User Reviews

I was a proud Commodore user between 1985 and 1996, having owned an Amiga 500 since 1987 that was replaced by an Amiga 1200. I still own both, and they both still work! Furthermore, I was also part of the "Demoscene" and also part of a team that developed a commercial game.

I'm just telling you this so that you might understand that the Amiga was a very valued part of my youth, including visits to quite some Amiga fairs.

Unfortunately, this documentation only stays on the surface. There is nothing new, nothing surprising, and on top of that it even doesn't have a clear structure.

People that didn't know the Amiga and the hype accompanying this computer back then will not understand it and will be none the wiser after having watched this.

It was mentioned in other reviews that this documentation is very USA-centric, which is unfortunately true. Unfortunately, because it is agreed on that the Amiga had its biggest impact in Europe (in the UK and Germany, to be specific).

What is this documentation trying to achieve? To share some memories of people involved from the beginning like RJ Mical? To boast about its gfx/ video capabilities (by using the old but still impressive example with Deborah "Would you like to paint me?" Harry and Andy Warhol)? To prove that it's still being used by a few enthusiasts like the very valued 4Mat?

And where are the games and the demos? If I remember correctly, there's maybe 20 seconds of game footage or even less, and I didn't see any demos at all. (For me, demos is something that not only made the Amiga so special, but is one of the main reasons why the Amiga is still remembered by many and being used by some enthusiasts.)

The problem is, it never goes deeper. For example, especially for people that do not know the computer capabilities back then in the mid-80s - it's not enough to (wrongfully!) state that Apple was black & white, PC was green on black, and the Amiga had color and multitasking. There was nothing to help me as a viewer understand why the Amiga was such a breakthrough at that time. Sure, nearly all the interviewees mention it quite often, but if I didn't know the Amiga, I would ask myself: "OK, but - why was this such a sensation???"

The old advertisement footage was mostly nice, but in the end doesn't help the documentation.

And some things, like the "Revision" sequences filmed in Saarbrucken/ Germany, feel like completely out of place, just because the documentary never mentions the demo-scene, but all of a sudden we see a bunch of people sitting in a big, dark hall - "but what the hell are they doing there?" you might ask yourself...

I gave it a 5/10, because I recognize the effort that the director took to make this film, not being a professional filmmaker and such. But I certainly will not watch it a 2nd time. (And please don't quit your day-to-day job!)

And I really do not understand where the 30k funding money went into. Even in 2010, good and affordable equipment was available, and the travels couldn't haven been costly. (Maybe he had to pay fees for interviewing some of the people!?)

6 years and 30K later and we get 60 minutes of either not original footage or interviews that were done 4-5 years ago? Unoriginal, uninspired, not informative at all - these are just a few of the things that spring to mind when I watched this. Did the "filmmaker" really do much? It's not even that well shot - let alone something to catch your interest in the subject. The "filmmaker" left out HUGE parts of the Amiga History. It seems as if he just wanted to rub elbows with people he THINKS are important and who he can suck up to but left out anyone he didn't think he could get something from. Besides posting to the Facebook page and Kickstarter page whining about how hard making a documentary film is. No one held a gun to your head to make this and frankly, we would be better off had you not. I'd compare this drivel to Morgan Spurlock or Michael Moore but that would be insulting to them and they are both hacks. Also the "filmmaker" has been begging for good reviews online. Super classy move, bro.

Reviewing a movie or in this case a documentary is always trying to find a balance between personal preference and analyzing facts and trying to come up with a balanced feedback which is useful for others to read.

First things first though; this film project is the result of a Kickstarter that was successfully funded about five years ago (Round about $30,000 or so if I am not mistaken). It took rather long for the movie to be released. The reasons seems to have been mostly due to limited time (the do not quit your day job just yet rational) and the need to find additional funding. No wonder if I look at the nice animations and the content shot not just in the US but also in Europe!

