This is a watered down Todd and the book of pure evil with Atari instead of heavy metal. The story line exists (more than I can say for some B movies), the FX are good enough to support the story, and they got a real cast although they are mostly supporting characters.
The story gets lost for about 20 minutes around the 1 hour mark and the main character is obnoxious with his everybody sucks but me attitude.
I have definitely seen worse.
38 Reviews
Very fun and cute
smoshlova-717579 August 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I liked this movie. I really loved the animation during plot building stories. It's super cute! The movie overall is kinda cheesy with the lines and decorations in certain parts. The special effects is very silly at times but I think it's meant to be. Other times its distracting. Other than that I really liked this movie and would watch it again.
This movie is super fun and cute.
Some parts felt like IT jargon but were still pretty funny. This movie doesn't take itself too seriously the whole time and sometimes that's exactly what you need in a movie. I like that at the end of the day this movie was just a project from someone with a passion for video games. The ending was fun and unexpected.
I like the ending a lot.
This is a very fun and high energy movie.
Tom Plumley has been someone I've followed on the internet through YouTube for years. I loved seeing him in this movie. Him and the other actors in the film really seemed excited for this to be released and were so proud of it.
Put this on in a watch party with your gamer friends and just have a good laugh and have references you haven't thought about in years reappear. Very fun and good movie to watch with friends !
Well, at least they tried...
paul_haakonsen8 August 2020
I hadn't even heard anything about "Max Reload and the Nether Blasters" prior to getting to sit down and watching this 2020 movie from Scott Conditt and Jeremy Tremp. So I didn't know what I should be expecting from the movie, aside from it looking like something from the 1980s based on the cover/poster.
Then I saw that Greg Grunberg, Wil Wheaton, Martin Kove and Lin Shaye were on the cast list, and I must admit that sparked a bit of hope for the movie. Personally, I can't claim to have an ounce of interest in Kevin Smith, so there was no hype for me there.
And now that I have just finished watching movie, I must admit that I am left with a sensation of "was that really it?" in the wake of the movie. Sure, there was a really nice 1980s vibe to the movie, and lots of interesting and fun references and Easter eggs throughout the movie. But ultimately the movie was just too mundane and generic - not to mention predictable.
The storyline was straight forward, but a bit too much so. Because it felt like directors Scott Conditt and Jeremy Tremp were just running on auto-pilot mode. There were no surprises along the course of the story as it unfolded on the screen.
The acting in the movie was adequate, but the lack of an overly interesting or captivating storyline was sort of serving as a ball and chain around the actors and actresses' performances.
All in all, "Max Reload and the Nether Blasters" turned out to be a less than mediocre movie that mostly aim at gamers and hardcore pop culture nerds, while leaving less entertainment value to the rest of us mainstream audience members.
My rating of "Max Reload and the Nether Blasters" is a mere four out of ten stars. While I managed to sit through it, it wasn't a particularly outstanding or memorable movie experience for me. And this is by no means a movie that I will be returning to watch again, even though I am a child of the 1980s myself.
Then I saw that Greg Grunberg, Wil Wheaton, Martin Kove and Lin Shaye were on the cast list, and I must admit that sparked a bit of hope for the movie. Personally, I can't claim to have an ounce of interest in Kevin Smith, so there was no hype for me there.
And now that I have just finished watching movie, I must admit that I am left with a sensation of "was that really it?" in the wake of the movie. Sure, there was a really nice 1980s vibe to the movie, and lots of interesting and fun references and Easter eggs throughout the movie. But ultimately the movie was just too mundane and generic - not to mention predictable.
The storyline was straight forward, but a bit too much so. Because it felt like directors Scott Conditt and Jeremy Tremp were just running on auto-pilot mode. There were no surprises along the course of the story as it unfolded on the screen.
The acting in the movie was adequate, but the lack of an overly interesting or captivating storyline was sort of serving as a ball and chain around the actors and actresses' performances.
All in all, "Max Reload and the Nether Blasters" turned out to be a less than mediocre movie that mostly aim at gamers and hardcore pop culture nerds, while leaving less entertainment value to the rest of us mainstream audience members.
My rating of "Max Reload and the Nether Blasters" is a mere four out of ten stars. While I managed to sit through it, it wasn't a particularly outstanding or memorable movie experience for me. And this is by no means a movie that I will be returning to watch again, even though I am a child of the 1980s myself.
