When the franchise was first announced back in the day, nobody could have possibly predicted how successful it would become. Nor could anyone have predicted how controversial the highly anticipated sequel to the first game would be or how offensive online criticism would be in the days leading up to its release, especially given how successful the first game was.
This documentary follows the individuals associated with Naughty Dog, the video game developer responsible for the titles, from early pre-production to a massive production. Eventually, we also hear open discussions regarding the effects of COVID-19 on the game’s development and the disastrous leaks that hampered the release of what was possibly the most eagerly awaited PlayStation video game ever.
Obviously, it is unfortunate that the documentary fails to elicit the previously indicated immediate response (albeit Neil Druckmann, Troy Baker, and Laura Bailey, among others, provide insightful and poignant commentary about the event). That being said, the documentary is by no means a failure. On the opposite.
For better or worse, there are a lot of priceless and vulnerable moments as well as lesser-known development anecdotes included here that assist to paint a picture of the creative process that went into creating the finished product. Honestly, I do believe that the two-hour documentary occasionally feels more like a collection of behind-the-scenes special features than a well-rounded piece due to the numerous chapter title cards throughout. Although I believe you might make this documentary tighter and more engaging by leaving some elements out, I can also see why you might want to include everything.
Thus, what are the real highlights of this making-of documentary, and why should one watch it if the supposed highlight is pushed to the final twenty minutes because the film was lost owing to COVID-19? There are a tonne of things. If you’re into these games, for starters, watching the contentious sequence that, taken out of context, outraged the internet via the eyes of the performers in motion capture suits is a truly touching experience.
People at the developer show signs of significant uncertainty, bewildered reactions, and frustration over Neil Druckmann’s inability to attend a meeting. Eventually, though, we witness the happiness that comes from understanding that all those days and nights weren’t in vain. Even though the leaker caused a great deal of harm, the industry, critics, and fans all praised the game (remember that even if the noisy minority dominates the internet, the silent majority frequently makes up the majority).
As a result, the documentary is an engrossing rollercoaster journey with candid and open evaluations of the process of making the game and getting feedback. the challenges of growing it (and not knowing when enough was enough), but also the fact that creating video games requires teamwork.
Even though I mentioned above that some aspects might be left out, I also think it’s great that the filmmakers weren’t content to just have the most well-known players of the game tell the tale. Despite the fact that it doesn’t really get to cover the most fascinating component of it all (for understandable reasons), this documentary is a highly fulfilling internal making-of since it has been permitted to be from many various internal views.
This compelling and frank behind-the-scenes documentary chronicles the rocky launch of one of the most eagerly awaited narrative games ever created. Fans of the game and those curious about the difficult process involved in creating a follow-up to one of the most critically acclaimed video games ever made will find plenty to ponder here, even in the absence of the camera crew’s presence to document the reactions to the leak as it happened.