Take what sounds like a terrible premise - ONE MAN'S QUEST TO BREAK THE DONKEY KONG WORLD RECORD HIGH SCORE!!!! - and mix in some highly-compelling and interesting characters and what do you have? A truly remarkable documentary! King of Kong follows the efforts of Steve Wiebe, an unemployed family man with a passion for Donkey Kong. Wiebe purchases his own machine, sets up shop in his garage and sets to work. Along the way, we're introduced a host of remarkable personalities - Walter Day, the founder of Twin Galaxies, the arcade that maintains the list of "official" high scores. Billy Mitchell, the first man to ever achieve a perfect game on Pac-Man and the current record holder for Donkey Kong. And lots of others as well. There's intrigue - with Mitchell & Day possibly conspiring to sabotage Wiebe's efforts. There's drama. There's poignancy. There have been some questions raised on the accuracy of the editing and timelines in the movie but ignore that chatter. This is a GREAT movie. It can be enjoyed by anyone but will ring especially true for anybody who practically grew up in an arcade, like myself. This is the standard by which all "video game documentaries" will be judged. 10/10.
* - if you happen to get the DVD version of this, watch it twice - once as released, and once with the director's commentary. The commentary is awesome.
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