Should've been so much better
TheTruthofItIs22 August 2020
The plot is decent enough but the implementation/execution is "B" or "C" level film-making, and that's what you get with a pair of directors with no other feature release to their credit. The cheesy VFX are from the 70s. The other problem is that our teenage protags are played by actors at least 10 yrs older, so that wanks. It's just an all-around poor effort. +1 for you if you can endure to its end.
Don't let reviews fool you... there definitely is not any nostalgia.
realityinmind26 September 2020
What nostalgia? Nerd gamer talk and a fake coleco vision commercial? This movie isn't nostalgic. There is actually more modern day references to video gaming than there is nostalgic. This movie is pretty horrible to be honest. The cast includes the typical post-2010's characters (which is a rehash of the typical post-1980's characters)... quasi-handsome lead male who acquires the girl after proving his bravery, chubby comic relief, semi-attractive nerdy girl who has affection for the lead male all throughout the movie but has an ex-boyfriend who hates the lead male and progresses from being interested in a super hot male to acquiring the lead male, quasi-jock ex-boyfriend who chews bubble gum and hates the lead male, quasi-hot supporting male that saves the day and sacrifices his life for everyone, bumbling vietnam-vet alcoholic grandpa who takes care of his grandson because the parents died and he shows interest in his grandson's hobbies, supporting old man idols that the younger cast need to consult in order to save the world, and Kevin Smith... who never leaves one room and probably filmed all his scenes within a couple of hours.
Like I said, there is no nostalgia. The movie follows no rules set by classic gaming... such as the fact that the classic game is bound to the gaming system's graphics. What does that mean? Well, the main character plays an atari game that, at first, shows that it has the type of graphics expected in an atari game. Then it jumps to a game that has 8-bit/16-bit graphics..... completely impossible. Its not relatable for true gamers. This movie almost seems like it was made by someone who doesn't know anything about gaming.
The special fx are pretty weak, but that is expected. But the acting could be much better. The script could be much better. Just because it is a low budget movie doesn't mean that it has to suck so much. This movie hopes to be Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, but that will never happen. What should you watch instead? I recommend RUN LOLA RUN (1998).
Like I said, there is no nostalgia. The movie follows no rules set by classic gaming... such as the fact that the classic game is bound to the gaming system's graphics. What does that mean? Well, the main character plays an atari game that, at first, shows that it has the type of graphics expected in an atari game. Then it jumps to a game that has 8-bit/16-bit graphics..... completely impossible. Its not relatable for true gamers. This movie almost seems like it was made by someone who doesn't know anything about gaming.
The special fx are pretty weak, but that is expected. But the acting could be much better. The script could be much better. Just because it is a low budget movie doesn't mean that it has to suck so much. This movie hopes to be Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, but that will never happen. What should you watch instead? I recommend RUN LOLA RUN (1998).
Empty, unoriginal and poorly executed
iamMarkPrice25 September 2020
Max Reload and the Nether Blasters is a film about Max Jenkins (Tom Plumley), a conceited teenage gamer who takes his friends and everyone around him for granted. He is simultaneously billed as all powerful, yet powerless when it comes to his rival Seth (Lukas Gage). Seth too is a gamer, and the ex-boyfriend of Max's coworker Liz (Hassie Harrison).
Why are Max and Seth rivals? No idea. Their only connection is Liz, making it unlikely they'd have even met let alone become rivals. Nonetheless, Seth attempts to bully Max. Max doesn't care though because he's too conceited and emotionless. In fact, all of the characters in the film lack any kind of emotion, character arc or motivation for what they're doing.
Max almost immediately finds out he's as special and amazing as he always thought he was and from there it's just a movie about how special he is. At the very surface there is a basic story here, but it's unsupported by any kind of depth.
Characters are barely defined stereotypical tropes that lack any kind of growth. They are all utterly irredeemable people. There is nothing here for the audience to invest in, at no point does it feel that anyone is in actual danger nor that anything is at stake. Story is very poorly crafted and executed.
All of this might have been forgivable if not for the fact writer, directors Jeremy Tremp & Scott Conditt have worked together in the past as writer, directors on two other extremely similar films.
This movie is not worth your time, watch something else, almost anything else but this.
Why are Max and Seth rivals? No idea. Their only connection is Liz, making it unlikely they'd have even met let alone become rivals. Nonetheless, Seth attempts to bully Max. Max doesn't care though because he's too conceited and emotionless. In fact, all of the characters in the film lack any kind of emotion, character arc or motivation for what they're doing.
Max almost immediately finds out he's as special and amazing as he always thought he was and from there it's just a movie about how special he is. At the very surface there is a basic story here, but it's unsupported by any kind of depth.
