Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine

Great nerd drama for technology enthusiasts or anyone with an interest in the bizarre subculture of grandmaster chess competition. The twelve-tone music score fits nicely alongside the sheer madness of those crazy enough to write a chess engine that could rival the skill of Garry Kasparov.

A retrospective on the contentious series of chess matches which pitted Grand Master Garry Kasparov and Deep Blue, IBM's specially-developed thinking machine. During their close-ups, both sides seem snide and arrogant, obsessively self-absorbed. Kasparov, whose perspective provides most of the documentary's initiative, makes a few sound observations about the shroud of secrecy that surrounded the machine during their fateful second meeting, but ultimately seems most interested in making excuses for his loss than pursuing the truth. IBM, on the other hand, used the encounter as a highly successful publicity stunt and, having achieved their ultimate goal of a victory against the best in the world, promptly closed up shop without offering a rubber match. The filmmakers do a questionable job of toeing the line, allowing each party to share their opinions without obstruction, but ultimately spending most of their effort focused on Kasparov's wild conspiracy theories. They also, puzzlingly, give away the ending no less than three times over the course of the picture, effectively spoiling all the drama. As a result, the documentary never builds a head of steam and concludes as nothing more than a straight, bland, historical record that lacks both a distinct resolution and a truly appealing central figure.