Name: Against the Whole World
Editor: MDTK

Technical

This is a technically beautiful movie, let's get that out of the way immediately in no uncertain terms. I mean from the standpoint of not only the artistry which has gone into making the movie but also the raw aesthetic appeal as a viewing experience. This is a movie which almost makes all the hundreds and hundreds of sub-par movies or overedited or overhyped movies worth it; if I get one movie like this for every two hundred that are nothing like this I can sleep at night with those odds. How often does a movie come along where the technical section of a Thorin review begins like that dear reader? Indeed.

The intro only hints at what is to come with the standard pre-emptive scenes of glock carrying terrorists running towards choke points, shown from the third person while the camera swings around them. It's hard to even downplay this aspect though, usually these are the superfluous elements of a heavily produced movie but in this case these kind of lay a very basic storyboard out in the viewer's mind, establishing some simple themes, which he may not pay attention to now but the payoff will make worthwhile in the end. Even in this intro there is an aspect I should credit and that is the excellent use of the swinging third-person perspective camera shots. These are rarely if ever a good idea in terms of how they are usually implemented but here in this movie, from the outset onwards, they are used excellently, the best I've ever seen in a CS movie.

The intro also shows the kind of impressive editing and timing the moviemaker has. I wouldn't even describe it as flashy, despite how impressive it is, because the actual tone is the opposite and is rather more laid back and clean so it introduces you at the right pace to the movie. Once the movie starts going you really see what this moviemaker is capable of in terms of editing. This is a movie where you are left with endless chicken and egg conundrums like which came first: did he have the song in mind and then he picked the frags and arranged them around key parts and then created the transitions to further suit that setup? Or perhaps he had the frags in a basic order and then he picked the music and used the transitions to make it fit cleanly? Or maybe he had basic transitions in mind, ideas he wanted to throw around, then he added the music and then ordered the frags into the ones which would connect best of all? Ultimately it doesn't matter if any of these are the case or none are because like all art this movie is a synthesis of every element which makes it great combining into something more. One imagines this as a great meeting of an intuitive understanding of Counter-Strike movie editing with the work ethic to make different sections all they can be and the technical skill level to execute those ideas and ideals.

This movie has if not the best transition usage then up there with the best transition usage I've ever seen in a movie. Each scene is distinct and yet seamless. I'm not even sure seamless is fair because when a movie is seamless you tend to not notice the transitions consciously, whereas in this movie you find yourself stepping outside your viewing experience for half a second and thinking "that was an awesome transition" then immediately reimmersing yourself back into the flow of the movie. The use of the transition where the screen spins to the side and into the next sequence is excellent and really has a satisfying effect on the eyes the way it was employed here.

The synching of the movie is impeccable, again amongst the best ever seen in a CS movie. Frags which otherwise would have been far less significant are elevated by being used for specific purposes and in a way which combines the music, the action and the editing style to really make this a flowing process of viewing instead of just one scene after another with music behind them. This movie is an interactive experience: the viewer feels his mind being engaged with ideas and effects, tossed this way and that way but in a smooth and enjoyable fashion which is heading in a defined, though unknown, direction. CS movie effects so often disorientate, distract or annoy but here they draw in, they play with and surprise the frag movie purist in ways he was unlikely to expect going into the movie.

Like all the greatest frag movies this movie understands what it is about and trying to achieve. At 4 minutes and 14 seconds it is perhaps the perfect length for what the movie is about and what makes it good. We get a single song woven into scenes, no messing around with gambling on another song and more frags which would lower the overall movie or fail to capture the same spirit as the first half/third/part. This movie also has that beautiful moment in the great movies where you think you've seen all it has to offer, you've had the main course and now you're expecting something light and non-filling to finish off... except here comes one final blast which blows you away and you realize some of the best was saved for last. The entire experience of the editing, the music and the kills comes together in that last minute into a semi-euphoric viewing experience. I was left wanting more and yet glad there was no more; elated, invigorated, stimulated and yet satisfied.

This is not the perfect movie though; every fart does not smell of daffodils and cotton candy. The downsides, as easily ignorable as they can be during the intoxicating viewing experience, are present and worth mentioning so you don't scroll to the end and wonder why I didn't give this a 10. Firstly using the higher than normal in-game resolution, while yielding a smoother style of footage capture, does mean certain scenes have frag obituaries which are difficult to read even when looking directly at them. This is an issue since ideally frag obituaries are to be read with the peripheral vision while one concentrates on the crosshair area.