Characters are barely defined stereotypical tropes that lack any kind of growth. They are all utterly irredeemable people. There is nothing here for the audience to invest in, at no point does it feel that anyone is in actual danger nor that anything is at stake. Story is very poorly crafted and executed.
All of this might have been forgivable if not for the fact writer, directors Jeremy Tremp & Scott Conditt have worked together in the past as writer, directors on two other extremely similar films.
This movie is not worth your time, watch something else, almost anything else but this.
Not bad for a cheesy B movie
travispetrillo8 August 2020
Right out the gates, when you see Kevin Smith, you know it's going to be a cheesy film full of silly jokes. He may not have wrote or directed for this movie, but this in a way still feels like one of his creations, though maybe tending towards a younger audience than usual.
The acting is pretty good, though the scripts over-reliance on dated gaming memes was a little over-the-top corny at times, and some references just came off awkward. There's not a ton of depth to story, but it was funny and enjoyable nonetheless, and I'd say it's worth a watch if you're looking for a simple easy flick.
The acting is pretty good, though the scripts over-reliance on dated gaming memes was a little over-the-top corny at times, and some references just came off awkward. There's not a ton of depth to story, but it was funny and enjoyable nonetheless, and I'd say it's worth a watch if you're looking for a simple easy flick.
Good premise with amateur execution.
frankblack-799612 September 2020
Dont Let the Low Rating Fool You
whsergent10 August 2020
The Nether Blasters and Max Reload.
morrison-dylan-fan11 June 2021
Warning: Spoilers
After the fun of Vicious Fun (2020-also reviewed) I was pleased to see another 80's-set genre flick being presented at GRIMM Fest,leading to me meeting Max Reload.
View on the film:
Aiming to evoke the warm glow of the Family Adventure flicks of the 80's, the screenplay by co-writers/co-directors Scott Conditt & Jeremy Tremp sadly miss their target,due to little urgency coming across in Max and his interchangeable buddies sprint to save the world from a boo-hiss baddie,with 8-Bit gaming lingo dialogue coming off as being forced into an Adventure that suffers from stop/start glitches.
Whilst the coding for the script sadly turns out faulty, the directors display their love for video games with vibrant 8-Bit animation, slick whip-pans towards Max and his pals fighting to defeat the cursed Colecovision game, and neon-lit wide-shots on Kevin Smith unloading gaming trivia in the game shop,as Max reloads.
View on the film:
Aiming to evoke the warm glow of the Family Adventure flicks of the 80's, the screenplay by co-writers/co-directors Scott Conditt & Jeremy Tremp sadly miss their target,due to little urgency coming across in Max and his interchangeable buddies sprint to save the world from a boo-hiss baddie,with 8-Bit gaming lingo dialogue coming off as being forced into an Adventure that suffers from stop/start glitches.
Whilst the coding for the script sadly turns out faulty, the directors display their love for video games with vibrant 8-Bit animation, slick whip-pans towards Max and his pals fighting to defeat the cursed Colecovision game, and neon-lit wide-shots on Kevin Smith unloading gaming trivia in the game shop,as Max reloads.
Enjoyable - Family - Harmless Fun
james_abbey9 August 2020
Ok, the writers o the script may not be Shakespeare, but after watching some of the other weird crap out there (Believable !!! comes to mind) this isn't a bad way to spend a bit of time escaping.
The actors (all of them) play their characters with the camp and craziness that an escapists video requires. Greg Grunberg, Kevin Smith, Martin Kove and Tom Plumely embrace their roles with a sense of humour. Special shout out to Hassie Harrison and Joey Morgan for playing the faithful and resourceful side kicks to Plumely's egotistical Max.
If you have 90 minutes or so to sit back and escape this year, you will either really hate or have some fun watching it.
One last thing - the jokes and references come fast and furious in this video.
The actors (all of them) play their characters with the camp and craziness that an escapists video requires. Greg Grunberg, Kevin Smith, Martin Kove and Tom Plumely embrace their roles with a sense of humour. Special shout out to Hassie Harrison and Joey Morgan for playing the faithful and resourceful side kicks to Plumely's egotistical Max.
If you have 90 minutes or so to sit back and escape this year, you will either really hate or have some fun watching it.
One last thing - the jokes and references come fast and furious in this video.
A heap of fun
flowirin23 September 2020
If I am judging movies by the smile on my face while i'm watching them, then this one is a winner. It is silly, it is fun. The script is elevated by some really engaging performances, and it works.
Nothing highbrow, but kinda what movies are all about.
Thanks, guys.
