CS Cinema: “Kaamo5” Reviewed

Published on ESEA in 2008 [unsure]

Name: Kaamo5
Publisher: Sledac
File Size: 280mb

With some recent movies failing to live up to expectations I browsed the ESEA archives only to find this movie was missing and as a result not available to the ESEA masses. While a couple of years in age now unless you’ve kept a close eye on releases in all the scenes this one might well have passed by you first time and so here’s your chance to check it out. Starring Petteri “Kaamos” Peltomäki (ex-redruM/e*star/Junk52 and at the time of this movie playing for astralis) we get to see more of the action against high end opponents we became accustomed to from this player in some of his previous movies such as “kaamos: e-star” and “tihOp&kaamos”. With a reputation for noscoping aptitude this is as good a way to pass the time as any folks.

Technical ability:
For the time this movie came out it has all the relevant bells and whistles the kids are crazy about. The look of the movie is pretty nice considering the compression achieved and while not as crisp as some of the 600mb monsters you see nowadays it is more than satisfactory. The synching is more to my tastes than most movies in that it is used to connect sequences together and go along with transitions or specific frags as opposed to the all or nothing approach used by most movie makers. The effects are nice enough, they keep the mood changing throughout the viewing experience. This movie is one of the best I’ve seen in terms of implementing fast cuts between kills in the same round. Most other movies mess this up to the extent that it breaks up the flow or leaves you initially unsure as to whether the kills are from the same sequence until you check the obituaries. That isn’t the case here and the movie never seems to suffer from sudden breaks of train of thought or action, that’s an achievement worth mentioning.

Visual content:
This movie goes down as a classic because it’s got great frags of the kind we all want to see in frag movies and it gives you them in a well structured manner. The pacing of the movie is fast throughout so you’re not left sat in between scenes waiting for the next, the fact comes directly to you at all times. The layout and scene selections was well done and the movie actually seems to get better in terms of frag quality the more it progresses and by the 3/4 mark you’re saying some pretty bananas awping, some of which is from LAN footage. This movie really is first and foremost an entertainer in the frag department as born witness by the array of crazy usp headhots and 180 AWP noscopes (yes they’re quickscopes technically but the aim of language is communication and the noscope slang has existed for well over 5 years now so put your pencil back in your pocket protector) Even the footage against clanbase teams (see the plaste 5 review for an explanation of this concept) and mixes is all worthwhile stuff and bears inclusion. The range of kills is very nice too and you see all kinds of scenarios, weapons used and unexpected endings employed.

Audio content:
Nothing outstanding in the soundtrack department but it fit the action very well and was pleasant enough in itself. The first Amiga-esque track had a unique feel to it which was nice and helped spark some interest. The use of in-game sound is well implemented and helps keep the viewer locked into both the movie as a whole and the action itself simultaneously. The soundtrack isn’t anything you’ll have heard in others movies which is a blessing in itself and helps avoid the depressive rob zombie/linkin park/In flames mood that sets in when you hear the first few bars of one of those insanely overplayed tracks in a CS movie.

Overall:
Looking back on this movie with the perspective of a couple of years it has established itself as a frag classic in my book. From the interesting choices made editing and soundtrack wise to the nonstop and at times really high quality frag action this movie has it all. There really isn’t much to complain about as the entire experience comes off as enjoyable and leaving you interested to see another Kaamos movie should one ever appear.

Rating: 4/5