OK, I'll Be The First To Review...TAGGED (The Movie)

A couple of weeks ago a very “under the radar” video came to my attention (thank you to Jabber for sharing with the class). It’s a low-budget, quasi-movie called “Tagged” (from 2011, available on Amazon Prime if anyone is interested). Admittedly, this will only hold appeal for a very select kind viewership, but there are a few things about this movie that are worth taking a look at anyway. And since as of yet nobody has posted any feedback about this movie on Amazon, I’ll take this opportunity and be the first to give it a review here.

First, I’m not going to knock this movie for what is simply self-evident about it. It will immediately be apparent that this is a low-budget, amateur film with a marginal plot and probably local actors who are doing their best. However, I still respect that someone had a creative vision that included a heavy emphasis on laser tag, so kudos for that. I am taking time to share it here because there is definitely something of value running throughout the project and that is the inadvertent documenting of a couple of laser tag sites that are no longer around. Specifically, Q-Zar Tampa and Xtreme Adventures Fun Center in Lutz, FL that have both since closed down. Also prominently featured in the movie is Xtreme Fun Center in Largo, FL which thankfully is still in operation.

 

Let me give you a synopsis of the plot...

 

For teenager Trixie’s entire life, her mentally-ill mother has been raising her to believe stories about intergalactic wars and as a result Trixie has been brainwashed into thinking she is really an alien princess. Believing the stories to be true “Princess Trixie” has become a top laser tag player who is now recruiting other players to train using laser tag to become her team of bodyguards and together they enter a laser tag tournament.

 

Given my inexplicable love of the Photon TV series it should not be a surprise that on paper I was drawn in by the premise. I’m all about the idea of a laser tag playing alien princess. However, the delivery came off a little lacking. First, it is not clear from the start WHY the lead character (Princess Trixie played by Elizabeth Edwards) is being a Bossy B. It just appears that she is a really good laser tag player with an ego the size of Montana (and let’s be real, that’s nothing new in the world of laser tag). The story is not quite tight enough to ever be really cohesive, but her display of attitude is certainly relatable enough.

 

The real reason I stuck with this movie was nostalgia. Two of the three laser tag arenas featured in the filming are the final two places I visited during my last trip to Florida. After IAAPA 2019 was over I drove to Tampa to meet up with my friend Tracee and we spent the day visiting Q-Zar and Xtreme Fun Center. Watching tag scenes recorded in those familiar centers on the screen really tugged at my heart. 

 

So, if you want a peek at a couple of the Tampa area’s premiere laser tag locations, two of which are no longer in operation to play, then I encourage you to watch this film with your eyes focused on the background and the location shots filmed inside these classic arenas. Or if you want to watch a story of a laser tag playing alien princess with a bit higher production value then by all means go onto YouTube and find yourself an episode of Photon. ;)

 

Comments or Questions?

Contact: Tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

Websites: www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com and www.photonforever.com

My Phaser Valentine

This week I received something really special…My Phaser Valentine! Actually, this is a one of a kind trophy that arrived on my doorstep, my belated prize from winning last year’s Laser Trooper Valentine’s Day Tournament. Talk about totally worth the wait!

Let’s hop into the “way-back machine” and remember back to a much happier point in time...I’m talking about February of last year, right before the world really started to change. I had taken first place in the very first Valentine’s Day Massacre solo laser tag tournament at Laser Trooper in Topeka, KS and had one of my most memorable travel adventures that weekend. This was actually the very first Laser Trooper tournament to ever take place in the United States. I remember making the spur-of-the-moment decision to rent a car and drive to Kansas when all the flights were cancelled due to bad weather on the east coast (and I arrived with only a half hour to spare before the event), making new friends with the other players which amazingly included someone from my hometown (what are the odds!), meeting up with friends in Kansas the next day and then proceeding on to even more laser tag sites and another tournament in Missouri before returning home. Sigh...those are some of my best memories of how life and travel used to be for me pre-pandemic.

 

The night of the tournament I was told that they were having a trophy custom made and they would send it to me in the mail...and then the pandemic happened. Obviously with lockdowns, temporary closures and the availability of the trophy to be customized during this time the arrival of the award encountered a bit of a delay, but I can honestly say that this was absolutely worth the wait! This trophy is a really special addition to both my trophy shelf and my laser tag collection. :)

 

Thank you to Kip and the team at Laser Trooper for having this completely original trophy made for me from an actual Laser Trooper phaser shell. He informs me this is the only one of its kind in the world. That is in no way an overstatement considering his business location remains the only place in the entire country where you can play laser tag using the Laser Trooper system and (at last I knew) is one of only three such locations in the world. So beyond commemorating the achievement of that night, it is also a remarkable addition to my collection of laser tag gear.

 

I notice and appreciate the little details like the addition of the souvenir game token from that event being added on the back.

 

Thanks also for the other special goodies included in the package. 

 

To me this trophy represents more than just the tournament event itself. As we are coming up on Valentine’s Day once again I am remembering back to that night nearly a year ago and all the things I was able to do just before everything changed. It makes me appreciate all those positive things that happened last year rather than only focusing only on the challenges we faced in 2020. I am thankful for the souvenirs and the wonderful memories of the laser tag experiences I have had including this very special one from Laser Trooper.

 

Comments or Questions?

Contact: Tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

Websites: www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com and www.photonforever.com