Review: Treasure Trapped
Blu-ray: Treasure Trapped (2014)
LARP.
That one word/acronym will have you doing one of two things; you’ll either be scratching your head wondering what the hell it means, or your mind will immediately be filled with visions of people running around a field with swords. No matter which of the two camps you fall into, Treasure Trapped will not only explain what LARP is (live action role play) but it also blows away any pre-conceived misconceptions that larping is confined to muddy fields across the world.
Cosmic Joke have crafted a narrative that at once puts you in the aforementioned field, but through the stories of larpers across the world, you are taken on a journey whereby each step has you more amazed at what is laid before you.
This could so easily have been a ‘point your fingers and laugh at the strange people in the mud’ documentary (much like UK television seems obsessed with at the moment with the glut of “fat this’, ‘benefit that’, ‘insert weird medical affliction here’ type of entertainment that is nothing more than chewing gum for the eyes) but thankfully director Alex Taylor took a more serious and in-depth look at the subject matter, all the while treating the people involved with respect and taking the viewer on a journey whereby each chapter of it has you more aghast at how little you initially knew about larping.
To go into more detail of the story would be to ruin a lot of the surprises. Suffice it to say that the story ends in a place that is about as far away from that first muddy field as you can imagine, and in-between shows the gamut of what larping involves. As a little tease I’ll say; Post-apocalyptic wasteland, Battlestar Galactica, exploding sex toys, and lots of well deserved hugs.
If you’ve never heard the word LARP, or indeed you have and you ‘think’ you know all about it, this is essential viewing. If you are involved in larping then this is also essential viewing too. Add to all of this a double disc set that is busting with special features that includes; audio commentary, gag reel, extended LARP footage, behind the scenes ‘making of’ and much more.
Treasure Trapped is also available on DVD and to stream. You can follow Treasure Trapped and Cosmic Joke on Twitter: @TreasureTrapped @CosmicJokeUK
Review by Dave (host of 60 Minutes With)
