Grand Theft Hamlet

Although it takes a while to get used to, 'Grand Theft Hamlet (2024)' is ultimately surprisingly compelling considering it's essentially a series of screen recordings of 'Grand Theft Auto Online (2013)'. This documentary depicts two out-of-work actors deciding to merge two of their major interests by staging a production of Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' entirely within the open-world sandbox of their favourite COVID-lockdown distraction. After tentatively staging auditions, the pair and their documentarian observer (a non-fiction filmmaker who's also the wife of one of the focal actors) are surprised to find legitimate interest from people all over the world. Soon, their dreams of putting on the first GTA-only production of a play are underway, and they find themselves reckoning not just with the unruly nature of their digital stage but also with the schedules of their fellow actors. At its best, the piece is a testament to the sense of community and connection both theatre and video-games can provide, something we all realised was incredibly important during the recent pandemic (arguably, something like this could only be made under such circumstances). At times, though, it does feel overly staged and it also struggles to justify its length, even though said length is only around ninety minutes. Still, it's an intermittently funny, intermittently moving, and generally inspiring experimental documentary that offers a unique take on its material and feels specifically crafted for today's digital world. It's arguably one of the most timely updates of Shakespeare we've seen in a long time, even if it's more about the making of a Shakespeare production than an actual production itself (said production was live-streamed and viewed in-game a few years ago). It's an engaging experience that isn't ashamed to be exactly what it is and is all the better for it.

Grand Theft Hamlet is a hilarious, moving, and inspiring documentary where just reading the premise catches your interest.

The documentary takes place in January 2021, and the UK is still in lockdown due to COVID-19; to pass a massive amount of time, two actors, Sam Crane and Mark Oosterveen, decide to play Grand Theft Auto Online. While playing through the game, they find an area in the game almost hard to find, an amphitheater, called The Vinewood Bowl (inspired by the real-life Hollywood Bowl in LA), which serves as a concert and event venue. A funny idea came through this discovery - a digital production of Hamlet. They decide to act out a few monologues from the play, which results in hilarious moments where they get interrupted by other players who open fire on them, so they shoot back, and then the SWAT team quickly arrives at the scene to further escalate the chaos. The funny thing is that he is still delivering his soliloquy while shooting at the police.

The entire documentary is in the video game, and the game-play footage is recorded.

However, a funny idea turns into a serious project. The plan is to do the entire play of Hamlet through GTA, set up auditions in the online game to get people on board, do rehearsals, block it, and eventually live-stream the event. But this comes with its challenges and difficulties, such as organizing production in the video game world. Whether that is problems with the Internet connection, availability, or other players interrupting the rehearsal, it all becomes a massive headache and takes a toll on everyone involved.

The funniest part of the documentary is the ridiculousness of it all. There were plenty of laughs from everyone, me included. But what surprised me was how personal and, oddly enough, thought-provoking.

There comes a point when they question why they are doing this and why this silly idea is causing much stress. Some of them have families to provide for, and others have jobs. But for some, it gives them a purpose, a drive, and a therapeutic escapism. So, this stupid thing is giving someone a reason to keep going. Or one part where a cast member, who is trans, finds a deep connection to the play and character of Hamlet because when they came out to their family members as trans, they realised they don't know their proper characters until the ugly truth. They become more distant than before.

Shakespeare's text still has relevance - and what amazes me is the different interpretations people can get from the play. While watching, it made me reflect on certain things. Yep, Grand Theft Hamlet made me reflect on things.

After the screening, we had a short Q&A with Mark Oosterveen. I have never been to a Q&A before, and I am glad I stayed around because I learned a lot more about the doc. Mark said something compelling about his acting style in this, which is a mixture of puppetry (controlling your avatar in the game) and voice work (using a headset mic to talk online). But what is even more insane and unreal is that the Royal Shakespeare Company contacted them asking if they had the recorded live-stream performance so they could show it to younger people and get them interested in Shakespeare. Not bad.

Overall rating: The most wild and wonderful documentaries out there.

When I first started watching this film, I'll admit, I wasn't expecting much. As a fan of video game walkthroughs, I feared it would simply be another standard take on people playing in their respective digital worlds. Thankfully, I was proven wrong, and what unfolded was an emotional journey that kept me hooked.

Watching it, whilst remembering the context of the time it was 'filmed' adds an extra layer of depth to the experience. The film resonates more when you remember the world we were living in during that period.

There's a lot of fun to be had, especially with the video game slapstick humor. What really stands out, however, are the performances-some truly fine actors navigating both the real and virtual worlds, each delivering their craft in unique and compelling ways.

This film is surprising and genuinely enjoyable. I'd recommend it to anyone fascinated by virtual worlds, but also to those who appreciate the underlying struggles we try to suppress in the real world.

So, what is Grand Theft Hamlet? It's a performance of Hamlet staged within Grand Theft Auto Online.

But what exactly is GTA Online?

It's an "open-world, action-adventure, multiplayer" sandbox game. That might sound like World of Warcraft mixed with Grand Theft Auto, but not really. GTA Online is actually part of Grand Theft Auto V, rather than a separate MMO. Only 30 players can be in the same session at a time-far fewer than the thousands in WoW.

But is GTA Online any good?

