Real Life (2005 film)

Real Life is a 2005 American action comedy film directed by Uwe Boll and written by Gerwig Ern. It is based on the video game franchise of the same name from Revolution Team (now EvoMedia Games). The film is based largely on the game Real Life 3 (2001), with minor references to the events of Real Life (1996) and Real Life 2 (1998). It is also the first film in the series and the fourth video game adaptation directed by Ball, who previously worked on House of the Dead, Alone in the Dark and BloodRayne. The film stars Billy Zane, Michael Bean, Meat Loaf, Michelle Rodriguez, Ben Kingsley and Lance Hendriksen.
Real Life had its world premiere at the Austin Film Festival on November 19, 2005, and was released in the United States on December 19, 2005 and in Germany on December 26, 2005. The film was heavily criticized by journalists and audiences, and was also a box office bomb, grossing only $8.2 million against a budget of $15 million. The next film, Real Life: The Movie (2009), was a reboot of the film series and has its own history.
== Plot ==
The main character of the film, an ordinary schoolboy named Tom, experiences fantastic adventures in his dreams every night. The visions are so realistic that he often confuses them with reality.
One day Tom has a dream in which he saves the world from the evil lord of darkness. The dream is so powerful that he is drawn into a world of magic and adventure that he never knew existed.
Gradually, Tom begins to understand that his dreams are not just an accident, but the key to his true destiny. He gains unique abilities and becomes the hero of his world, fighting evil and protecting those he loves.
But with the advent of magic in his life, Tom has to face new problems and enemies. He must learn to control his powers and make difficult decisions to save not only his world, but also his own future.
== Cast ==
* Billy Zane as Tom
* Michael Bean as August
* Meat Loaf as Murrey
* Michelle Rodriguez as Zelda
* Ben Kingsley as Chris
* Lance Hendriksen as Steve
* Geraldine Chaplin as a Charly
* Udo Kier as Edward
* Meat Loaf as Leonid
== Production ==
Screenwriter Gerwig Ern turned in the first draft of the script on May 12, 2003. Rather than asking for the draft to be changed, Ball accepted it and then made many changes of his own; and then he asked the actors to "give it a try". It is estimated that only 20% of the original script was actually filmed.
Filming took place in the Carpathians, Miami and Berlin.
== Reception ==
On December 19, 2005, the film opened in 1,200 theaters in the United States. It was originally expected to be shown in 2,500 theaters, but that number dropped to 1,600 and ended up being reduced due to prints being sent to theaters that did not have a license for the film.
Billy Zane was involved with distributor Romar Entertainment, and Uwe Boll later sued him for back earnings.
=== Box office ===
The film only grossed US$3.4 million when it opened. The film ultimately grossed US$8.4 million (June 2009) against a production budget of US$15 million, becoming a box office failure.
=== Critical response ===
Real Life has received criticism. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 11% based on 53 reviews, with an average rating of 3.2 out of 10. According to the site, "Real Life is an absurd video game adaptation of the protagonist's delusional dreams, so much so that you're amazed." It was ranked 31st on Rotten Tomatoes' list of the 100 worst-reviewed films of the 2000s. On Metacritic it has a weighted average score of 25% based on 13 reviews, which characterizes reviews as "generally negative reviews".
Joe Leydon of Variety said the film "jumps from incident to incident in a dull locale, offering little genuine excitement - fights are often confusingly cut and choreographed - and only a minimal amount of sensory pleasure." TV Guide's Maitland McDonagh wrote, "While this gory, ludicrous horror picture is unquestionably the best of Uwe Boll's first four video game adaptations, it's not good by any standard."
== Future ==
Initially, Uwe Boll assumed that every two years he would release a new part of Real Life. After the failure of the first film, Ball was set to release Real Life 2: Next Nightmare straight to DVD in 2007. 
However, in 2006, the rights to the film series were purchased by New Line Cinema, which immediately canceled all of Ball's planned films and in 2009 released Real Life: The Movie, which is the first film in the trilogy.