Beta Test (2016)

Champion gamer Max Troy discovers events in a new video game are being mirrored in the real world, and must join forces with the game's protagonist, Orson Creed, to unravel the conspiracy before the game's sinister plot overwhelms the city.

Director:

Nicholas Gyeney

Writers:

Nicholas Gyeney (story), Nicholas Gyeney

Stars:

Manu Bennett, Larenz Tate, Linden Ashby

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Manu Bennett	...	Creed
Larenz Tate	...	Max
Linden Ashby	...	Kincaid
Kevon Stover	...	Zane
Brandy Kopp	...	Tech Support
Sara Coates	...	Abbie
Yuji Okumoto	...	The Surgeon
Edward Michael Scott	...	The Professional
Edi Zanidache	...	The Runt
Bill Sorice	...	Interviewer
Stefan Hajek	...	Slackjaw
Adrien Gamache	...	Caleb Angelo
Mark Riccardi	...	The 2nd Professional
Angela DiMarco	...	Lillian Brandt
Angela Okumoto	...	Reporter

Storyline

While testing the latest first person shooter from global game developer, Sentinel, video game champion Max Troy discovers the events happening within the game are being reflected in the real world. He soon determines that the game's protagonist is real-life Orson Creed, an ex-Sentinel employee who is being remotely controlled by the corporation for reasons unknown. As virtual and real worlds collide, Max and Creed must join forces to unravel the conspiracy before the game's sinister events escalate and overwhelm the city.

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Plot Keywords:

wilhelm scream | video game | gamer | gun | fighting | 

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Taglines:

The game is real

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Genres:

Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 July 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Béta teszt

Filming Locations:

Seattle, Washington, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,600,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,778, 22 July 2016, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$10,104, 28 July 2016

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mirror Images LTD.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The console that the gamer does his beta test on is simply a redressed Nintendo Game Cube. Noticeable by the mini disk (a mostly dead format able to hold very little data) and the handle. It is sitting sideways, so the top is now the front.

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Crazy Credits

Nothing is what it seems

User Reviews

Like a low-budget beta version of "Gamer (2009)" really

After seeing the rating for this on here (currently at 7.0, although I suspect that will change) I thought that this might actually be really good.

But uhm, let's just say I think the director have a lot of good friends who are kind with their ratings.

It's not completely awful, but it's not that great either.

I've always liked Larenz Tate so it's cool to see him in something new, so there is always that, and he hasn't aged a day in 20 years (he's 41 believe it or not).

He plays a gamer who's been given a beta version of the latest game bound to conquer global fandom, and the plot is decent enough but it's just such a low-budget film and that shows in every aspect of the movie.

First of all the "game" that he's playing looks like it's well over 10 years old, and it simply doesn't make any sense why they couldn't just use real footage in the game scenes instead. Then at least Larenz would have a clear reason to be so blown away by the details in the game.

And the "twist" about the game of course would have made A lot more sense too.

Kevon Stover is one of the bad guys, and his attempts at being so stereotypically tough would make even Hulk Hogan cringe. I suppose that could be intentional to get a bit of 90's video-game feel to the character. But yeah, he's a chippendale appearantly which doesn't come as a surprise at all.

The first hour is still semi-watchable if you manage to look past the flaws but the last 25 minutes is a bit of a drag to say the least.