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The King Of Kong follows the lives of two rivals, and
their quest to set the world record high score in the game
of Donkey Kong. While the premise doesn't sound like it
would make for much of a movie, you'll be surprised - I
know I was. Despite the film being very poorly distributed
in theaters, it quickly won over various audiences - gamers,
critics, and everyone in between. ***
For years, Billy Mitchell of Hollywood, Florida had
held the world record on the arcade classic. Widely revered
across the world of classic gaming, and also known for his
family's restaurant and hot sauce enterprise, many challenged
his score but to no avail…. ***
….and then along came Steve Wiebe. The antithesis of
Mitchell, Wiebe is a Washington state family man. Laid off
from a factory job, he goes forth to become a science teacher,
and begins playing Donkey Kong in his spare time. It isn't
long before he sets his sights on getting the new world
record. ***
The King Of Kong tracks the lives of both of these
men as they compete for the high score. Also in the mix
of colorful characters are an aging man who established
a center for high scores on games - and has a folk music
career on the side, an arrogant guy who thinks he's God's
gift to women, and an elderly woman competing for a high
score in Q-Bert. As Mitchell remains universally respected
(by most), Wiebe must struggle for acceptance amongst this
obsessive gaggle of gamers, as he competes for the score.
***
I'm one of those people that came into this movie not
knowing what to expect. Let's be realistic, movies that
deal with the subject of video games are usually horrid
- The Wizard was basically a lengthy Nintendo commercial
with flat, one-dimensional characters. Movie ports of games
like Street Fighter and Super Mario Bros. have been scattershot
messes so lame, they don't even resemble the games on which
they are supposedly based. What about The King Of Kong?
***
Gamers, rejoice! There's finally a GOOD movie about
video games! ***
Perhaps The King Of Kong's greatest asset is that it's
a true story. These aren't actors you're looking at - they're
the real deal, more game-obsessive than your average person.
Especially interesting is Steve Wiebe's transformation from
loving father/teacher to a man whose whole life revolves
around the Donkey Kong cabinet in his garage. Of particular
interest and comic value is a scene in which Wiebe must
choose between continuing his potential high score game
(which is already in progress and can't be paused), or wiping
his son's bottom, who has just finished going to the bathroom.
***
It's not a perfect movie. The experience does drag
on a little longer than it needs to - there are more than
a few scenes that could have been trimmed, and it wouldn't
have hurt the film any. Likewise, a few scenes of the movie
feel biased - in particular, some scenes make Billy Mitchell
look like a jerk. But flaws aside, it's a fantastic movie.
A rare example of a documentary just about anyone can enjoy.
***
Before I move on, I just wanted to point out that,
while the film received a PG-13 rating from the MPAA, there's
nothing too terribly objectionable here. The only thing
that got this film the PG-13 was some brief suggestive humor
and scenes that show some scantily-clad women (there is
NO nudity.) If you've got children and you're thinking about
watching this movie, there's no need to send them away while
you do so. 99% of this movie is PG material (but note that
the bonus material on the DVD is not rated, and sometimes
goes well above the rating.) ---
Image And Sound:
This is a documentary, and the footage shot for the
movie was often done in less-than-glamorous ways, with hand-held
cameras, often on-location at arcades with noise blaring
in the background. To put it in the simplest terms possible,
the movie looks and sounds as good on DVD as it can. Don't
despair, though - these issues do nothing to detract from
your enjoyment of the film. ---
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