Atari: Game Over

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Kyle M Passionately honest and rightfully defensive, plus technologically nostalgic, this engaging, intriguing documentary refreshes its anticipated resolution for its mythic subject that should reason enough compel for non-game seekers. (B+) Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/03/24 Full Review P F The documentary does a reasonable job of inviting us on an excavation for lost gaming history while interviewing the people who were there at the time it was created. It's unfortunate that there is an air of geek over-importance in this history racketed all the way up to eleven when Ernest Cline is introduced. It's good to see Howard Scott Warshaw finally get the respect he deserves, especially for a game he had such little time to make but I find it contradictory that a documentary trying to set straight our perception of history regarding its artists ignores the history of the artists and inventors before Atari. For all the talk also of Atari being a great company to work for the documentary leaves out the obvious thorn that is what led to the formation of Activision and therefore third-party companies. What shines through Atari: Game Over is gamers of all ages who can unite to show passion for their interests towards video game history. The legend of that ‘terrible' game E.T. did end up bringing everyone together and by the end, it did with unexpected results. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 12/18/23 Full Review Audience Member It's a decent geek out over a bottle of wine on a locked-down Saturday night but it doesn't quite deliver on the promise of it's title and trailer. The Rise and Fall of Nokia is basically the same film but more fun, and if it's possible more bacculleric. Would I buy the T-shirt? Yes, yes I would - living the cliche. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/12/23 Full Review Audience Member A fun watch for fans of video games, or of the subject matter itself. Atari: Game Over follows a crew that is in New Mexico seeing if the urban myth that Atari back in the 80's dumped the video game failure of "E.T. The Extra Terrestrial" in the dump. The film goes over the dig itself and goes over the downfall of Atari overall. It's very simple and while I enjoyed the interviews I wish it had taken some more time to dive into the story. The dig itself should have been the main focus and we get them going back and forth with it and the history. For the most part I had a good time watching it because I was interested, but I think people that aren't aware of the urban legend or have an interest in Atari wouldn't find it too interesting. For everyone else it's worth a watch. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member Everything about this was compelling for me as a video game fanboy and felt authentic enough. That is, until Ernest Cline had the audacity to argue that E.T. for Atari was a "great" game. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member A nice documentary, but kinda underwhelming. Nevertheless, has a few good moments and some cool pop culture references. I hoped it would focus a little more on the technical aspects of the game development, but it was interesting to learn a little more of the 70s and early 80s game industry enviroment. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Atari: Game Over

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