Several of the players speak of Darkon and their gameplay as a way of providing a purpose greater than "real life," but at the same time, they have a skewed view of the reality of the events they play out in-game. Constant war with swords and small projectiles is much more bloody and cruel than getting bashed about with padded sticks and over-sized bean bags, and not everyone gets to be a hero. However, the players do provide an apt commentary on our modern lifestyle that leads to living thoughtlessly. One player, Mike (Halcon of Albion), points out that, "...you role-play your entire life. You role-play being the clerk at McDonald's. You don't want to be there — you're just playing the role 'cause you're trying to make money." Is that really any different than spending your day off pretending to be an ancient Greek warrior?
The cinematography is a combination of sweeping visuals and intimate conversations with the players. For the battle scenes, the camera cuts from jerky, 'vomit-cam' shots amid the mêlée to crane shots from above and on the sidelines. Although the action is not scripted, the characters spring to life for brief moments, and are presented in a dramatic, 'major motion picture' sort of way. Combined with the thrilling soundtrack composed by Jonah Rapino, the visuals shift this documentary from being just about these quirky people and their hobby to something magical that draws the viewer into the fantasy story the players are living out.
The film was shown on IFC in November, and it is now available on DVD. Interested viewers will want to pick up the DVD at some point, even if they have already seen the film at a screening or on IFC, because the commentary by Lipman and Wells adds a perspective on the events depicted that shed a different light on them. In the final cut of the film, Wells (who admits to being reticent about participating) is shown as not much different from his character, Keldar, whom he says is "something of an ass." However, the commentary track he recorded with Lipman shows him to be a sensitive man with much more humor and humility than Keldar, in addition to having a more realistic perspective of the game than Lipman. Lipman, seemingly the underdog in the film, ends up displaying much less of an ability to separate reality from gameplay, and comes off as less of a sympathetic character than the filmmakers portrayed him to be.
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