In a world where everyone is trying to be the next big thing, it can be hard to find something that is truly original. This review explores what makes one of the most unique games in recent years so special and why it deserves your time.
Cannon Arm And The Arcade Quest is a film that is about two friends who are trying to make it in the gaming industry. The film is about their journey of finding success, and how they handle the pressure.
Mads Hedegaard’s feature debut, Cannon Arm and the Arcade Mission, captures the spirit of arcades. The film seems like a mix between The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters and The Big Lebowski, and it explores the importance of support networks via one man’s desire to play a computer game for 100 hours. To people unfamiliar with video games, the project seems onerous and perhaps pointless, but Hedegaard’s documentary explores what it means to undertake something for personal reasons. The role that friends play in achieving the goals of other friends is cathartic and life-enriching for Cannon Arm and the Arcade Quest.
Kim Cannon Arm is frequently in the background everywhere he goes, quiet, modest, and difficult to decipher what is going on in his head. When he was 55 years old, he is most known for playing the Konami game Gyruss for 49 hours straight on a single coin. Cannon Arm and the Arcade Quest follow him as he tries to run Gyruss for 100 hours, breaking both his personal and the global record. He wants to do something that most people would avoid because of the physical and mental toll it takes. With his friends at his side, he wants to accomplish something that most people would avoid because of the physical and mental toll it takes. Kim’s friends, on the other hand, are on hand to help, and the film goes into great depth about the preparation that goes into such a massive undertaking. The actual issue isn’t whether it’s worthwhile, but if it’s possible.
You may relax if you have little to no experience with video games going into this movie. Simultaneously, a history lesson on the competitive side of gaming and arcades in general is provided. Hedegaard doesn’t seem to be only concerned with enticing viewers to play video games. On the other hand, the community that forms around Kim and inside the Bip Bip Bar seems to be the most intriguing. Cannon Arm and the Arcade Quest have a calming aura about them, even as Kim starts his record-breaking attempt with Gyruss. This is due to the fact that there aren’t many people watching Kim to ensure he’s performing well. Instead, they play video games with him, drink beer, and create an arcade-like environment.
Cannon Arm and the Arcade Quest is a fantastic idea for those who want to take in the atmosphere of a film by capturing the sound of equipment spinning as someone jumps over a barrel in Donkey Kong or shoots an alien in Space Invaders as they attempt to beat their high score. Kim isn’t a naturally fascinating topic because of how private he is and his limited range of interests. Nonetheless, his passion for gaming and the other notable gamers with whom he has surrounded himself show a kinship that can be found in most arcades that have survived. When the film finds itself chatting to individuals in their own homes, playing video games on the couch, it emphasizes the loss of companionship that has resulted from home gaming.
Kim’s friends, on the other hand, aren’t your typical video game players. They are all very talented in one or more games, as previously stated. Carsten excels in Donkey Kong, Dyst has numerous world records in Puzzle Bobble 1 and 2, Svavar holds a global record in Tetris, and Emil holds a world record in Micro Hexagon. Whether studying music theory, physics, or poetry, they all have a life outside of gaming. Outside of their community at Bip Bip Bar and The Shed, they’re all shy. Seeing them together, though, you’d never guess it since their connection promotes constant reinforcement of one another.
Kim’s marathon endeavor turns out to be less stressful than it seemed to be when Cannon Arm and the Arcade Quest finally start it. With accompanying visuals and music, including Iron Maiden, Kim’s favorite band, Hedegaard portrays the mental exhaustion of playing a game for so long. Aside from the reminders of how much time is remaining in his attempt and the intensity of each break taken, he may be attempting to set a world record, but the video doesn’t suggest it.
The calm and trancelike tone of Cannon Arm and the Arcade Quest wonderfully portrays what it’s like to hang out at an arcade. Friends talking and pints of beer being drunk in front of brilliant pixels in loud arcade cabinets is an experience that can’t be duplicated at home. Hedegaard’s initial interest in Kim’s Gyruss project evolves into a lovely study of the importance of community as a love letter to one of the gathering places for gaming groups.
SCORE: 7 OUT OF 10
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