Review of Nemesis Game (2003) by Harry W — 08 Jul 2014

Unsure of what to expect, I went into Nemesis Game simply on the basis of the fact that it had Adrian Paul in it, the second Highlander.

Nemisis Game's flaw ended up being simply the fact that it was a dull film. The experience wasn't bad because the film is easy to watch thanks to a decent cast, but the fact is that there is little separate Nemesis Game from every other thriller you may have ever seen. It is a generic film which is way too short on thrills to supply any laughs, and it similarly is lacking in originality as the concept is a familiar one. It doesn't really set its aims that high at all and therefore does not have anywhere to really reach for.

Nemesis Game has a familiar premise about problem solvers who get tied up in a murder, yet that is a concept which has been done many times in better films with higher budgets. It is clear that Nemesis Game has a significantly lower budget and therefore cannot do that much, as well as the fact that writer-director Jesse Warn cannot supply sufficient fresh material to the film to separate it from every other generic thriller ever made. The fact that it maintains the presence and performances of Adrian Paul and later star Jay Baruchel are the only reasons it would really be all that notable in this age. Their performances are ok as well because they deal with the material easily. The only problem is that the rest of the film feels too artificial to stand up straight. It is hard to genuinely believe everything that is happening in the story and the lack of entertainment value does not make it any better. The fact is that despite a decent cast, the nature of the script is generic and it cannot transcend the limitations of its budget.

Nemesis Game is a film which could have had potential, but it got reduced to being nothing more than a series of generic dialogue sequences. There is little thrills and nothing but an excess of talking which packs it to the brim. The slow movement of the film and the distinct lack of genuine stimulus ends up being the central issue in Nemesis Game, and despite the presence of a good cast it is just not an entertaining film. It is not one that is hard to watch, but finding entertainment value in it does not prove to be all that interesting. Nemesis Game is just another generic thriller, and although there is nothing that you can hate about it. As a front for the talents of Adrian Paul and Jay Baruchel, it has its. But as a whole there is really just not enough to keep you watching.

Nemesis Game is just a generic film and is distinctly lacking in anything that would transcend the more generic films of the same genre. It has the presence of a talented cast, but it cannot step up and above the low standard that it aims for.