Watch Atari: Game Over

Atari: Game Over is a documentary film from 2014 that chronicles the rise and fall of Atari, one of the early giants in the video game industry. The movie focuses on the company's iconic game, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which was released for the Atari 2600 console in 1982. At the time, E.T. was highly anticipated and expected to be a massive hit, much like the blockbuster movie it was based on. However, the game's development was plagued by numerous issues, and it was rushed to meet a deadline in time for the Christmas season. The game was released to overwhelmingly negative reviews and poor sales, and it is widely considered to be one of the worst video games of all time.

The movie explores the impact that E.T. had on Atari's downfall. The company had invested heavily in the game, and when it failed to sell, it led to a massive financial loss that set Atari on a course toward bankruptcy. The film also delves into the urban legend that E.T. was buried in a New Mexico landfill after the game was recalled and Atari's excess inventory was destroyed.

The film was directed by Zak Penn and includes interviews with people who were involved in the development and release of E.T., as well as experts and historians who reflect on the significance of the game and its impact on the industry. One of the key figures in the movie is Joe Lewandowski, a landfill excavator who was hired by the filmmakers to search for the rumored landfill where the unsold E.T. cartridges were supposedly buried.

The movie also examines the cultural impact of Atari and the video game industry in general, and it includes interviews with people who grew up playing Atari games and became lifelong enthusiasts. The film features archival footage and photographs from the 1970s and 1980s, capturing the era when video games were just beginning to emerge as a cultural phenomenon.

Robert Rentschler, a historian of the video game industry, provides analysis and context for how E.T. and Atari fit into the broader context of the gaming industry in the early 1980s. He explains how Atari's dominance in the market was eventually usurped by competitors such as Nintendo, who offered more advanced graphics and gameplay.

Ultimately, Atari: Game Over is a fascinating exploration of a pivotal moment in the history of video games. It offers a compelling look at the business behind the industry, and the human stories of the people who created and played these iconic games. The search for the buried E.T. cartridges provides a thrilling narrative thread that ties the movie together, and its ultimate discovery offers a satisfying conclusion to a story that has captivated gamers and pop culture enthusiasts for decades.

Atari: Game Over is a 2014 documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 6 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.7.