Atari: Game Over (2014)

Atari: Game Over (2014) NR -  A documentary detailing the search for the E.T. video game dumping grounds of urban legend, the history of some of the people behind the game, and the gaming enthusiasts who join in the quest.

Thinking back on what must have been Christmas 1974, I remember a relative getting "Pong" or something very much like it.  For some reason I don't know (possibly this was during one of my grandfather's heart attacks) I was spending Christmas with an aunt and her very large extended
family.  There must have been twenty or thirty kids there, and at least ten adults, and no one knew I was coming.  I remember feeling like it was watching my entire grade-school class unwrapping a crapload of really cool presents while I was left sitting over in the corner playing with some lame Tupperware cone that popped a ball out when you hit the bellows at the bottom.

The "Pong" game really clinched that set of feelings.  Jealousy, hurt, and loneliness because the only person there I knew was my aunt.  I remember really wanting something like the Pong game, because I lived out in the sticks and my nearest neighbor was over a mile away.  This really started my passion for computers and video gaming.

This documentary takes an urban legend about Atari dumping millions of their "E.T." videogame cartridges in shame and embarrassment and runs with it.  Is it really there?  Who would know where to find them?  Can we possibly unearth a piece of videogaming history?

Despite the eyeroll inducing parallels to Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, this was a very interesting documentary.  It's short... only a little bit over an hour... but during that time we meet some of the faces that are truly responsible for showing the American public how a personal computer could be a part of your everyday life.  I don't think we'd have the personal computers, phones, tablets, or consoles we have today if it wasn't for Atari.  Prior to their use in entertainment, computers were considered tools for NASA and scientists, not applicable to the average family.

Atari showed us it could entertain.

A couple of laugh out loud moments, most notably at the Alamagordo councilman who was afraid digging would unearth mercury-laced pigs (not so much the idea, but the graphic that was put with it).  This was an excellent movie to craft to... a lot of talking, a lot of thought-provoking commentary.

I give it a four out of five stars.  The constant "Raiders" visual and verbal comparisons got annoying after a while, but if you're a fan of video games, you'll really want to check this out on Netflix or Amazon.