REVIEW: ‘Lost Arcade’ finds gaming community saying goodbye to beloved business
The Lost Arcade, the new documentary from director Kurt Vincent and writer Irene Chin, is a thoughtful, moving portrait of Chinatown Fair, the legendary arcade in lower Manhattan that has had a difficult history of packed weekends, near closings and mythic memories. What the documentary does so well is highlight the community of people who called Chinatown Fair their home and how this community fared when the place closed its doors.
One might not think that a dingy, somewhat tacky storefront, tucked into bustling Chinatown, would be the optimal place for gamers to let their skills loose and friendliness to take over. However, that’s exactly what happened at this meeting place of virtual street fighters.
During its heyday, Chinatown Fair was a cultural hotspot, and when a new game premiered, players would be watching five deep behind the lucky souls who had the joysticks (or buttons) in hand.
The Lost Arcade also fills the audience in on history of arcades in New York City and around the world, and how better home consoles and advanced technology eventually wreaked havoc on the arcade business. If one could play at home, what was the point in heading to Chinatown Fair?
The inevitable occurred, of course. Chinatown Fair’s dedicated owner closed up shop, and the gamers, several of whom are profiled in the film, found themselves dismayed at finding a “For Sale” sign on a metal door that once was open to the wee hours of the morning. They needed somewhere else to go, and that gave birth to Next Level, an arcade and gaming center started by an employee of Chinatown Fair. This Brooklyn business was thankfully able to capture that spirit of Chinatown Fair and became a new destination for the community.
After Next Level started packing in the crowds, something unexpected happened: Chinatown Fair reopened under a new owner. Would it be as awesome as the last iteration? Would gamers flock to the renovated and newly painted downtown business? What games would they choose to entice the crowds?
Vincent and Chin are there every step of the way throughout Chinatown Fair’s Shakespearean drama. They have footage of the good old days, the closing, the reopening and the moving of the community to Next Level in Brooklyn. They smartly focus on a few key characters, some of whom break the audience’s heart. This is not merely an exercise to pass the time. Arcade gaming and the friends that populate these tucked-away places are the real deal, and there’s visible hurt when their gaming options are diminished. Kudos to Vincent and Chin for realizing that this is a human story, not simply one about changing technology, cultural trends and gentrification. This is a profile of a community, both hurting and painstakingly trying to find its way in a difficult, unfamiliar world.
The movie will obviously attract arcade fans. Those men and women, boys and girls who still live on Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter will find so much to enjoy in these 80 minutes. However, other fandoms should be equally impressed. Those around the world who still cherish VHS tapes and throw VHS horror nights will be interested. Those who refresh their browsers a million times when New York Comic Con tickets go on sale will be interested. Those who pop out an old Nintendo game — let’s say The Legend of Zelda — and blow air into the bottom part of the cartridge to get rid of the dust will be interested. Those who are part of a community or yearn to join one, this remembrance and celebration of Chinatown Fair is a must-see documentary.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
- The Lost Arcade
- 2016
- Directed by Kurt Vincent
- Written by Irene Chin
- Running time: 80 minutes
- Rating:
