... As such, I really wish I could tell you how great Game Over is. Unfortunately, if I did, I'd be lying. As documentaries go, it's somewhat dull. As a film, it's actually quite awful.
Game Over tells the story of a 1997 chess match between chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov and the IBM ... Read review
In May 1997 Garry Kasparov, widely regarded as the greatest chess player the world has ... more
ever seen, played Deep Blue - a hulking, one-and-a-half ton IBM supercomputer - in a chess tournament and 'scientific experiment'. International interest in the matc...
Advantages: Interesting story to be told here. Disadvantages: Very much one-sided, overall style misjudged.
...could tell you how great Game Over is. Unfortunately, if I did, I'd be lying. As documentaries go, it's somewhat dull. As a film, it's actually quite awful.
Game Over tells the story of a 1997 chess match between chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov and the IBM developed super-computer, Deep Blue. Kasparov is widely accepted as the worlds greatest player of the game, so it was surprising when he lost the match. However, in the years since ... ...a loss.
Game Over had the potential to be a fascinating piece of investigative journalism that sets out to find out whether IBM really did conspire against Kasparov or not. This would have been a far more interesting tale than a man, whom despite being undoubtably intelligent, comes across as the kind of raving man you might find in the pub complaining about how the referee was against his football team. Seeing as the filmmakers don't ... more
One may not expect a documentary about chess to be the most entertaining of films. It's not as if chess is the most exciting sport in the world, and so a film that delves into one particular match doesn't seem like an enticing prospect. I was curious to see the film myself as I enjoy chess, and I also seem to enjoy the most mundane of topics covered in film. As such, I really wish I could tell you how great Game Over is. Unfortunately, if I did, I'd be lying. As documentaries go, it's somewhat dull. As a film, it's actually quite awful.
Game Over tells the story of a 1997 chess match between chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov and the IBM developed super-computer, Deep Blue. Kasparov is widely accepted as the worlds greatest player of the game, so it was surprising when he lost the match. However, in the years since the match, suspicions have been aroused about exactly how he lost the match, with Kasparov seemingly becoming increasingly paranoid that a conspiracy to defeat him was involved. The film largely tells the story from his point of view, but also takes in accounts from others surrounding the game, including many of the IBM developers of Deep Blue.
From that, the idea of the film might not actually seem that bad. It may even seem appealing. I know that it did to me. However, with the way in which the film is presented, it becomes more and more difficult to enjoy the film. By focusing the film on Kasparov, and giving him the majority of the narrative, the film comes across about as neutral as a Michael Moore film. A neutral voiceover would have aided this film greatly, and quite why there isn't one to link the sections together is entirely baffling to me. While Kasparov's story is interesting, it isn't enough to sustain an entire film. When you look below what is being presented, it essentially comes down to a ninety minute "I was screwed" rant. Whether or not he was seems to be irrelevant to the filmmakers, and quite why they didn't want to investigate the exact circumstances fully leaves me at a loss.
Game Over had the potential to be a fascinating piece of investigative journalism that sets out to find out whether IBM really did conspire against Kasparov or not. This would have been a far more interesting tale than a man, whom despite being undoubtably intelligent, comes across as the kind of raving man you might find in the pub complaining about how the referee was against his football team. Seeing as the filmmakers don't seem to care about whether it's true or not (just that they are pushing a controversial view), neither do we as the viewer. Was Kasparov screwed over by IBM? In all honesty, there is a good chance that he was. There is certainly evidence to support it, most notably in the computer suddenly changing playing styles between the first and second game, and the way in which Deep Blue was destroyed, with all logs, immediately after the match. There was a number of other shady events that impacted the match as well, but most of these are just given passing references in the smallest amount of time possible so the camera can get back to Kasparov.
The few alternative viewpoints that we are given, largely from the IBM programmers who helped develop Deep Blue, raises further questions about how feasible it was for there to be a grand conspiracy. Most of the developers seem normal and honest enough, there is certainly no sinister "boo-hiss" enemy here. It's a shame that no one in the higher echelons of IBM was involved in this, or the important people on the Deep Blue team at the time of the match. A few developers claiming their innocence may be legitimate enough, but that doesn't mean there wasn't people above them abusing what was available.
It's most likely that we'll never find out exactly what did occur behind the scenes of the match. It's a shame, as there is certainly an excellent story to be told here, and one that someone who actually knows what they are doing needs to investigate. It's just a shame that this half-hearted attempt chooses to focus almost all of it's energies as being a platform for Kasparov to complain from rather than trying to be a serious documentary.
The story of how Chess champion, Gary Kasparov lost to the Deep Blue computer in 1997.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
MOMENTUM PICTURES; TECHNICOLOR DISTRIBUTION SERVICES
Release date
10/05/2004
No of Discs
1
Catalogue No
MP 326 D
Barcode
5060049145266
Languages
Main Language
English
Technical information
Special Features
Trailer, FRITZ6 Special Edition Chess Program
Sound
Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo English
Professional reviews
Review
"...Engrossing, tragic and above all, entertaining. See it..." (Film Review, )
"..Fascinating. Remarkable. Gripping..." (Johnny Vaughn) (The Sun, )
"...Plays out as a compelling conspiracy thriller..." (Total Film, )
DVD Description
Garry Kasparov, possibly the world's greatest chess player, and his one-and-a-half ton IBM supercomputer opponent Deep Blue entered the ultimate tournament, a 'scientific experiment' in May 1997. In this epic battle of man vs machine, Deep Blue appeared to think like a human, and Kasparov perhaps, was thinking like a machine. This documentary follows the gripping battle where you must always think many moves ahead of your opponent. Who will win
Compare Game Over: Kasparov And The Machine (DVD) to other similar Documentaries & Biographies »
Similar products and search queries by other users »
Game DVD, Game Over DVD, Game Kasparov DVD, Game And DVD, Game The DVD, Game Machine DVD, Game Over Kasparov DVD, Game Over And DVD, Game Over The DVD, Game Over Machine DVD, Game Kasparov And DVD, Game Kasparov The DVD, Game Kasparov Machine DVD, Game And The DVD, Game And Machine DVD
Are you the manufacturer / provider of Game Over: Kasparov And The Machine (DVD)? Click here