I don’t play video games. I may as well be honest about that. But I think that qualifies me to judge Shenmue: The Movie on its own merits, without baggage. After a bit of a Google search (to try and grasp what the hell I just watched) I think I understand why the original Shenmue game was a bit of a classic. An open-ended, immersive experience where you could freely wander the streets of eighties Yokosuka in real time? I can accept it was way ahead of its time and must have provided hours, nay months of fun to its disciples back in the day.

I can even detect a smidgeon of the kind of retro cool aesthetic that has come to dominate this glorious new millennium of ours. From Vice City to Drive to Stranger Things, the neon-drenched eighties vibe was novel and bold in the late nineties (when Shenmue the game first appeared) so the project deserves kudos for being ahead of the curve.