Recently presented at Fantasia 2025, we had the chance to check «Good Game», a film that remind us that gaming, even on competitive level, can be enjoyed by anyone, and at any age.
Facing the risk of losing his internet cafe due the lack of customers, and the increasing rent, the middle-age owner Tai decides to enter the One Shot E-sport Tournament, hoping to use the grand-prize to save his business. Seeing that this is a team event, he recruits the only gamers he can convince, creating the most odd team to log in since Steam became a thing.
Among the members of this team called “Happy Hour” Tai has Fay, a rebellious but noble young lady that can’t seem to last at any job she gets, and the internet cafe is the only place where she fits. The other member is Octo (a.k.a. “Golden Arm”), a retired movie star that has taken playing video games as a brain exercise therapy for his wife with a deteriorating mental condition. Knowing the odds are against them, Tai manages to make Solo, a recently fired hot-shot of the E-sports circuit join the team.
As the day of the tournament gets closer, the team tries to learn to work together, and not against each other, something that Tai discovers is way easier said than done.
Ok, straight to the point.
If you are expecting a crazy over-the-top comedy such as “Shaolin Soccer” or “Kung Fu Hustle”, I’ll let you know, this is NOT it. However, it is a fun, FAMILY movie that made me laugh out aloud several times, and made me honestly care for the characters, something that you do not expect from a comedy, where some group of odd underdogs get together to reach a big goal or defeat an enemy in common.
The movie at moments has several “in game” scenes that are played by live actors (as opposed to animation or computer graphics) but they are very fun to watch, with a lot of parkour, engaging fight sequences and even Gun-Fu choreographies that were great. These in-game sequences even manage to squeeze some FPS perspective (think “Hardcore Henry” minus the nausea…and for the record, I loved that film) that work very well. Also the way the in-game characters acted reflecting their IRL personas was very fun at several times.
Now, while I admit this is not a comedy that will leave you laughing and rolling on the floor, nor has any crass humor that tries to push your buttons (outside gaming, that is), but “Good Game” is a film that has a lot of heart. You actually get to like the characters, and there are some tender and even scary moments, since life…well, sometimes throws you curves and hits you out of nowhere.
The film provides some moments where we see more of our main heroes and their struggles, without going too deep into drama, nor dragging the feet in the plot. As a result, I was very invested in the elderly couple Octo and Lena, and their small arc in the film really leaves a (nice) mark. We also get a subplot with Tai, the owner and his estranged wife, that makes this movie stand out from other underdog comedies. And of course, the hotshot Solo gets some character development as well as Fay, and both were very well done.
Bottom line: The film has good characters, a nice feel-good story and a lot of kick ass sequences (in the in-game scenes). You can argue that the film is very formulaic, and does not break any new ground, but honestly, I was enjoying every moment in the film, and at the end I loved it, So, It’s all good.
“Good Game” was directed by Dickson Leung, written by Xin He, Ken Ho-Ming Law and June Zhong . In the cast we have Lam Man-Chung, Will Or, Wai-Lam, Chan Wing-Yan, So-Bo-Fung.
The Fantasia International Film Festival is running in Montreal, Quebec from July 16 to August 3rd.
Please check my other reviews coming from this festival, and the previous year!
