"Gamer" recalls those awful virtual reality movies of the 90's "Johnny Mnemonic" and "Virtuosity". Directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor (those filmmakers critics love to hate) the movie is stylish trash; an imcomphrensible mess that is almost quite pointless. I'm sure there's an allegory about today's interactive entertainment, but it's lost amidst the heavy battle scenes that are horribly shot. Forget the "shaky cam", if you want action that makes no sense at all, watch "Gamer".

That being said, the team of Neveldine/Taylor can never be accused of making boring movies. Their films seem to be hyped up on energy drinks. I saw "Crank 2: High Voltage" this past Spring and watching "Gamer" provided a similar experience. It's the kind of movie that is made for those who want their video games, tv shows and movies melded together. I don't if you can call it serious filmmaking, but the directing duo obviously have a cult following. This movie is tailored for thier audience.

In "Gamer", Gerald Butler plays a modern-day gladiator that is actually an avatar for a 17 year old gamer. He's a convict who is a contestant on "Slayers", a reality tv show (that is also a video game tournament) which has become global phenomenon. In the beginning of the film, Kable (Butler) has 4 battles (of 30) left before he is rewarded with freedom. The rest of the film deals with his wife (who is also an avatar) and a group of rebels (led by Ludacris, of all people) that want to shut down the system due to its horrible origins. Micheal C. Hall plays a young Bill Gates-esque millionaire who created the game and it's predecessor "Society" (an obvious rift on the PS3's online networking system "Home").

Like Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale, Butler makes a convincing action hero, but he was much better in "300". His performance here is minimal (he looks depressed most of the time), but that's obviously due to the lackluster script. I'm sure for Butler, making this movie was more like hitting the gym than it was attending acting class. Alison Lohman (of "Drag Me to Hell") has a cameo as a rebel who helps him. The movie has decent acting from the cast, but it was weird how the movie turns into Neveldine and Taylor's version of a musical at the climax.

Overall, "Gamer" is more entertaining than "Halloween II" and "The Final Destination", but it's still a movie that wasn't made with critics in mind. If you liked last year's "Death Race", than you'll like "Gamer". Oh, and for fans of gore, there is some of that here, but don't expect a Zack Snyder-esque bloodbath. Surprisingly, there's restraint when it comes to the red stuff in this film.