‘Grand Theft Hamlet’ Review: A Virtual Triumph

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In my opinion, many movies adapted from video games have a mixed history, ranging from the truly awful, like 2024’s ‘Borderlands’, to slightly less dismal ones such as 2022’s ‘Uncharted’. Yet, films set within a video game while it’s being played by real players is a niche genre that, at this time, includes only two titles – 2024’s ‘Knit’s Island’ and ‘The Remarkable Life of Ibelin’. However, we can now add the intriguing documentary, ‘Grand Theft Hamlet‘, to this list. Directed by co-directors Pinny Grylls and Sam Crane, it’s a delightful and at times moving tale of two jobless British actors dealing with lockdown loneliness and creative doldrums by staging a production of Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ within the universe of ‘Grand Theft Auto’ Online.

The movie condenses 300 hours of gameplay from Grand Theft Auto Online into a compact 91 minutes. In this fast-paced adaptation, Crane and jobless actor Mark Oosterveen navigate Los Angeles’ crime-ridden virtual city, engaging in various activities like walking, running, driving, flying, fighting, and shooting. They also gather a group of Grand Theft Auto Online players to enact an extraordinary rendition of Shakespeare’s most renowned plays. Bear Grylls and Crane generate laughter from the incongruity between the timelessness of Shakespeare’s phrases and the players who recite them, such as the character with a Tunisian-Finnish background whose avatar resembles the Creature from the Black Lagoon.

In addition to utilizing the vast, almost endless environment of Grand Theft Auto Online, they engage in both in-game and real-life challenges across numerous visually stunning, virtual destinations, all within the realm of Rockstar Games’ grand creation. This project is not just another run-of-the-mill video document; it’s a creatively imaginative piece that blends cartoonish wit with subtle melancholy, exploring themes of purpose and creative satisfaction. Despite the looming threat of COVID-19 potentially marking the end of the world.

‘Grand Theft Hamlet’ Brings Up Painful COVID Memories

It’s understandable if memories of lockdown bring back some painful feelings as Oosterveen and Crane turn to Grand Theft Auto Online to find relief from their confinement during COVID times and immerse themselves in an entire virtual universe. Even the game’s frequent, therapeutic, yet unsettling violence serves a purpose for them, acting as an escape from the overwhelming reality of their lives. For Oosterveen, whose life lacks a romantic partner or children, this project becomes a valuable distraction and mental health outlet. Crane, who has a family, invites his documentarian wife Grylls to join the game when they decide to hold auditions for their Hamlet production in-game. Initially, she wanted her avatar to resemble Tilda Swinton, but eventually agreed to participate and record the event for a future film.

In other words, it’s clear that Grylls wasn’t part of their wild plan when it first sprouted since it seems unlikely she began documenting until after the concept was conceived in 2021 during the third lockdown due to COVID. The spark of genius ignites when Crane (depicted as a tough guy with a stylish zero-fade haircut) and Oosterveen (more casual in his beige puffer jacket) stumble upon the Vinewood Bowl amphitheater within the game, leading them to spontaneously perform Hamlet’s “Life is just a fleeting shadow…” soliloquy impromptu.

The interaction is momentarily disrupted by two individuals who swiftly brandish their weapons, causing Crane to plead, “Could you please abstain from harming one another.” Despite the imminent arrival of police helicopters and Oosterveen’s eventual fatal shooting, they decide on a bizarre plan: hosting tryouts, rehearsals, and ultimately staging the entire play within the game’s digital realm.

Grand Theft Hamlet’s Open World Means Anything Can Happen

As I traversed the vast open-world landscape of this film production, I found an endless supply of visually tantalizing moments that kept me engrossed throughout the creation process. Watching actors rehearse and then suddenly get hit, shot, or plummet from a helipad never loses its charm. Yet, during the casting calls, directors Oosterveen and Crane, self-professed “middle-aged white men,” opened their doors to individuals of all races, sexual orientations, and backgrounds. One potential cast member is transgender and can empathize with Hamlet’s quest for personal truth. Another, whose on-screen character is a muscular, hat-wearing man, is actually a female literary agent and devoted fan of Hamlet, playing the game on her nephew’s system.

In some instances, these profound contemplations, particularly those emphasizing art’s healing qualities, provide a charming aspect to the narrative. However, there are moments when it seems as though the author stretches too far, such as when Crane ponders the significance of Hamlet’s famous “To be, or not to be” soliloquy and later delivers dialogue while images of loneliness, poverty, and despair are shown. Nevertheless, these elements don’t slow down the movie’s pace, which eventually leads to a unique performance on July 4, 2022, that takes place in various locations like a boat, blimp, casino, grotto modeled after the Playboy mansion, and atop an abandoned limousine. In this production, the Ghost of Hamlet’s father is portrayed by an individual who arrives in a flying DeLorean.

When It Comes to the Editing, Something’s Not Right in Denmark

Pondering over whether the events portrayed in Grand Theft Hamlet truly transpired as shown, we can’t help but be captivated by our shared delight for this unique experience. Yet, doubts linger about how much of the final product corresponds to reality, especially when Grylls implies that Crane was so engrossed in the production he overlooked her birthday and can only be encountered within the game. If such a heated family dispute as depicted actually took place within the game’s world — and the film fails to convince us it did — seeking professional help would have been crucial immediately.

Although Grylls skillfully constructs a coherent story from countless hours of poor audio and complex digital events, it’s somewhat jarring when two characters seem to talk simultaneously, with only one actually speaking. Additionally, Jamie Perera’s score, while attempting to emphasize the emotional aspects, can be overly aggressive in doing so.

Grand Theft Hamlet is an amusing yet poignant documentary that explores how artists cope emotionally during a pandemic. This isn’t just any story, but a heartfelt account of a group of solitary, hardworking, and skilled individuals who turn to their artistic skills as one of the few remaining outlets in difficult times. Moreover, it features an exceptionally unique Hamlet production, and is the only one that includes the memorable stage instruction, “and then we’ll leap onto the blimp.

On January 17, the movie “Grand Theft Hamlet,” produced by Grasp The Nettle Films, Project 1961, and distributed by MUBI, is set to be shown in a broader range of cinemas. For additional details, including UK screenings and question-and-answer sessions with the filmmakers, please visit this link.

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2025-01-11 06:33