It’s another one of those full disclosure moments for me as a reviewer. I am not a hardcore gamer. Do I enjoy video games? In general, yes. Do I get excited when new games get released? No, not really. Do I play video games more than 1-2 hours a week? Not even close. I spend too much time watching movies to be a true gamer. However, I do still have an appreciation for the pixelated pastime.
Being a child of the 80s, I grew up giving my NES and SNES a hardy workout. That’s Nintendo Entertainment System and Super NES, for those who have been hiding under a rock for the last 30 years. I never owned an Atari, although I did secretly cherish my Commodore, the Radio Shack Atari knock-off system. Hey, I too could play Pitfall, amongst other classics, with that system!
While most of my minimal game time is spent nostalgically tapping the old NES controller buttons on my vintage games like Castlevania, I’m dually aware of the unmistakable parallel between cinema and digital gaming. Granted, its a stretch to make that connection with the old Atari games, but even then we had crossover examples like the infamous E.T. Atari game whose blockbuster failure is epic in itself.
The beauty of a film like VIDEO GAMES: THE MOVIE [from here out referred to as VGTM] is that it brings the people who know what the hell they’re taking about together to provide a comprehensive history of the digital gaming culture and tells the relatively young yet richly textured tale of the hobby’s meteoric rise in a way that is fun and interesting and doesn’t suck.
Written and directed by Jeremy Snead and co-produced by actor/filmmaker Zach Braff, VGTM has an energy and contemporary approach that is befitting of the subject matter. Where other documentaries on this general topic have focused on a specific niche of the trade, VGTM strives to tell the whole story as it currently stands, concisely but without dragging it out too long and becoming a failed Ken Burns-scale trainwreck. [No offense to Ken Burns, but no one can make a compelling documentary of great length like he does, so why even try?]
Snead begins the film by getting our techno adrenaline flowing, encouraging us to get excited about reliving our early days of geekdom planted in front of a TV screen punching buttons for hours as little blocky characters run and jump at our command. Only after he has us hooked, does he delve into the fascinating history of game development and ultimately the endless and ongoing evolution of gaming. Surprisingly, the 100-minute running time is successful at covering the entirety of the overall story without dwelling on any one area too long. Granted, there is much detail left on the virtual cutting room floor, but VGTM is not trying to be the Encyclopedia Britannica of video game documentaries.
VGTM has two target audiences in mind, so far as I can surmise. First, we have the hardcore gamers who inherently will appreciate the novelty of this film, much of which will likely not be anything they do not already store within they’re bags of plenty. My apologies, but that reference may or may not be properly placed, but I am a geek that spans multiple genres. Anyway, the second target audience would be those not yet familiar, or not yet educated, as to the history and making of the very entertainment they spend so much time taking for granted these days.
Allow me to illustrate. When I first acquired my retro console that plays both NES and SNES games, my two boys had no clue what they were watching me wire into my TV. At the innocent young ages of 9 and 6, they watched in wonder and then were mesmerized to discover the joy found in playing things such as Super Mario Bros and Excite Bike, to name just a couple. Instantly, I created two new retro enthusiasts, but they never actually lived the history. So, VGTM is a technological testament, a recorded history for future generations.
What power lies in this realization, that young people already accustomed to the advanced graphics and high-speed game play of systems like Sony’s Playstation and Xbox can still find amazement and wonder in playing the original Nintendo games? VGTM latches onto this sense of wonder, spanning genres across the globe, from the days of hanging out in arcades to hosting LAN parties with friends to stadium-filling gaming events on the scale of an NFL Superbowl. Do you remember THE WIZARD, starring Fred Savage? That kinda sh*t actually happened in real life! If you remember this, be careful. You’re showing your age.
Snead intertwines insightful and poignant interviews from industry juggernauts, early groundbreaking developers and current icons and celebrities who hold the video game in great regards in their own lives outside of their own stardom. VGTM includes interviews with the likes of Zach Braff, Wil Wheaton and Donald Faison, to name a few, and is narrated by Sean Astin. Many viewers may not recognize the early developers who appear in the film, but do not discount these moments as they reveal monumental pieces of the larger picture that need not be forgotten.
VIDEO GAMES: THE MOVIE is but a slice of the overwhelming pie, but this mere dip of our finger into the filling is packed with fun and flavor. From Pong to Pac Man, from Zelda to Call of Duty, there is an entire world outside our own that lives just within that glass box, but rarely have we seen beneath the surface into its heart. This film is the key to a greater appreciation of the art, craft and culture of digital gaming.
VIDEO GAMES: THE MOVIE is available Video On Demand on July 15th, 2014 and hits theaters on July 18th, 2014
Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
