The Game is real…
Starring Manu Bennett (Spartacus, Arrow, the Hobbit Trilogy) as game developer Orson Creed, and Larenz Tate (House Of Lies, Rush) as professional game tester Max Troy, Beta Test is an interesting take on how far software companies are willing to go to make the gaming experience as close to reality as possible. While test running a new game for the largest and fastest growing gaming company in the world, Sentinel, Max discovers his game play is actually being played out in real life. Whatever happens in the game, happens in real time, including robberies, murders, and kidnapping, just like missions in most high action video games. His character is Sentinel’s original software developer, Orson Creed, who left the company for ethics violations, only to be kidnapped and physically linked to the game via a control mechanism embedded into the back of his neck. Max controls Creed, who must complete three objectives within a 90 minute time limit for each objective or Creed’s wife Abbie will be tortured and killed (like you do.) The outcome isn’t exactly pretty, but gets the job done.
Beta Test, all though low budget, is well written with characters that are unique, relatable, and very human. Great action sequences, smooth plot twists, and disturbing moral dilemmas make this movie a great action flick that keeps things fresh throughout the film. A few cringe worthy diatribes out of the main characters and an ending that is fairly predictable does take things down a notch, but all in all, Beta Test is certainly worth watching.
Written/produced/directed by Nicholas Gyeney
Produced by Mirror Images LTD
Official trailer can be seen right here.