‘Quad Gods’ Review: HBO’s Inspirational E-Sports Doc Has A Lot On Its Mind

E-sports is something many people are already familiar with—if not, they’re probably of an advanced age. The idea of making money and earning worldwide notoriety from playing competitive video games isn’t a new endeavor. But as seen in the entertaining, stylish HBO documentary, “Quad Gods,” there are some folks hoping to become trailblazers in the realm of video game competitions. And their stories are truly inspirational. 

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Directed by Jess Jacklin, “Quad Gods” tells the story of the world’s first all-quadripalegic e-sports team. Going deeper, it’s a film about a group of people courageously overcoming disabilities in an attempt to show the world that they’re not defined by their situations. It’s also a movie that hopes to shed light on the tragic stories of three men who have lost so much, but they continue to grow as people. It’s also a story about the advancement in accessibility options in the video game industry. There’s also a bit of a “Rocky” element of the underdog sports team trying to make a name for itself. If you’re catching on to the idea that there seems to be a lot going on in “Quad Gods,” you’re not wrong. 

To put it bluntly, “Quad Gods” is overstuffed. Granted, the film has a lot of ground to cover during its run time—profiles on multiple people, explaining the world of e-sports, showing competitive matches, etc… Unfortunately, the film doesn’t always balance these topics in the best ways. 

As an example, there’s Richard. For all intents and purposes, he’s the lead of the film. He’s an ultra competitive video game player, as we get time to see him play games and even do live-streaming. But there’s a whole other side to Richard, where he’s a regular guy with a young daughter that he is trying to raise right. Unfortunately, the film doesn’t quite balance the two stories all that well. We barely get a glimpse of his homelife, which is arguably the most interesting aspect of his story. That’s because the film wants to showcase how he is the de facto leader of the Quad Gods e-sports team. So, as we watch him compete and put his heart and soul into a match, it doesn’t quite land like it should, as we barely know him outside of the e-sports team.

This issue is mainly due to the fact that “Quad Gods” tries to be everything to everyone. Instead of focusing on one of the team members, we mainly follow three of them. And instead of spending quality time with these guys outside of the realm of video games, as a way to really show us why they’re competing, there are interludes that derail the momentum. The animated segments, for example, are beautifully done, but they aren’t really necessary. The same could be said about the segment where we see the guys ride in a race car. Again, it’s well done, but it takes time away from learning more about what makes these guys tick. Ultimately, these problems don’t completely ruin the film. It’s probably a compliment to say that we want to know more about these people, and that’s because when we do get to spend time with the Quad Gods, it’s so enjoyable that we just want more. 

Taking everything in consideration, it’s easy to recommend “Quad Gods” as a documentary. The film is overstuffed, sure, but it has so much that is really great about it. The subjects are interesting, the filmmaking is top notch, and it’s incredibly entertaining. And it definitely leaves you wanting more. [B]

“Quad Gods” is available now on Max.