Was it short with just over an hour? Maybe to some it was. I think one hour is about my attention span anyhow so for me (personal opinion) I think it was long enough. I did understand that there is more to come as there is a truckload of footage being shot that never made it to the video as otherwise it would have been 2+ hour movie.. so.. I kind of like this approach of getting us up to speed first before coming with a follow up.

This may not be the documentary for the hardcore geek who likes to see which flavors were available, listing all Commodores sold. No line up of endless machines which were in essence just another Amiga with some incremental changes.. This is about when the Amiga conquered the computer market.

So for who is this movie then?

The intent has always been to make a movie that you as the true geek and Amigan can show your best friends, what this crazy hobby of yours is about, why this Amiga is still in your heart and why the heck you still use it today. It is also the move for the so called Joe Regular who heard of the Amiga and tell the story on how it became this great machine but due to bad marketing and poor management became this cult machine we know today. I thought the interviews were great and hilarious at some point and I appreciated the humor the founders brought with them after all these years to talk about it. Surely it is sad (to me too) to see it never made it to the top as in all honesty, I understand them for being sad as this was the best machine out there at the time. I think the sadness and the joyfulness were pretty nicely balanced throughout the movie and the clips from back when I think were nicely added in. I also liked the focus of it being told from the perspective of the creators and what they envisioned.

If I had to give one point of criticism, it would be the end. Some say maybe it was rushed to an end whereas I feel it was not easy to find a good end. How do you end something like this? Maybe like the Amiga itself.. you leave it open.. it never stopped.. so maybe that was the filmmakers idea.. who knows :)

On a personal note;

For me, the Amiga will always be about the people and I enjoyed this movie in its own right!

The lack of effort shows in this presentation. Most of the footage is old stock video from previous Amiga or Commodore related videos. I've been following this since its Kickstarter campaign and was a little unsure if it was ever going to see the light of day or was simply vaporware! Now that it was released I wish it was vaporware. What a way to take the wind out of one's sails! I was expecting something great instead I got about 60 minutes of old videos combined together with a few recent interviews. I ever read that some of these interviews are also copies of previous interviews and not done by the producer of this documentary.

Final word to Mr. Weddington.... DON'T quit your day job Amigo! You definitely shouldn't have a career in the film industry. I've seen better presentations with common home equipment by untrained enthusiasts!

STAY AWAY PEOPLE!!!!! Nothing to see here.... JUST KEEP ON MOVING!

Really good documentary focusing on the Amiga computer and the team that made their digital dream a reality. The film takes you on a journey of the story which is also further amplified by captivating 3d effects and music. Certainly a deeply emotional watch and recommended to anyone who has an interest in vintage computing. The film is a true testament that the director Zach Weddington that has worked so hard to put this masterpiece together.

This is of course coming from someone who grew up with 16 bit computers and although being an Atari ST man at heart, I always appreciated the Amiga for what a great machine it was.

I've followed this film since the kickstarter missing out on the funding period and being genuinely gutted. I love the Amiga, my favourite all time computer so was excited that this was being made.

Now point 1, I watched this free on HULU before backers had even received their copy - poor business.

Anyway to the film, like others have expressed it is a collection of interviews, badly shot and mostly quite, quite dull intermixed with stock footage. It covers the creation of the Amiga, but it is very USA focused - where the Amiga has the biggest impact in creativity, games etc. was in Europe - none of which is covered in this film. The true spirit of the Amiga is/was not in the making of it but in how it transformed and inspired millions of people worldwide and this is lost in this shamble of a movie.

Zachary Weddington's "Viva Amiga" is an exceptional documentary about the Amiga computer. Although it's heyday was in the 1980's, there are fans even today that are still modifying the software and running these revolutionary devices.

Spanning the globe to find those who worked on the original product, their passion, and rightfully so, their disappointment is revealed. When scales of economy ruled the day at Apple and Microsoft, this device, similar to the Commodore 64, tried its level best to enter a general market that just wasn't ready for it. Don't tell that to the legions of global fans who, much like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, were toying with their Amiga computers in their garages.

