Arcarde (1993)

Alex and her friends are invited to test out a brand-new video game, Arcade, which promises that "Reality will never be the same." Unfortunately for them, it's true! Arcade sucks in its players in to the gaming world to compete in a battle of life or death against the sinister force that controls it! While the special effects are severely dated by today's standards, ARCADE creates an incredible virtual world that can easily compete with the level of design found in THE LAWNMOWER MAN or HACKERS from the same era. John de Lancie, Megan Ward, A.J. Langer, and Seth Green all populate the young cast from their pre-television days, working off of a script by BATMAN BEGINS' David Goyer. The third-rate performances and unconvincing plot do not take away from the overall enjoyment of the picture, although it does rely heavily on the audience's willingness to suspend disbelief. ARCADE amounts to nothing more than a light horror version of TRON that is safe enough for an after school special, but if you are a fan of THE LAWNMOWER MAN or the "Bishop of Battle" segment from 1983's NIGHTMARES, be sure to check this one out!

Rating: 5/10.

Movies like ARCADE:
THE LAWNMOWER MAN, HACKERS, THE CELL, STAY ALIVE, ARENA, TRON, NIGHTMARES.