Brass Monkey Games specialise in straightforward tabletop experiences that you can explain to friends in seconds, and play even after a few drinks. In fact, perhaps they’re even more entertaining after a drink or two, not that I’d ever condone such a thing.

As a gamer, I’m often met with eye rolls or looks of frustration as I’m doing my best to explain the ins and outs of a board game. Us gamers know that the person who refuses to listen, or says “I’ll learn as we play”, is the one that’ll be the first to get annoyed and complain that a game is too difficult or unfair, or boring, during actual gameplay.

With Brass Monkey Games, that’s generally something you can avoid altogether, as their games have what I’d describe as rules that are minimalist in nature. Poorly Explained Movies is a game in which players, or teams of players, take turns to guess what film is being described on a card, and that just about sums up the entirety of the game. Cards have a clue which players can request to help them out, but beyond that, it’s a case of just guessing what is being described on the card. See if you can guess the movie being described on the card throughout this article, with the clue next and the answer in the final image.

Of course, the fun in this is the laughing and joking with friends as you try and work out what the hell the card is describing; as with most Brass Monkey Games, it’s not a game designed with serious gamers in mind, nor does it provide any opportunity for serious strategy or thinking, at least beyond racking your brain for a movie title.

It’s not the sort of game I usually play, but in the right company, and with the right players, I can see it being quite a laugh. Though it can function as a family friendly game, the age of many movies that you’ll need to have seen to have a hope of success means that younger players will probably end up feeling frustrated or left out.

As with all Brass Monkey Games, it’s beautifully presented and packaged, with an artfully minimalist sense of design aesthetic to pair with the few rules it has.

Though some answers border on the completely unguessable due to just how badly the card’s clue is at describing a film, it’s a bit churlish to see this as too much of a negative in a game with the title ‘Poorly Explained Movies’.

In short, if you’re a gamer who likes a meatier strategy experience, or a younger player, Poorly Explained Movies is probably not for you. If you’re after a party game to play with some friends or family members who have at least some degree of cinematic literacy, however, Poorly Explained Movies will probably be right up your street.

Many thanks to Brass Monkey Games for providing me with a copy of Poorly Explained Movies for review purposes.