Fantastic Fest Review: ‘Cannon Arm and the Arcade Quest’

Cannon Arm and the Arcade Quest
Courtesy of Fantastic Fest

As the wave of ’80s nostalgia continues to ride high, we yearn to relive the days of hanging out with friends at arcades, shoving quarters in machines, and holding out hope for that rush that comes with getting a high score. Some of us look back fondly, and some of us are still chasing the high. Cannon Arm and the Arcade Quest is a documentary following a group of friends helping one man achieve his ultimate arcade dream.

In Copenhagen, Denmark, 55-year-old Kim Cannon Arm is a lover and collector of arcades. Under the perfect mullet he rocks, Kim has one thing on his mind — playing Konami’s 1983 game Gyruss for a record-breaking 100 hours straight. His previous personal record during a single playthrough is 49 hours, and now he’s going all in. But, he isn’t alone as his friends rally around Kim and help him train and prepare for the journey.

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Surprisingly, the real story told in Cannon Arm and the Arcade Quest isn’t the actual record-breaking feat, which ends a bit anticlimactically, but about friendship. This group of eccentric misfits have found a family within each other, and the support and love shown as Kim attempts his dream is inspiring. The documentary subjects are likeable, witty, quirky, and mostly relatable. As a man of few words, Kim Cannon Arm especially comes across as a delightful, warm human being. He and his friends are a joy to watch.

While the documentary as a whole is lighthearted and charming, the storytelling can go off on tangent at times. This causes brief loss of focus and introductions of things that aren’t exactly relevant to the topic. Some of the footage could have easily been trimmed without affecting the overall message. While these moments can make the pace suffer a bit, it gets back on track quickly, usually with the help of an enjoyable, lively soundtrack.

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Cannon Arm and the Arcade Quest isn’t a fast-paced, record-chasing frenzy, and it doesn’t need, or try, to be. It is a documentary which wears its heart on its sleeve, while introducing us to an entertaining, and real, cast of characters.

Cannon Arm and the Arcade Quest had its premiere at Fantastic Fest 2021.


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