Gaming at the Movies #5
‘Gaming at the movies’ is a weekly movie review feature which brings you the latest, the greatest and other combinations of gaming movies to stream or download every Wednesday. Now turn off your mobile phone and quiet please, the show’s about to begin.
This week’s box office offers eight movies from movies of Nordic semi-pros keiz and bjERKE to fast paced Quake action in the form of ‘defraging is not a crime’ and ‘This is Quake 3’. As usual there’s a classic treat included at the end that’s sweeter than the most expensive popcorn.
Name: tihOp & Kaamos
Editor: Kaamos
Runtime: 15:59
Released: 2003 or 2004
Game: CS
Description:
A compilation of kills from former [astralis players tihOp and Kaamos.
Review:
This is one of those movies which went largely unnoticed upon its release as both players had no made any significant ripples outside of Finland. Since then tihOp has gone on to become perhaps the best Finnish AWPer of all time, even if he has often struggled to truly show his potential at the biggest events. That’s what gives this movie its chief interest value: seeing a bunch of tihOp’s highlight rounds. Kaamos had a much more modest career yet all same proved to be a player capable of producing movie quality rounds, plus we have him to thank for this movie existing in the first place.
This movie has an old school look and style, unsurprising considering it came out around late 2003 to early 2004 I believe. Even so that gives it a certain charm rather than making it feel overly dated. It means the frags really get to speak for themselves and there are some really nice kills in this movie. The level is quite consistently high, minus one or two short clips, and there are some rounds which really show off these players’ skills. There is also recognisable opposition for a number of the sequences.
Not a blockbuster by any means but a nice and fairly rare movie which could easily have disappeared into the abyss being brought back for your enjoyment.
Thorin Rating: 7/10
Name: Fragged by 3ulu4
Editor: morgot
Runtime: 9:27
Released: 2010
Game: Q3
Description:
A compilation of Russian Quaker 3ulu4’s kills.
Review:
This is a strange movie for me because on one hand it’s very stylised and benefits from that and on other sometimes it feels like too much emphasis or attention went towards the style and more should have been put on the substance. My biggest criticisms of this movie would be that it’s cinematic moments sometimes drag on too long, taking away from the flow of the movie, and that some of the kills didn’t deserve to be in the movie. There are too many single kill sequences and a few of those weren’t great kills at all, just decent. To include single kills those need to be spectacular and/or by a top level player to be consistently entertaining I think.
All of that said it was a good movie and one which is stylish in a good sense. The music is synched with the action well to make it blend into something bigger than the sum of its parts. There are some good kills and against top level opponents. I also enjoyed some of the set pieces and some were quite creative in how they were presented. I think the reason this movie didn’t completely knock it out of the park for me is that the atmophere of the movie didn’t always strike the right chord within me. At times I could feel a nice cinematic atmosphere brewing and I was engaged and at others it seemed to be stretching the matter a little.
Thorin Rating: 7.5/10
Name: #DOKTORS THE MOVIE
Editor:
Runtime:
Released: 2009
Game:
Description:
A clan movie of Norwegian mixclub doktors.
Review:
This is a movie I found as a result of a reader’s tip and it didn’t disappoint at all, in fact it exceeded my expectations. This is everything a clan movie should be: good kills, good music, good editing and a good vibe. There are tons of good and very good kill sequences. The music is upbeat throughout and while usually these specific tracks would sound played out and irritating to me, within the vibe of this movie they fit and I found myself nodding along. This is a feel good CS movie if ever there were one. The humour isn’t overstated but it lurks between scenes and makes you feel like doktors must be a fun mixteam to play in. A cool movie, a fun watch and a very pleasant surprise.
Thorin Rating: 8/10
Name: FYRR73 TOPIC
Editor: Rogga
Runtime: 4:07
Released: 2009
Game: CS
Description:
A compilation of former MYM and current Lions.swe player FYRR73’s kills.
Review:
This is a movie which is solely about the kills. The editor himself admits he’s not great technically but in this movie he doesn’t need to be, he just pieces it together and then FYRR73’s kills do the rest. This is a very good minimovie kill-wise. The skill level is apparent in practically every sequence. If he kills three guys with single bullet deagle headshots then you just know he’s going to get the fourth and maybe even the fifth, this is that kind of a movie. Great kills with all the weapons and at times even against skilled opponents.
The soundtrack is catchy enough and the lack of in-game sounds doesn’t even necessarily register when you’re caught up in the thrill of the action. The only point against it is that it’s a short movie, one which leaves you wanting more.
Thorin Rating: 7.5/10
Name: The Champions
Editor: [7]Raven
Runtime: 6:36
Released: 2004
Game: Q3
Description:
A compilation movie of kills from a whole host of great Quake III players such as Cooller, uNkind, fatal1ty and fox.
Review:
Primarily focused on Russian players, with a few kills from players of other nationality thrown in here and there, this movie is a nice little compilation of kills from recognisable names. The picture quality isn’t great, there’s no fancy editing and a few of the kills don’t seem that impressive now with age. Even so this is a nice watch when you’re in the mood to watch some of the old tier players in action. The soundtrack is also nice and creates a fittingly epic feel to the kills. Some of the kills still pack a real punch too. That LeXeR sequence where he jumps from rail to bridge and rails the enemy as he is falling down is still entertaining.
What movies like this might lose with age they gain in the interest value of being able to see a lot of good kills from great players without trawling through hundreds of demos and old versions of Quake.
Thorin Rating: 6/10
Classic movie magic
Name: Death Raiserz 4
Editors: XrayN and JamesB
Runtime: 8:57
Released: 2005
Game: CS
Description:
The first great CS movie to come from Asia, Japan specifically, and one which floored everyone when it first appeared many years ago.
Review:
This movie stands as a true classic within the CS movie genre as one which effectively integrates effects and editing to enhance the viewing experience. Where so many movies overedit and ambush the viewer with effects which work against the enjoyment of the action the usage here serves to take the movie to a higher, more complete, level. The kills have aged in a few cases and the picture quality is not great for the modern era but this movie still shines. That intro still pumps me up and gets me excited like few others ever have.
The movie has a great trance soundtrack and the music also ties into the presentation of the action to become an almost seemless part of it. The use of colour filters is pleasantly effective as they provide a different feeling for different parts of the movie, fitting in with music changes and changes in the action. When this movie came out it blew a lot of minds because not only was it a movie full of nice kills from Japan, a region which even still has next to no presence in the international CS scene, but one which had production value above and beyond anything seen before.
Even after all these years Death Raiserz 4 is still exciting, still entertaining and still impressively coherent in a way that is still so rare for CS movies. This is a movie you give to people to show that editing and effects can be heavily used to enhance the viewing experience when done right.
Thorin Rating: 8.5/10
What rating would you give each movie? Leave your answers in the comments section.
‘Gaming at the movies’ will return next Wednesday with another batch of movies to excite, infuriate and entertain you.