Shoot the bad guys, complete the level, and get the girl. That seems to be the directive for Robert Baker (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) in legendary filmmaker Roger Corman's (The Wild Angels) lost film Virtually Heroes. With the 2013 Sundance Film Festival selection finally seeing a release thanks to Screen Media, Collider can exclusively reveal a new clip from the film that sees Baker's character Books about to find love with a reporter. Things are complicated, however, by the fact that Books is a self-aware being in a video game full of NPCs that only know what they're programmed to do. The film recounts his journey as he faces an existential crisis and ultimately receives a little guidance to become the hero he needs to be to beat the game and ride off with the girl.
Set up like a typical Call of Duty campaign mission, the clip sees Books and a woman (Katie Savoy) reaching the end of a level and triggering a cutscene. In an exaggerated manner, the screen narrows and changes color to a more dramatic tone as the woman launches into a cinematic speech about the role of soldiers and herself in the war. Books does not care for the non-human, overly-dramatic talk and asks her out on a date, momentarily breaking her out of the cutscene. It doesn't take long for her to launch back into her speech and for the screen to narrow once again, much to Books' frustration. It ends with her being kidnapped by the enemy, though Books is more confused than panicked as he thought beating the level was enough to get the girl.
Executive produced by Corman with GJ Echternkamp (Frank and Cindy) directing and Matt Yamashita co-writing, Virtually Heroes was made on a shoestring budget as was typical for Corman. He filled out the game world with old war movie stock footage from his extensive catalog, a decision that makes more sense considering the sometimes-repetitive gunfights of first-person shooters. The campy comedy seemingly has all the hallmarks of a cult classic though with the writing hitting on elements that have only recently been revisited through the Ryan Reynolds hit Free Guy while also acting as a commentary of war movies and, more specifically, the Call of Duty franchise itself.
Virtually Heroes Finally Reaches Audiences After 10 Years
One thing Virtually Heroes has going for it is the addition of Mark Hamill (Star Wars). He plays a foul-mouthed monk who offers some sage advice to Books to help him become his best self through his many deaths in the game. Rounding out the cast is Brent Chase (Shameless) who plays Books' partner-in-crime in the meta video game adventure. While reviews at the time weren't over-the-moon about the film, it finally has a chance to reach general audiences who may have a greater appreciation for campy action-comedy from the back catalog of one of cinema's storied producers.
Screen Media will release the film digitally on January 17 and on the Crackle+ platform Popcornflix at a later date. Check out the exclusive clip below: