Remember the 80s? Of course you do! That’s why you’re here, at an 80s site! And do you remember 80s arcade machines? (That’s a rhetorical question – there is no need to keep answering out loud from now on.)
If your favourite film genre is “80s retro gaming heists”, then you will certainly be adding Ashens and the Polybius Heist to your collection.
It is a genuinely funny and entertaining story about one mans quest to kidnap an 80s arcade machine from an impenetrable base. As with all 80s-based retro gaming heist movies, it starts in Norwich. A team of *skilled professionals is assembled, a *fool proof plot is hatched and a heist is *perfectly undertaken.
The cast includes Stuart Ashen, Daniel Hardcastle, Robert Llewellyn and a slew of upcoming comedians and YouTubers.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Polybius, the legend describes the game as part of a government-run psychology experiment released into arcades circa 1981, producing intense effects on the players. There are reports of people fighting each other for the next turn and, if you got the high score, entering into a euphoric trance.
The machines were then said to have been visited periodically by ‘men in black suits’ to analyse the effects. After rumours built of sensory deprivation, hallucinations and even some fatalities it was swiftly pulled from the market and never heard of again.
Today there are hundreds of videos, fan theories and pop culture references to the myth which continues to enthral fans around the world. The legend has been referenced in The Simpsons, Stranger Things and the fiction of Ernest Cline (Ready Player One, Armada). In 2017 a Polybius game was released on the Playstation (its creator Jeff Minter has a cameo in the film).
The film itself draws inspiration from some of the all time greats including Mission Impossible, Ocean’s 11 and The Italian Job. At times is it tense, funny and bizarre all at the same time – a combination of emotions I’ve never experienced together before.
Originally scheduled for a full cinema release, Ashens and the Polybius Heist is available to stream online from today, Thursday 19th November on Apple iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube Movies and Vimeo on Demand.
Ashens and the Polybius Heist – not even a global pandemic can stop it.
Learn more :
Polybius Heist Website
Twitter
Buy, download and keep the film:
https://www.watchpolybiusheist.com/
Watch the Trailer:
Check out some pics:
*this may be a matter of perspective
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