Nothing highbrow, but kinda what movies are all about.
Thanks, guys.
Minimum Load
questl-185923 February 2021
This was a fun nostalgia fueled flick that failed to really knock it out of the park and sort've landed in mediocre territory thanks to it's delivery and clunky storytelling. There's just too much up and down here, moments I loved and others I rolled my eyes at. Not really much to say about it but it's not the worst thing ever, worth a background watch if you're in the mood for some retro gamer vibes but it's not exactly brilliant.
Cheesy game movie
jim-13485-7865912 August 2020
Someone read ready player 1
Eddie_weinbauer22 August 2020
And decided to make a quick movie. If you take the last star fighter,Pixels+ a few other.Than mash em all together.Add some over the top, retro 80s cheesiness,and you have this movie nailed down.
The sad part is.There's really no story. You don't care about any of the people in it. And Kevin Smith need to exclude him self form any move that don't involve Jay & silent BOB. He comes of just like what he is. And over the hill old guy who try to be cool on a teen level,but don't succeed.
The movie in it self is about some Old Atari/cartridge game, that has some mythical status among gamers, Than suddenly it get dropped off at the work place by some mystical dude who has some evil plan you don't understand,nor care about. Our main character try to uploaded it to internet. an trigger some sort of "magic" evil plan.
Several of the scenes has some cheesy bad graphic overlay for no apparent reason. Like PAPER BOY back in the Arcade game days,
In short stay away,
PS Kevin,if you reading this, and come with another complaint about how critics didn't understand the movie,and how you invested 2 years of your life into it....NOBODY CARES! It looks like you invested 2 min into it,and barley that
The sad part is.There's really no story. You don't care about any of the people in it. And Kevin Smith need to exclude him self form any move that don't involve Jay & silent BOB. He comes of just like what he is. And over the hill old guy who try to be cool on a teen level,but don't succeed.
The movie in it self is about some Old Atari/cartridge game, that has some mythical status among gamers, Than suddenly it get dropped off at the work place by some mystical dude who has some evil plan you don't understand,nor care about. Our main character try to uploaded it to internet. an trigger some sort of "magic" evil plan.
Several of the scenes has some cheesy bad graphic overlay for no apparent reason. Like PAPER BOY back in the Arcade game days,
In short stay away,
PS Kevin,if you reading this, and come with another complaint about how critics didn't understand the movie,and how you invested 2 years of your life into it....NOBODY CARES! It looks like you invested 2 min into it,and barley that
Well, they tried
jellopuke5 October 2021
This had potential but was sunk by a few things: a plot that made no sense when you stop to think about the series of events/goals/situations, some really bad writing in parts, needless 8 bit transitions, a lack of budget causing there to be no sense of scope of what was going on, a lead actor who was way too young for what was needed, a lead character who was just unlikeable in all ways, KEVIN SMITH RUINING EVERY SCENE HE WAS IN. STOP USING HIM, HE IS TERRIBLE.
I wanted to like this a lot, because it had promise, but it was just one of those things that needed another pass on the script and someone to say NO TO USING KEVIN SMITH.
I wanted to like this a lot, because it had promise, but it was just one of those things that needed another pass on the script and someone to say NO TO USING KEVIN SMITH.
Decent movie for soem gamer geeks.
XpocalypseSurvival4 May 2021
An evil gamemaster tricks a developer into inserting a Sumerian spell into the code of a game which grants the gamemaster control of the minds of anyone who plays it.
Rating: 6/10. They made a good effort with this one. If you are not a gamer, it will likely be less entertaining to you. It is an interesting story and there is definitely some appeal to the old-school gaming. The young leads do a pretty good job and there are some great side characters, like the always off-her-rocker Lin Shaye. The effects and the fighting sequences could use some work.
One of the things I love about the movie Turbokid was that everything about the movie felt retro, including the outfits, props, music, and even the way they filmed it. This movie didn't have to be all retro, but still there was something about the old-school gaming elements that just felt applied rather than immersive, and fundamentally, that is what the movie really missed on.
Survival Lesson: Remember to shield the breach with a DNS and IP encryption so that the bots won't detect the re-route source. I have no idea if that means anything, but at the very least, you might sound cool saying it.
Rating: 6/10. They made a good effort with this one. If you are not a gamer, it will likely be less entertaining to you. It is an interesting story and there is definitely some appeal to the old-school gaming. The young leads do a pretty good job and there are some great side characters, like the always off-her-rocker Lin Shaye. The effects and the fighting sequences could use some work.
