The studio behind “Red vs Blue” has just released their first feature film and it’s as gloriously cheesy and fun as one could hope for.
The production team Rooster Teeth was founded in 2003 by a group of five guys. They soon began publishing the Halo based webseries “Red vs Blue” which has become the longest running webseries of all time. Over the years they released various other animated shorts and series growing their Youtube fanbase to a now staggering 20 Million subscribers. The next logical step for them was a crowdfunded live-action feature film. “Lazer Team” was conceived and broke records in both IndieGoGo revenue and On-demand presales.
So what exactly is “Lazer Team”? Imagine if the video game character Mega Man was divided amongst four small town goofballs tasked with saving Earth, and you have a pretty good idea what to expect. A plot like that could make many viewers wary, but in the hands of the Rooster Teeth team, we’re presented a delightfully silly and fun sci-fi romp.
It turns out that during years ago we were visited by aliens who warned us of an impending battle that would determine the fate of Earth. To prepare, a Champion (Alan Ritchson) is selected and trained from birth to be the perfect human defender. When the time comes, our alien allies would bestow upon him four gifts: A helmet, boots, and two gauntlets. Due to a massive, misfired, firework, these gifts end up permanently attached to our four “heroes”: Hagan (Burnie Burns), Woody (Gavin Free), Zach (Michael Jones), & Herman (Colton Dunn). What these different items do, and the manner in which they are discovered and utilized throughout the film is quite comical. One of the mistakes many “loser-hero” films make is creating characters that are so unlikable the audience can’t relate. Fortunately that is not the case here at all. This quartet is so likable and funny, regardless if they fighting or collaborating, that we are constantly rooting for them to win.
“Lazer Team” is the perfect example of how low-budget sc-fi tropes can be re-imagined so well they leave you grinning from ear to ear when the credits role. Hopefully Hollywood is paying attention, and stop throwing tens of millions of dollars at insultingly bad tripe (e.g. “The 5th Wave”) and instead start backing the teams with the real talent and passion for filmmaking.
For additional information on screening locations, or getting it to show in your town, please visit www.LazerTeamTheMovie.com
I really liked this film! It was humorous, and the cast worked well with each other. The only drawback I had was every time michael spoke I expected him to start cursing uncontrollably. The effects were decent and done well. I had a good time watching the guys make a movie.