CAN ESPORTS work on the big screen? These were the concerns I had when it was announced that a new Filipino esports film was on the works.
Looking back at Prime Cruz' GG: Good Game, it tried to experiment on placing esports and gaming into cinema, and it delivered mixed results.
Donny Pangilinan deserved a lot of praise for his portrayal of Seth, as he was able to capture the socially awkward and nonchalant demeanor that is normally associated with gamers, not to mention his character development was properly executed.
However when looking at the other aspects of the film, GG fell flat. The attention was focused heavily on Seth that the other characters were overlooked, plus some of the esports segments weren't fully polished, as there were important elements that were missing.
It likewise didn't help that the gameplay scenes were somewhat difficult to comprehend, which made me wonder if esports was really built for film.
Did Mikhail Red's Friendly Fire address the concerns I had?
The details matter
As someone who covers the esports industry, I learned from the numerous backstories of players and coaches, that details are very important. From counterpicks, laning phases, communication errors, and other technical jargons involved, there's no shortage of details when looking at how teams succeed or fail.
But it's not only inside the game where the spotlight should be directed as there would oftentimes be other factors that could make or break organizations, such as family issues, team disputes, and the like.
And upon finishing the film, I realized that Mikhail Red really did his research as he incorporated the important elements of working in the industry.
Chemistry will define the success of orgs, and this was tackled when Kaya (portrayed by Loisa Andalio) was first introduced to the team. Despite her insane skill level, she had to integrate herself well with the team, and this was initially difficult for her as she was used to being a solo player, a common transition that esports athletes face.
But it didn't just end there as the climax showed that a team's chemistry will be tested. In Team Isla's competition against the very best of the world, they had a miscommunication error since two of their players weren't in good terms, and this caused the team to struggle in-game.
Plus there were other realities in esports that were dissected. From the beginning, we hear the basic rules of the esports ecosystem: 'Win tournaments, to attract sponsors,' otherwise expect your org to shutdown.
And the details go on-and-on as we delve deeper into the characters.
The unsung heroes of esports
Where Friendly Fire shines stem from how they emphasized the importance of the other pieces that make an esports team, for example the team manager.
Comparing how GG and Friendly Fire tackled their roles, it was clearly a lopsided battle in favor of the latter, as Sonya Wilson (portrayed by Coleen Garcia Crawford), ended up fulfilling the task of wearing the different masks of being an esports manager.
Her IGN, BangBangBoudica, was already enough to leave an impression as it clearly enlightened the audience of the struggles that females endure inside the esports industry.
There were moments which shed light on her insecurities, doubts, and her flaws as a manager, but there were also moments where she redeemed herself, making her a likeable and relatable character.
Most importantly, Crawford's portrayal gave more depth and emphasis to the unsung heroes from behind the scenes.
Paying homage to Pinoy esports athletes
And one of the reasons why Sonya Wilson is such an effective manager is due to her deeper understanding of her players and this was something that was showed when dealing with her prize player Kaya, whose backstory pays homage to a lot of esports athletes in the Philippines.
Seeing Kaya use a wornout and dilapidated mouse (sorry Mickey), instead of sticking with the modern Razer gaming mouse rings a bell on Dota 2 player Nico "eyyou" Barcelon, who used the typical A4Tech office mouse in The International tournaments.
And like eyyou, Kaya won crucial matches with her *cough* gaming mouse.
Then we take a look at her journey, which seems to touch upon the likes of MLBB pros Rowgien "Owgwen" Unigo and Kiel "Oheb" Soriano.
Like Owgwen, Kaya was forced to be a breadwinner at a young age, and like Oheb she had to run away from her family to pursue her dreams of being an esports pro.
However the references do not just end there as Kaya also had to undergo the culture that most of the pros have encountered.
Playing inside computer shops was the trend in the early days and the degree of trashtalking displayed in the film was reminiscent of the good ol' days. Seeing Den Gerard deliver the bars made me chuckle a lot. (Someone give him the best actor award please)
And speaking about the glory days, remember Netopia? That was slightly referenced in the film and there were even hints that seem to suggest on how far has it fallen.
Truly an esports spectacle
Now let's talk about Friendly Fire's execution of the esports scene and it didn't disappoint. Choosing Project Xandata as the base game was a great move because not only did it support Filipino pride in game development, as the game itself has mechanics which are easy to comprehend.
The end result? The gameplay sequences aren't difficult to grasp and the audience knows exactly what is happening, solving the concerns I had from the beginning.
However there were moments that didn't really seem realistic, like seeing two opposing players, standing still, face-to-face inside the game, without shooting at each other. If that was a competitive VALORANT game, expect both players to go guns blazing or deliver quick reflex-level actions. I guess Red did that on purpose to make the gameplay scenes easier to digest and for storytelling reasons as well.
Then when dissecting the overall atmosphere, Friendly Fire really felt like an actual esports tournament. I felt the impact of the crowd more in Mikhail Red's film than that of Prime Cruz, especially in that scene when fans started ridiculing Kaya in the climax.
Besides the crowd, the players competing in the stage really highlighted the level of intensity involved to the point that some of them started trashtalking.
Now that's how you produce an esports spectacle.
CONCLUSION
Watching Friendly Fire seemed like a love letter to people who work in the industry as Mikhail Red studied the meta as if he was coaching a team to championship glory.
While I praise the film for its research and attention to detail, I do believe Red could further elevate the film by taking some risks. The conflict between Sonya Wilson and one of her former players, Adrian Go (Jan Silverio), is a very common theme in esports and maybe things might reach a different turn had Red decided to give more depth to Go.
In the film, Go publicly questioned Wilson's role as a manager and there could be deeper reasons that are worth uncovering. Maybe Red is saving this for a possible sequel?
But overall Friendly Fire captures the heart and soul of being in the esports industry, and Mikhail Red deserves a lot of plaudits for the level of detail displayed. The film definitely kept me engaged to the point that I'm fired up to accept a cosplayer's challenge.
"Tara 1-v-1 tayo!"
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