Video Games: The Movie (2014)

One of the many things I really like about “Video Games: The Movie” is that it occasionally shares knowledge that not even vintage gamers like me knew. I was always convinced the term “bits” was a completely nonsensical buzzword invented to sell games, but surely enough it’s a real term. It’s not only real, but makes a big difference in regards to game consoles. While “Video Games: The Movie” may not shed new information for everyone, it’s at least a charismatic and entertaining celebration of the medium that’s become big business all over the world.

“Video Games: The Movie” is a celebration of video games, more than a serious look at the entire industry. It zooms through many of the major video game consoles just to enter in to the modern era of video gaming. There’s no mention of the entire war between Sega and Super Nintendo, there’s also no mention of stuff like the Game Gear and the Game boy, either. I was left wondering quite often what the entire goal for the documentary was, if they weren’t intent on confronting the popularity and impact of games. How do you zoom past “Mortal Kombat” without discussing its effect on pop culture? And what of “Street Fighter II”? “Video Games: The Movie” doesn’t so much marvel at the idea of video games, so much as it does modern video games, and the technological strides they’ve made.

Which is disappointing, considering the history of video games is filled with so much interesting and fantastic stories about big business, and over ambition, that “Video Games: The Movie” just feels more like an EPK. That said, “Video Games: The Movie” is a primer course for folks that aren’t too keen on the subject of videos games and would like to know why it’s such an appealing phenomenon. There are a ton of interviews with interesting geek celebrities including producer Zach Braff, and Chris Hardwick, right down to Hideo Kojima and Max Landis. The video game industry and its history are fascinating and for the most part, director Jeremy Snead covers the wealth of events, including the big crash of the eighties, the infamous release of the “E.T.” Video game, and the introduction of Super Mario.

For many audiences, the documentary will be a shot of welcome nostalgia that touches on some unique and entertaining video games that are still very popular today. We garner some nice anecdotes from celebrity commentators, all of whom have their own past with certain titles, as well as memories that have helped solidify video game as a passion for them. I would have loved if director Snead would have interviewed internet personalities and video game scholars like Pat the NES Punk, or the James Rolfe, but let’s face it, this is strictly an affair for celebrities, and not much else. “Video Games: The Movie” is an imperfect documentary, but definitely one filled with great editing, and fun looks back at classic video gaming. Truthfully, you can find better movies out there about video games, but for an unabashed ode to the medium that less about failure, and more about its benefits, “Video Games: The Movie” is a breezy one hundred minutes.