Atari:  Game Over (2014)


This is a great documentary. It has much more closure than many other non-fiction films. Admittedly I am a wannabe gamer, player of Atari games (emulated for Apple ironically) and viewer of more YouTube than TV, so my opinion is not without prejudice. Never knew that the game developer was only given 5 WEEKS to come up with a playable game. Talk about science fiction! The focus group for testing the game was Steven Spielberg? The subject (E.T.) was famous for emotion and special effects. Hard to get superior examples of either or both in 1980's tech. SPOILER: The consensus was correct, a game developer did not derail the video game market. Suits without imagination, vision or knowledge of video games did that temporary damage. This documentary has energy, humor and as said an actual ending that had a deliberate tone of The Raiders of the Lost Ark tone. If I could ask Zak Penn one question, I noted fluorescent bracelets issued to the "audience", why no dust masks or recyclable plastic hoodies? Followup doc, radioactive pig virus infection? ;)