6.7/10
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24 user 21 critic

Atari: Game Over (2014)

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2:57 | Trailer
A crew digs up all of the old Atari 2600 game cartridges of "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" that were tossed into a landfill in the 1980s.

Director:

Zak Penn
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Zak Penn ... Self - Narrator
Joe Lewandowski Joe Lewandowski ... Self - Waste Disposal Expert & Historian
Robert Rentschler Robert Rentschler ... Self - Former Mayor, Alamogordo
Paul Sanchez Paul Sanchez ... Self - Mayoral Candidate, Alamogordo
Manny Gerard Manny Gerard ... Self - Co-Chief Operating Officer, Warner Communications Inc.
Nolan Bushnell ... Self - Co-Founder, Atari
Seamus Blackley Seamus Blackley ... Self - Co-Creator, Xbox
Howard Scott Warshaw ... Self - Game Engineer, Atari Inc.
Son Huffmon Son Huffmon ... Self - Construction Division Manager, Mese Verde Enterprises
Pat Magill Pat Magill ... Self - Director of Engineering, Mese Verde Enterprises
Mike Mika Mike Mika ... Self - Game Designer & Preservationist
Susie Galea Susie Galea ... Self - Mayor, Alamogordo
Andrew Reinhard Andrew Reinhard ... Self - Archaeologist, American School of Classical Studies at Athens
Raiford Guins Raiford Guins ... Self - Associate Professor of Culture & Technology, Stony Brook University
Ernest Cline ... Self - Screenwriter & Novelist
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Storyline

A crew digs up all of the old Atari 2600 game cartridges of "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" that were tossed into a landfill in the 1980s.

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Taglines:

32.886668 N, 105.967336 W

Genres:

Documentary

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Parents Guide:

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Did You Know?

Trivia

This was supposed to be the first episode of a six part documentary series called 'Signal to Noise', made by Xbox Entertainment Studios. However, in July 2014, it became apparent that mother company Microsoft was going to shut down Xbox Entertainment Studios. Because of this, no other episodes of 'Signal to Noise' were made. See more »

Quotes

Himself - Narrator: [Discussing the chances that the digging of the dump being successful] You're saying that there's a possibility that this could turn out to be a giant waste of time?
Himself - Waste Disposal Expert & Historian: I think I've said it before: I'll bet the car, I won't bet the house.
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Connections

References Breakout (1976) See more »

User Reviews

 
A lot of fuss over . . . that?
24 August 2015 | by Mr-FusionSee all my reviews

I don't want to spoil the ending of "Atari: Game Over", but it's one of the major reasons this was a disappointment. The filmmakers go to great lengths to play up the urban legend of the long-buried "E.T." cartridges that supposedly killed the video game industry in 1983, but the end result is an underwhelming payoff to say the least.

But the movie itself is all over the road, covering everything from the history of Atari, the guy who actually made "E.T.", the key players in the company, the guy who oversaw the actual burial, a legion of tourists who dropped by to see the excavation, the dispelling of the myth that "E.T." killed the industry . . . to Ernest Cline and his DeLorean thrown in for good measure, apparently. There's just so much going on.

As such, the best parts of the movie are the interviews with Atari personnel. These are the most worthwhile of the talking heads, and I would love to have seen more. To the movie's credit, it does have some nice production values. But the ending feels like a cheat on the part of the filmmakers, especially with so much editorializing.

5/10


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Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook | Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish | German | French | Italian

Release Date:

20 November 2014 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

ATARI GAME OVER アタリ ゲームオーバー See more »

Filming Locations:

Alamogordo, New Mexico, USA See more »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1
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