While most military personnel are eager to sign out from camp on Fridays to enjoy their weekends, a group of 130 individuals were quite ready to kick off their long weekend by booking themselves in.

For the Tropic Thunder Ambush Party, that is.

Held on Friday, Oct 24, at GV Grand, the Ambush Party was a 2-hour event leading up to the screening of Tropic Thunder, the latest action comedy starring Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr and Jack Black.

Given the military theme of the party, the regularly unnoticed outdoor space beside the theatre was transformed into a mini-campsite with the simple use of camo-print canvases and dark green nylon nets along the sides of the venue.

Though a DJ was on hand to spin music and plenty of food and beer was served, this Urbanwire writer felt that the Ambush Party didn’t fulfill its potential or justify its price tag of $28 a pop.

While there was certainly sufficient portions of food and drinks to go around, the selection could have used a little more variety apart from the typical “finger food + beer/coke” combination that was provided.

Apart from food choices, the ambience of the Ambush Party was also somewhat disappointing. Most of attendees were less than enthused about the games and “Best Dressed” segment. The party’s lack of a climax also left us wondering if it would have more worthwhile to give the prelude party a miss and just catch the movie.

Lee Yan Qi, 17, a receptionist, expressed similar sentiments. “The theme is special but it’s a pity that not everyone is dressed up according to the theme. Perhaps if more people came, the party’s atmosphere might be better too,” said Yan Qi.

Overall, perhaps it was more than a coincidence that the dissatisfying Ambush Party came before a movie with a plot about how a film that was overhyped as the ‘Greatest War Movie Ever’, failed to meet expectations.