4:14 is also not comparable with the truly great 8-10 minute movies. It's a really good movie and it works for its length in almost every respect, but those 8 minute movies which keep you hooked the entire way through and constantly loving the experience are above and beyond this movie in an overarching sense and that has to be taken into consideration.

Visual

This is a really good frag movie where it isn't just purely because of the frags. It is because of some of the frags though let's face it. There are some great sequences in this movie. I'm immediately thinking of enemy's deagle scene against coL on nuke and another later on inferno. glow pushing down a smoked middle and catching a banana push off-guard is a soaring experience to take in and a scene which hints, surprises and then delivers all in one fell swoop.

There are some kills which are less well used or worthy of inclusion though. Presumably the two most prominent eco fragging situations, when the terrorists are rushing upper at inner on train and middle ramp on cbble, are picked for editing reasons to show off the techniques discussed further above in this review. That said these two sequences really aren't impressive in and of themselves, there are moments in both where the player whose POV we are seeing the action from is basically not even firing and yet the enemies can't engage or hit him in a manner which makes them a threat. That's the problem with including eco fragging sequences so often: they just don't deliver after that first 1.5 seconds of novelty of seeing a bunch of people die in quick succession, the payoff is rarely there and you get a momentary lapse where you want to move onto the next sequence.

That said I'll give credit where it's due and mention one specific eco fragging scene which is included where the opposite is true. We see cliper in the apartments of inferno pulling off what is a fairly average eco killing scene but then, combined with the editing, we get a delicious peek-out USP headshot on the last guy who is in mid-air falling down. That is a scene which doesn't promise a lot and yet delivers at the last gasp more than one may have imagined possible.

This is a movie though where sequences which on their own wouldn't have meant that much in a frag movie are woven together through the editing to have significance and add another brushstroke to the overall piece. Even some of the already 'overused' kills, if we can call them that in this context, such as cliper killing SK on inferno at banana... well you find yourself thinking "it IS a retrospective movie and that IS the championship SK team he is killing in the CPL finals so...".

Audio

You know this must be a good movie when I tell you the soundtrack is Linkin Park and yet the music is really well selected and works well within the movie. I think what makes this track different is that firstly the moviemaker seems to have intuitively appreciated the structure of the track and yet also put a great deal of time into thinking about how to show off different parts of the action with the nuances of the track itself. The remix aspect really comes into play with the electronic-style beats helping provide a kind of heartbeat rhythm to the action, editing and movie itself in a way which the usually riff-driven Linkin Park songs fail to. The guitar is a very disconnected instrument when it comes to frag movies, the drum will always be the king of synching with the heart of a movie and driving it.

The way the music is woven into the ending sequence which I borderline gushed about above is really lovely to see too. This ending sequence almost makes me want to get the track in question, except of course it doesn't since I know it is the combination of every element in the movie which makes each in turn work. The track on its own is just a track and so on. Never too much credit to the paint and the paintbrush when the artist is stood there behind them.

I also think it was an excellent idea not to go for broke, a real possiblity, and use another track and extend the movie. This movie is the right length musically and on that I expect we can all agree.

Overall

This movie is a lot of fun and a great viewing experience. Movie of the year for me so far without a doubt. I enjoyed almost every aspect of it, a few exceptions aside, and to the extent that the more I watched it and thought about it the more I liked it. In fact I'm reminded of the lyrics of the great prog-rock track "Indisicpline", by the mighty King Crimson, in summing this movie and my experience of reviewing it up:

"The more I look at it,
The more I like it.
I do think its good.
The fact is..
No matter how closely I study it,
No matter how I take it apart,
No matter how I break it down,
It remains consistent.
I wish you were here to see it."

It's not the greatest movie ever made but for what it is, the goals it reaches for and the time period it comes to us in it's a great little watch which will no doubt get replayed for a while to come still. I get the feeling like the moviemaker himself knows how good it is too, that ending is almost too perfect where he delivers us to the marketing aspect of the movie and then gives a few seconds in the outro for us to soak it in deep to our unconscious while we kind of catch our breath and think "Fuck, what did I just see? Where is that timelime, maybe one more time...".

Thorin Rating: 8.5/10

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