Hero Mode

Hero Mode, also known as Mayfield's Game in Australia and the United Kingdom, is a 2021 American independent comedy film[2] directed by A.J. Tesler (in his directorial debut) and written by Jeff Carpenter. Produced by Marcy Carpenter, E.J. Kavounas, and Tesler,[3][4] the film was released in American theaters on June 4, 2021, distributed by Blue Fox Entertainment. followed by video on demand on June 11, 2021. It received mixed reviews from critics.

Hero Mode
Directed byA.J. Tesler
Written byJeff Carpenter
Produced byA.J. Tesler, Marcy Carpenter, E.J. Kavounas
Starring
Music byBill Brown
Distributed byBlue Fox Entertainment
Release date
June 4, 2021
Running time
88 minutes[1]

Plot

Financially struggling indie video game business owner Kate asks her son Troy (Chris Carpenter) to develop a video game in time for an upcoming gaming convention in order to save the company. Troy is enthusiastic for the job. But the company's disgruntled coders are not, and in addition Rick, the CEO of a rival company looking to buy out the studio in order to gut it and fire everyone'[4][5]

Production

While in production the film went under the title of Mayfield's Game. Filming took place in Los Angeles.[6]

Cast

Release

Before its release the film generated criticism for its perceived unrealistic portrayal of video game development.[7] The film was released in American theaters on June 4, 2021, distributed by Blue Fox Entertainment.[8] It was followed by video on demand releases on June 11, 2021. It opened with $11,843, for a total domestic gross of $21,178.[9]

Critical reception

Writing in Variety, critic Nick Schager described the film as a "lively saga about a young coding wizard who’s charged with saving his family’s gaming business [that] doesn’t break novel ground in any respect," but that "its good humor, spry pacing and likable performances should appeal to its pre-high-school target audience."[10] Critic Richard Whittaker wrote in The Austin Chronicle that the film is "a sweet, vaguely moralizing, teen-and-tween-friendly light drama," and that it "is charming if undemanding, and feels at least a little authentic to its milieu."[11] Film critic Roger Moore wrote that the film "isn’t interesting enough to stand on its own, despite manic efforts by Astin and an amusing line here and there."[12]

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 46% based on reviews from 13 critics.[13] Metacritic gave the film a weighted average score of 46 out of 100 based on 5 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[14]

References
  1. Hero Mode at the British Board of Film Classification – bbfc.co.uk. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  2. Hassenger, Jesse (June 4, 2021) The incompetence of the video game movie Hero Mode is downright insidious. Polygon. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  3. "In New Movie Hero Mode, Sean Astin Searches For "What Real Gamers Really Wanna Play"". TheGamer. 12 May 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  4. Billington, Alex (6 May 2021). "Official Trailer for Video Game Comedy 'Hero Mode' with Sean Astin". FirstShowing.net. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  5. "Hero Mode - Blue Fox Entertainment". www.bluefoxentertainment.com. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  6. Steves, Ashley (31 July 2019). "L.A. What's Filming: Feature Film 'Mayfield's Game,' Starring Sean Astin + Mira Sorvino". Backstage. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  7. "Why Are People So Angry At Hero Mode, A Kids Movie About Game Development? An Explainer". TheGamer. 5 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  8. Schager, Nick (June 4, 2021) 'Hero Mode' Review: A Lively If Corny Teen Video-Game Comedy. Variety. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  9. Hero Mode. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  10. Schager, Nick. "Hero Mode Review". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  11. Whittaker, Richard. "Hero Mode - Movie Review". The Austin Chronicle. Austin Chronicle Corp. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  12. Moore, Roger. "Movie Review: Kid programmer goes into "Hero Mode" to save Mom's Video Game Company". Movie Nation. Roger Moore. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  13. Hero Mode at Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  14. Hero Mode at Metacritic. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
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