I would sum it up as being a good solid documentary about the hobby. It gives you the basic historical background and industry development in the first third. It probably has quite a few more interviews with important figures than I recall, who each highlight a certain aspect of the development of the hobby or give a brief overview of their role and involvement.
The documentary then moves on to the personal stories and lives of the handful of protagonists that make up the stories of this documentary. Roughly two thirds of the documentary deals with their struggles and exploits around the hobby or industry, and it is this part that remains at the forefront of my mind. Perhaps because by the time you've watched the last two thirds the first third has sort of faded to the back of your mind.
I agree with the filmmaker that a good documentary needs an emotional hook, a story around a character or set of characters. Good documentaries manage to combine the facts and the bigger picture with a personal, relatable story. It is a positive point that the documentary doesn't shy away from addressing the struggles with depression that a few of the protagonists have had. In fact, in a way, in parts it actually becomes a mini documentary about depression and how a hobby can be a source of support. A part of me feels that this aspect overshadows the rest of the documentary a bit, but I may change my mind on that.
The focus on certain characters also serves to highlight the struggles of the independent, one/two-man companies that make-up so much of this industry. It at least left me feeling a bit sad that it had to be such a struggle for them to bring their works to market. To indeed simply survive. You're certainly left with a greater sense of appreciation for the struggles of all the little guys out there.
A criticism I have is that the documentary didn't focus more on actual players. As I recall the focus is essentially on two friends, I would have liked at least another group/pair to give a rounder picture. I would have also liked a little more from some of the big names, a little more in depth about the design process perhaps. Although I'm not sure that is a fair criticism, and at 1:45 there probably wasn't enough room to include more, certainly not more of both without breaking the 2 hour mark.
I think the issue may be that the documentary sort off ends on a downer or doesn't exactly leave you excited about the hobby. It's not quite a celebration of the hobby that leaves you wanting to run down to the next gaming store to buy miniatures. This somewhat downbeat ending is at odds with the upbeat beginning that documents the rise of the wargaming hobby.
Nonetheless, a solid documentary that covers all the basics and gives an insight into the hobby and industry. It will definitely achieve its aim of informing the uninitiated, will probably have the odd unknown info for the casual gamer or newbie, but probably won't hold any surprises for the veterans. One has to remember that it's a documentary about the hobby as a whole. You could probably spend a whole 45 minutes on Games Workshop alone. As a first time piece of work it's certainly a job very well done.
PS: The filmmaker may have benefited from watching the Netflix series "The Toys That Made Us", although that format is probably better suited for a review of a single company, say GW.