That's what I've been trying to figure out. The game had a mixed critical reception when it launched on PS3, likely due to server issues and bugs. Even after a PS4-era re-release, reviews remained similar. GTA V as a whole is beloved-often considered one of the best games of its generation-but I'm not sure how much of that acclaim extends to its online component.

One thing's for sure: GTA Online is popular. Over 20 million people still play it every month, even today. Considering GTA V has sold 205 million copies, that means about 10% of people who bought a game originally released 12 years ago still log in regularly. That's remarkable longevity. It might not be my thing, but it must have done something right.

So how was the performance of Hamlet?

No idea. Out of Grand Theft Hamlet's 90-minute runtime, only about 10 minutes are dedicated to the performance itself. No full scene is shown. I was hyped to see Shakespeare-I even prepped by familiarizing myself with the themes, characters, and plot. But I didn't need to. The full performance isn't available online. And if the filmmakers didn't want to show it, I have to assume it wasn't very good.

As a documentary, Grand Theft Hamlet is a fascinating making-of feature. But it's more like a DVD bonus than a full-fledged film. The project was marketed as a complete in-game performance of Hamlet, but the documentary isn't that-it's about the attempt to make it happen.

Was GTA Online the right place for this?

Probably not. The idea started when two out-of-work Shakespearean actors, stuck at home during the COVID-19 lockdown, discovered a massive outdoor theater while exploring GTA Online. They wondered, Could we stage a play here? They tried performing lines, announcing their impromptu show to any players nearby. Before they could start, another player in the audience shot them, looted their corpses, and left.

Not a great start.

But they persisted, bringing in a documentary filmmaker to capture their attempt to perform Hamlet in full.

At first, I thought GTA Online was a large enough MMO that thousands of players could gather to watch, but with only 30 per session, that wasn't the case. Even then, the idea of Hamlet performed in the chaos of GTA-grenades going off, cars ramming the stage, audience members shooting each other-sounded like a trainwreck I needed to see.

It wasn't quite that, but it was still a trainwreck. They struggled to recruit actors, often getting killed mid-rehearsal. Every time they died, they respawned at their home base and had to drive all the way back-assuming their car didn't explode on the way.

I appreciate that GTA Online sparked the idea: Let's perform a play in an online world. But they put zero effort into considering other platforms. VRChat, Rec Room, Neos VR, Second Life, Minecraft, Roblox, Mozilla Hubs-all arguably better suited for virtual theater. But because they got the idea while playing GTA Online, that's what they used.

As a gimmick for a documentary, it's clever. The contrast between GTA's violence and Shakespeare's high art is intriguing. But if the goal was to explore whether online theater works, the film needed to dig deeper. I'd love to see a documentary that actually tested different platforms to see which one best supports digital performance.

"I've been sitting at home. Alone." More than anything, Grand Theft Hamlet is about pandemic-era isolation and how people filled that time. Unless you worked in an essential field, you were probably stuck at home, wondering how to stay productive. (Charli XCX: Alone Together tackles a similar theme-though in that case, the result was How I'm Feeling Now, one of her best albums.)

Many people got pulled into video game routines. One actor even asks his wife, "Do you think I spend too much time playing this game?" She says, "Yeah, a little bit." His friend stays up late rehearsing, while he spends all night "buying planes" in GTA Online. He even misses his wife's birthday. She tells him she has to log into the game just to spend time with him.

At one point, he says, "I want to give you a hug." She replies, "You can in real life. I live in the same house as you."

While Grand Theft Hamlet has more to say about video game addiction than Shakespeare, it's still worth a watch. If you're interested in how video games are changing the way people connect and create, this documentary offers a glimpse of what's starting to be possible-while also highlighting the many limitations.

Final Thoughts

The idea of performing Hamlet in a video game is interesting, but this documentary sells the concept of a great film rather than being one itself. That said, it got me thinking. Online theater is still underexplored. I'd love to see a documentary that takes a methodical, America's Test Kitchen approach-experimenting with different platforms to see how Shakespeare (or any play) translates into a digital environment.

If their Hamlet is unavailable, maybe it just didn't work. But I'd love to see someone try again-this time, with a game that actually supports the concept.

Rating: 7.5/10.

First and foremost, do not make the same misjudgment of this film that I did. This is not a complete recreation of 'Hamlet' in Grand Theft Auto, rather a documentary on the making of this concept/production with glimpses of its execution.

That being said, I really appreciated the central idea behind this piece and found the journey that this documentary was portarying to be full of humour, honesty, and integrity. In a time of lockdown and social isolation, it was genuinely moving to see how certain uses of technology, unusually combined with the timelessness of theatre/Shakespeare, could bring people together, even between those of different backgrounds, experiences, and languages.

I was surprised by how a guy in a green alien skin endeared me. Despite everyone involved in this documentary being visually portrayed by these otherwise unexpressive video game characters, the voice overs really shine in making the audience emotionally connect with these people, their passions, and lives.

The one drawback I can think to this documentary is that of the pacing. Even though this film is only 90 minutes, something about it slowed down time for me - though I'm not sure why, and I may be the only one who felt this.

However, this pacing issue does not put me off recommending this documentary to others, due to it's sincerity and uniqueness in concept.