I was a proud Commodore user between 1985 and 1996, having owned an Amiga 500 since 1987 that was replaced by an Amiga 1200. I still own both, and they both still work! Furthermore, I was also part of the "Demoscene" and also part of a team that developed a commercial game.
I'm just telling you this so that you might understand that the Amiga was a very valued part of my youth, including visits to quite some Amiga fairs.
Unfortunately, this documentation only stays on the surface. There is nothing new, nothing surprising, and on top of that it even doesn't have a clear structure.
People that didn't know the Amiga and the hype accompanying this computer back then will not understand it and will be none the wiser after having watched this.
It was mentioned in other reviews that this documentation is very USA-centric, which is unfortunately true. Unfortunately, because it is agreed on that the Amiga had its biggest impact in Europe (in the UK and Germany, to be specific).
What is this documentation trying to achieve? To share some memories of people involved from the beginning like RJ Mical? To boast about its gfx/ video capabilities (by using the old but still impressive example with Deborah "Would you like to paint me?" Harry and Andy Warhol)? To prove that it's still being used by a few enthusiasts like the very valued 4Mat?
And where are the games and the demos? If I remember correctly, there's maybe 20 seconds of game footage or even less, and I didn't see any demos at all. (For me, demos is something that not only made the Amiga so special, but is one of the main reasons why the Amiga is still remembered by many and being used by some enthusiasts.)
The problem is, it never goes deeper. For example, especially for people that do not know the computer capabilities back then in the mid-80s - it's not enough to (wrongfully!) state that Apple was black & white, PC was green on black, and the Amiga had color and multitasking. There was nothing to help me as a viewer understand why the Amiga was such a breakthrough at that time. Sure, nearly all the interviewees mention it quite often, but if I didn't know the Amiga, I would ask myself: "OK, but - why was this such a sensation???"
The old advertisement footage was mostly nice, but in the end doesn't help the documentation.
And some things, like the "Revision" sequences filmed in Saarbrucken/ Germany, feel like completely out of place, just because the documentary never mentions the demo-scene, but all of a sudden we see a bunch of people sitting in a big, dark hall - "but what the hell are they doing there?" you might ask yourself...
I gave it a 5/10, because I recognize the effort that the director took to make this film, not being a professional filmmaker and such. But I certainly will not watch it a 2nd time. (And please don't quit your day-to-day job!)
And I really do not understand where the 30k funding money went into. Even in 2010, good and affordable equipment was available, and the travels couldn't haven been costly. (Maybe he had to pay fees for interviewing some of the people!?)
I'm just telling you this so that you might understand that the Amiga was a very valued part of my youth, including visits to quite some Amiga fairs.
Unfortunately, this documentation only stays on the surface. There is nothing new, nothing surprising, and on top of that it even doesn't have a clear structure.
People that didn't know the Amiga and the hype accompanying this computer back then will not understand it and will be none the wiser after having watched this.
It was mentioned in other reviews that this documentation is very USA-centric, which is unfortunately true. Unfortunately, because it is agreed on that the Amiga had its biggest impact in Europe (in the UK and Germany, to be specific).
What is this documentation trying to achieve? To share some memories of people involved from the beginning like RJ Mical? To boast about its gfx/ video capabilities (by using the old but still impressive example with Deborah "Would you like to paint me?" Harry and Andy Warhol)? To prove that it's still being used by a few enthusiasts like the very valued 4Mat?
And where are the games and the demos? If I remember correctly, there's maybe 20 seconds of game footage or even less, and I didn't see any demos at all. (For me, demos is something that not only made the Amiga so special, but is one of the main reasons why the Amiga is still remembered by many and being used by some enthusiasts.)
The problem is, it never goes deeper. For example, especially for people that do not know the computer capabilities back then in the mid-80s - it's not enough to (wrongfully!) state that Apple was black & white, PC was green on black, and the Amiga had color and multitasking. There was nothing to help me as a viewer understand why the Amiga was such a breakthrough at that time. Sure, nearly all the interviewees mention it quite often, but if I didn't know the Amiga, I would ask myself: "OK, but - why was this such a sensation???"
The old advertisement footage was mostly nice, but in the end doesn't help the documentation.
And some things, like the "Revision" sequences filmed in Saarbrucken/ Germany, feel like completely out of place, just because the documentary never mentions the demo-scene, but all of a sudden we see a bunch of people sitting in a big, dark hall - "but what the hell are they doing there?" you might ask yourself...
I gave it a 5/10, because I recognize the effort that the director took to make this film, not being a professional filmmaker and such. But I certainly will not watch it a 2nd time. (And please don't quit your day-to-day job!)
And I really do not understand where the 30k funding money went into. Even in 2010, good and affordable equipment was available, and the travels couldn't haven been costly. (Maybe he had to pay fees for interviewing some of the people!?)
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