Grand Theft Auto Online Takes A Break From Violence To Offer A Charming Twist On The Theater Industry

Ever since its launch, Grand Theft Auto Online has been a massive home for a variety of players, whether it’s friends looking to embark on crazy missions, or individuals looking to create the most chaos and damage possible. Uniquely, Grand Theft Hamlet seeks to break the series’ violence-driven formula to create a more engaging and innovative format for what the Rockstar game could be, though it is slightly hampered by the lack of longevity in its premise.

Directed by Sam Crane and Pinny Grylls, Grand Theft Hamlet focuses on the former and his friend, Mark Oosterveen, as they search the world of GTA Online to cast and produce a virtual version of the titular William Shakespeare play. The documentary not only chronicles their efforts to cast the play within the game, but also the filmmakers’ struggles during the COVID-19 pandemic to create a sense of community and break free from the emotional taxation they encountered during lockdown in the United Kingdom.

Grand Theft Hamlet Is A Novel Concept Let Down By An Underwhelming Execution

The Film Could Use A Little More Creativity Within Its Video Game World

Given the world of Grand Theft Auto Online is the film’s setting, it’s certainly understandable the filmmakers would be restrained by the controls of the Rockstar title. The online multiplayer world has certain restrictions, whether it be a player’s actions, dialogue, or appearance. However, it’s really the way Grand Theft Hamlet primarily focuses itself on the gameplay of the title that proves somewhat underwhelming in its execution.

The concept of an entirely game-set documentary is certainly novel and is worthy of more exploration in the genre. However, Crane and Grylls don’t take it far enough for it to feel like anything more than a YouTube gamer playing GTA Online. Whether it’s the filmmakers exploring different locations for the actors to audition and rehearse the Shakespeare play or the various locations they hoped to perform the eventual production, only for other players to interrupt with their violent actions, there’s a disconnect between the sincere and humorous natures, so to speak, of the community.

That said, there’s still a lot to the movie other filmmakers can learn from. The fact that the entirety of Grand Theft Hamlet is set within the game, with the human players not revealed until the very end, makes for an intriguing twist on the format, as we’re left to identify these figures with their goofy-looking avatars. Additionally, the sheer range of locations in the game provides some diverse settings for not just the production of Hamlet, but the documentary as a whole.

Even In A Game Dominated By Violence, Heartfelt Bonds Can Be Built

Though the overall execution of its central concept is a bit of a mixed bag, where Grand Theft Hamlet ultimately soars is in its reflection on the theme of community. Though Crane, Grylls, and Oosterveen were friends and partners before the events of the film, part of the movie’s charm is that they quite literally open the floor for any and all players in the GTA Online community, which results in them meeting a wide array of people along the way.

This point felt hammered home for me in the way the relationships with the other players evolve as the film progresses. Certain “actors” have to take reduced roles due to changes in their lives, while others find themselves going from self-doubt due to a language barrier to embracing confidence to be on “stage” or continuing their involvement in the production. Finding people who have yearned to be theater actors but are working in other fields adds a wonderful emotional layer to the documentary of how heartfelt bonds and experiences can be built even in a game dominated by violence.

It truly is just the overall execution that left me somewhat lacking in my love for Grand Theft Hamlet. There are moments in the film in which Crane, Grylls, and Oosterveen have heated arguments about life, clearly stemming from the emotional stress of pandemic lockdown, but they don’t quite land with the proper impact due to the awkward visualization of its namesake game. But for those with even a general interest in gaming and looking for a charming twist on the theater industry, Grand Theft Hamlet is still worth a watch.

Grand Theft Hamlet is now playing in select theaters.