The world of machinima has come a long way, pioneered by hobbyists and gamers who used online platforms as movie sets. Undoubtedly receiving a huge boost from the digital takeover during the COVID pandemic, this method of filmmaking has become increasingly popular. With Grand Theft Hamlet, Pinny Grylls and Sam Crane have taken the machinima genre and adapted it into a full 90-minute documentary, completely shot inside the popular video game ‘Grand Theft Auto Online’.

We are thrown back to 2021, when the UK had just entered its third lockdown in January. It was the time when many of us indulged in online realities to escape the isolation they were facing the real world. Somewhere in the midst of this, actors Sam and Mark similarly find their escape in the online world of Grand Theft Auto V. They rummage through the crowded city, blow up some vehicles, and maybe run over a few civilian NPCs… The digital city of ‘Los Santos’ is powered by total chaos and anarchy. But in the midst of all the explosions, heists, and hit-and-runs, the actors come up with an idea: to bring Shakespeare’s classic ‘Hamlet’ to life while using GTA as their stage.

Similar to the unruly 16th-century theater, the actors face the challenge of orchestrating a play on a stage dominated by chaos and a constantly changing dynamic. Except here, the classic theater structure is replaced by a detailed cityscape, and the crowd that is typically separated from the actors now runs wild with rocket launchers in their back pockets. Bringing a serious play to life in a world where every player is a trigger-happy maniac proves to be no easy task.