One of the things I love about the movie Turbokid was that everything about the movie felt retro, including the outfits, props, music, and even the way they filmed it. This movie didn't have to be all retro, but still there was something about the old-school gaming elements that just felt applied rather than immersive, and fundamentally, that is what the movie really missed on.
Survival Lesson: Remember to shield the breach with a DNS and IP encryption so that the bots won't detect the re-route source. I have no idea if that means anything, but at the very least, you might sound cool saying it.
It was okay, but I kinda expected more
Hex_0mega28 December 2020
From looking at the poster, I was expecting to see some monster fighting action going on in this. There really wasn't... It felt kinda bland and only really gave me a chuckle or two. Since it is an action comedy, the corny, low budget effects are excusable. I guess I just thought it was going to be a little more heavy handed with the action element than it was. I kinda thought it would turn out to be something sorta similar to "Ready Player One", but it wasn't even remotely. Its not the end of the world if you decide to give this one a pass. Kevin Smith was kinda funny and he was part of the reason I gave it a watch, but he didn't have an incredibly big role in it.
Bad...Not Terrible..Just Bad
chazzatl7327 December 2020
Awesome Movie - not just for gamers!
bobbiixlove8 August 2020
This movie was a great movie to watch with some friends and having pizza! We loved this movie and it was super funny, there are some very well known actors and actors who seem to just be getting started on their career! Tom Plumley was great as MaxReload. Kevin Smith was super funny as always, as was Greg Grunberg! The movie had a nice 80s theme to it, and had moments where the movie was different types of video games. Very cool and new movie, almost like Jumanji but 2020 vibes.
Gamer film created by non-gamers
arcanusdevious18 January 2021
Nothing new!
opticuscro13 November 2020
So the story that runs through the entire movie has already been seen in some previous works, the backbone is that something comes out of the virtual world and attacks (already seen). The acting is pretty bad as well as the choice of actors, the graphics given today's possibilities could have been a much better, worst of all are the sound effects that are literally unpleasant to the ears. All in all, poorly done and already seen!
Where did the time go...
diamondcisneros1 September 2021
Don't waste your time
matrobe4 May 2022
I went in to watching the movie hoping for a campy, nerdy, comedy that would be easy to watch; I had high hopes that if Kevin Smith was in it, it would be good. It had none of what I had hoped for. The acting was terrible, and definitely not in a campy way; none of the actors were believable in their roles, the character development was terrible, the dialog was hard to even listen to, and none of the characters had remotely realistic personalities. The story was terrible; there was no commitment to a style or genre, the settings were bad, there was no real flow or progression to the story, and the action and dialog throughout the movie never really contributed to the actual story.
Even though it was released in 2020 it felt like they were trying to give the movie a late 90's early 2000's vibe and emulate what made movies from that era fun and great, but they failed miserably at that. The jokes didn't land, the relationships didn't hit, and what was meant to seem campy and fun came off as bad acting. The movie overall seemed to have very little substance to cling to and it was a struggle to sit through the entire thing, although I wouldn't tell people to never watch it I would tell them to be prepared to regret watching it at the end.
Even though it was released in 2020 it felt like they were trying to give the movie a late 90's early 2000's vibe and emulate what made movies from that era fun and great, but they failed miserably at that. The jokes didn't land, the relationships didn't hit, and what was meant to seem campy and fun came off as bad acting. The movie overall seemed to have very little substance to cling to and it was a struggle to sit through the entire thing, although I wouldn't tell people to never watch it I would tell them to be prepared to regret watching it at the end.
Deserves better than 1 star but far less than 2
avattimo-4781319 February 2023
As dictated by my group's rules, any movie that we can physically make it to the end credits gets at least a 2. That's about the only good thing to say here. This is just a sad attempt at classic video game nostalgia with absolutely none of the charm. The main character is a one-dimensional character with 0 charisma and raging hard-on for ColecoVision. His friend is the typical "lowest on the totem pole" dude who also adds nothing. Then you have the cliche gamer woman who is far smarter, more elloquent, and someone who can do way better in life.
Lastly, you have Kevin Smith who must have had a lot of unpaid parking tickets to appear in this pile as their boss. Nothing more to say here.
Personally, this was likely a movie so that the film crew and actors could purchase expensive computers and claim a business write-off for tax purposes.
Lastly, you have Kevin Smith who must have had a lot of unpaid parking tickets to appear in this pile as their boss. Nothing more to say here.
Personally, this was likely a movie so that the film crew and actors could purchase expensive computers and claim a business write-off for tax purposes.
See also
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