Hideo Kojima: Connecting Worlds (2023)

Hideo Kojima: Connecting Worlds (2023). 1h

“Gaming, in many ways, is an even more immersive experience than cinema. Youu0026#39;re in the role of the gameu0026#39;s protagonist, and your actions decide the progress of the story, unlike in cinema, where things are happening and youu0026#39;re basically a passive (but keen) observer. And Hideo Kojima is one of the true auteurs in the field of gaming; someone who doesnu0026#39;t stick to conventions and rulebooks. He, instead, creates his own.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis documentary serves as a shallow dive into the bizarrely creative mind of Kojima, but even at just under an hour, it feels long. Itu0026#39;s a blast when you get to hear from Kojima and his close colleagues (about how he and his peers function), but also sort of a fluff piece when you have visionary filmmakers (such as George Miller, Guillermo del Toro, and Nicolas Winding Refn) and musical artists (like Grimes, Woodkid) chiming in with their thoughts on the man. Death Stranding, a divisive game that released in 2019 right before the onset of the COVID pandemic, is given all its u0026quot;propheticu0026quot; dues. The film only brushes over Kojimau0026#39;s past achievements (with Konami), which Iu0026#39;m guessing, goes against its aspirational purpose.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhether itu0026#39;s in gaming or any other art form that involves some level of storytelling, Iu0026#39;m glad minds like Hideo Kojima exist; you know, the kind who fight the algorithm and stay original without so much as caring for perception (or mere validation).”