Collings - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Monster Camp (DVD)

If you ever feel like you don't belong or are misunderstood watch this film. It takes you to a place where people who just can't fit in with society gather to pretend like they fit in with a society that doesn't exist.

Yea confusing. No matter what you think about these types of people the film makers show an amazing insiders view of this strange and often disdained activity. It was eye opening and hilarious at the same time. If you like documentary on social subsets this is for you.

1.0 out of 5 stars Not much of a movie, January 30, 2012

By 

roko roko - See all my reviews

This review is from: Monster Camp (DVD)

I originally decided to watch the movie because of its amazon rating of almost 5 stars, and ended up being very disappointed, so I wanted to lower expectations for others who might consider watching. I found the movie boring. There are no highs or lows in the movie and no plot. Except if the administrators of the games in Seattle having too much work to do is the plot? NOT that there's a great fuss made about this, in fact there isn't, but not too much about anything else either. You are introduced to a number of people who take part in live action role playing, and hear their comments about their involvement. You see some battles which from the outside look kind of lame. I was hoping for at least great costumes, but the costumes are pretty simple for the most part, probably the imagination of the participants makes up for this. But from the outside, some costumes look as rudimentary as a sheet with a hole for the person's head. There are a few imaginative makeup jobs, and halloween masks, but for the most part one views some adults in a field hitting each other with fake swords and yelling odd things to one another that might have something to do with points. The participants seem to like LARPing, but this movie doesn't show it why.

3.0 out of 5 stars This camp is less than monstrous. Or interesting., September 7, 2011

By 

Don Matteo (New Hartford, CT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Monster Camp (DVD)

So I ended up watching quite a few documentaries over this past weekend, two of which had a common theme. What was the common theme you ask? It was nerddom. Utter and glorious nerddom. I feel a special affinity for nerds because, to be frank, I kind of am one. I understand the attraction of games and genre fiction. However, these films showed some of the more extreme examples that are out there. Let the awkwardness begin!

So..."Monster Camp." "Monster Camp" follows the trials and tribulations of the Seattle branch of NERO, the New England Roleplaying Organization. NERO is basically a live action fantasy roleplaying game where players assume the roles of wizards, warriors and various monsters. Face paint, homemade costumes and foam rubber swords are everywhere you look. Think Augie from "Role Models" and you get the idea.

The first thing that struck me about this "game" is how ridiculously complicated it is. In one scene, a man named Fern (yes, Fern) is instructing a new recruit on the finer points of dealing damage in a melee battle. Fern explains that your weapon deals out a certain number of damage with each strike and may have enchantments that make it deal out certain types of damage. It is your responsibility to then yell out what type and how much damage you are doing with each strike of your mighty Nerf sword of doom. For example, you would yell out "Normal 2!" for 2 points of normal damage. Got all that? Of course you do.

How this actually plays out in practice is a bunch of grown men and women spastically swinging "weapons" at each other screaming "NORMAL2NORMAL2NORMAL2!" in a swarm around some poor sap that is playing a monster. This really underscores what I think is the major problem with the film. The game is boring to watch. Really, really boring. It's needlessly complicated and they all take it very seriously. While the film goes for the predictable "look-at-how-ridiculous-this-all-is" laughs, that pretty much gets old after the first ten minutes (although a very husky man playing the part of a giant death moth or something shouting "HYPNOTIC STARE!" while spreading his cape "wings" is pretty hilarious).

The film's attempt to humanize the players is mostly done in such a way that we pity them. Two best friends/roommates that are profiled haven't finished high school, one a seventh year senior and the other a fourth year senior. Of these two, one of them doesn't even have a job. He plays World of Warcraft all day while his roommate is at work and then moves to videogames on the TV when his buddy gets home. Another player is criticized by his daughter for playing too many games and his solution is to buy her a computer so they can both play in the same room together. You just never get any more emotionally invested with these people because they seem so alien, to me at least. And if your documentary can't make you connect with the subjects, what's the point?