Ordinary folks trade in their street clothes for medieval costumes, faux
weaponry and full-contact battles in Andrew Neel and Luke Meyer's
documentary about Darkon, a group that acts out fantasy war games based
on complex rules and customs. Neel and Meyer capture the drama as padded
swords clash, armies advance and a ruler crosses the line, while off
the battlefield, participants open up about what keeps them coming back
for more. More at Netflix!
Since I watched The Wild Hunt Netflix has been suggesting Live Role Playing movies and lots and lots of documentaries. Among the new movies I saw Darkon. The plot sounded really interesting so I fired it up. Darkon is all documentary and not like The Wild Hunt. It follows several people who Larp as a hobby and really love it. I find many, if not all, LARP to feel like more and lead a different life from their normal life. I can understand that. Almost everyone's life is pretty boring and sometimes I wish something exciting would happen. Pretending to be a fighter, mage, elf, or orc sounds like a good time to take your mind off things.
Even though I really enjoyed the movie and enjoyed The Wild Hunt I kind of wish I could watch a funny and happier movie that was about role playing. Both of these movies, and especially Darkon, are kind of sad. They make these people look a bit depressing and sad. I am sure there are lots of people who role play and are happy. I am happy and want to RP. I find that "nerds" and dorky people are often shown as sad and pitiful people with poor social skills. Oh well.
Netflix gave this movie 3.3 stars and I give it 4 foam swords.