"Viva Amiga" is as much about the people who worked on the product as much as it is of the fans. Weddington's passion is on full display.

I cannot recommend "Viva Amiga" enough.

I was fortunate to see this film at a preview followed by buying it on itunes. My review will be short. It tells the story of the rise and the fall of the Amiga, its fan base and the imprint it left on us today. Its about the Amiga and commodore, its not about some other computer companies (if that's what your expecting).

The people interviewed are varied, from those that helped finance Amiga as a startup, the talent that design the original machine, the very talented engineers that continued the series of Amiga and the software that made it amazing! Unlike many other documentaries it also talks to the fans and what it meant to them. Its also a bit of a love story. The narrative talks of the passion people poured into the machine and how it was taken away through blunders and bad management.

If you ever owned an Amiga, knew it as "that cool computer my neighbor had" or just are curious about a machine that had a huge impact on today's computing technology spend a buck and watch this documentary. Its glossy and fast paced. The production quality is awesome.

First off, this is a great documentary. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

My generation lived through the "computer boom" of the 80's. We experienced first hand the frustrations of making them work; the joy and adulation when we did make them work and we bore witness to the giant leaps in technology that were being made. The Commodore Amiga was one such leap and this documentary charts its success and ultimate demise of the machine extremely well indeed.

The passion and enthusiasm on display from the people directly involved in its creation (RJ Mical, Dave Haynie, Dave Needle and so on) still clearly exists today and is almost palpable.

This documentary draws you into that enthusiasm and nostalgia and packs a lot into just over an hour. I was left wanting more but still very satisfied with what I got. Great Stuff!

I would highly recommend this documentary.

Viva Amiga is highly accessible - both as a human interest story and as a story about technology. It is highly visual, informative and entertaining. This is a must for anyone interested in documentaries. Or, in a good story being told.

The Amiga computer played a major role in the gaming industry, as well as in video production. Viva Amiga tells the story of this early multi media machine beautifully. It also does this within the backdrop of an emerging computer based market.

This is more than a nostalgia or retro driven film.

Viva Amiga. Viva Creative Computing. Viva Great Storytelling!

Many documentaries about computers need you to have a lot of nerd in you. Not so much this one. It paints a 4096 color picture of what is was like to invent a whole new OS and computer back in the days. It shows the people who did it, how they did it and what became of it. Never a dull moment!

The movies has amazing 90's like 3D animations to string the chapters together. The sound and video quality is of the highest standards.

The documentary was made possible through a Kickstarter (a very appropriate name in the Amiga world) campaign with only a limited budget, but that only shows a little towards the end, where the final chapter seems a little rushed. Luckily the DVD contains many extra's where this and other chapters are shown more extensively (and some are hilarious!)

Overall one of the better computer documentaries, although you might be slightly disappointed if you are looking for three hour technical ramblings about every detail. You'd be better off with Brian Bagnall's book about Commodore.

Viva Amiga!

Viva Amiga tells the story of rise and fall of the Amiga computer from the perspective of the original developers, 3rd party developers and Amiga users. It's a bitter sweet tale of the wonder machine which introduced the concept of multimedia computing to the world.

The film is a little short in length but that does not detract from its excellent quality. The movie oozes with passion throughout and although created for Amiga enthusiasts it is still worth watching if you are remotely interested in the history of computer development. If you only ever watch one Amiga documentary I would recommend this one over all others.

This docu was missed over years, i find it very important. One men do the right and took so many time for research and invited great peoples from the Amiga developer team for a lot interviews. I find the Viva Amiga Docu very good and cool. Zachary do a great job with this docu. Thank you for 👍

I was an Amiga user since 1988, and always loved the platform. I heard about this movie in late 2018 and knew I had to watch it. It brought back so many great memories of the Amiga and all the wonderful people involved in it! The interviews were a blast, and the cinematography was quite good! If you owned an Amiga, or just want to learn more about it, watch this movie!