 |
I heard about this movie from a friend and thought it might be fun to watch once, as a goof. What I got was a classic good vs evil story against a backdrop of geekiness you just have see to believe. You really feel for Steve Wiebe and his desire to just be recognized for his record. He is extremely likable and you can see he isn't about the pseudo fame that cones with the record. On the other hand Billy Mitchell is exactly what you'd expect a 40ish former championship arcade player to be like. Very self serving, egotistical and self important. The Twin Galaxy folks add to it also by taking the whole gaming thing wayyyy to seriously and it just heightens the whole thing. The fact that Steve Sanders goes from Billy devotee to being nice to Steve Wiebe and actually acknowledges Steve as a good guy with integrity in front of Billy makes him the redeeming factor for the gaming group. Add in Mr Awesome, Mark Alpiger playing games with his foot, and an 80yr old Qbert player and you've got a great movie. I've told a few people to get this movie with my promise to pay for it if they didn't like it. Haven't given a penny yet!Read full review
Yes, this is a likeable, well-made and touching documentary about video games. Yes, I found myself hissing at Billy Mitchell and routing for the outsider under dog, Steve Wiebe. Oh, and yes, I let out a "whoop" when Wiebe ultimately reclaims the title that was "rightfully" his. But, please, what we are watching is soooooo pathetic! To compare what these men do to true athletic competition or to a legitimate career is absurd! While the movie attempts to show "balance" in the life of Wiebe with clips of his time with his family, this guy is tragically OCD in addition to having an intense inadequacy complex. Billy Mitchell is King of the Geeks. The fact that he is passably good-looking in a vintage 80's way, makes him even more of a star among these overweight, nerdy game players. But for heaven's sake, the guy is stuck in the 80's. He won some video game competitions in his teens when these games actually meant something to more than those with the Twin Galaxies website as their homepage and hasn't moved past it. From his 80's hairstyle, clothes and demeanor, the guy is like John Travolta meets Napoleon Dynamite. The fact that the "fix" seems to be in in protecting Billy and his records is just a distraction from the overarching question: Who cares?!Read full review
I love documentaries in general. Usually more than films based on the same subjects. This one though really stands apart as something special. The subject matter to most of us may at first seem ridiculous. How in the world can Donkey Kong score records deserve this attention. Only watching this film will make you understand that. I am NOT a gamer by nature. I played a few of the games in this film in the 80's. The lure of this picture is not its subject, but the people involved in it. The film makers somehow take two people (and those around them) who may not ever be in the limelight (Though Mitchell may feel differently about his fame's deserving) and tell a story about them that makes us care about them. How do they do that? This is a testament both to the human interest side and to the incredible film making side of this form of film. The test that it is effective is that you will be talking about the subject matter when it's done. Yes, you will be talking about heroes and villains of Donkey Kong. I dare you to try not to. We've watched this 5 or so times and never tire of it. Don't get chumpatized!Read full review
The King of Kong is a documentary about a legendary gamer and Rickey's Hot Sauce creator, Billy Mitchell and his new gaming foe Steve Wiebe. Both men are trying to get and keep the best scores possible for the classic Nintendo arcade game Donkey Kong. Billy Mitchell is the current champion in the movie. Billy has held top scores in many classic arcade games over the years; Donkey Kong being the last title he held onto. Steve Wiebe, currently a Science teacher, decides he has plenty of time to challenge for the highest score possible in Donkey Kong; after he finds him self laid off by Boeing. The movie almost seems to good to be true. Steve Wiebe, being the nicest of nice guys. The prototype of a good father and husband. Against the brash, and often times rude for no real reason, Billy Mitchell. The movie mainly follows Steve Wiebe, in his quest for the title. Billy Mitchell is featured in many segments, but mainly as a protagonist. Billy makes claims of being the best and makes a comment to the effect That To Be The Best, You Have To Play Live. Playing Live in front of a crowd being the only way to truly prove you are the best. This comment is the basis for the entire movie. Steve Wiebe flies all over the US showing off his skills, all in the hopes of being recognized as the best Gamer. While Billy tries his best to avoid him. In a deleted scene on the DVD, you get to see a comparisons of both men's game play. While Billy mainly uses hammers to destroy objects to gain maximum points, Steve uses tricks to adjective his best scores. Like jumping up and down on certain platform stages to get extra bonus points. These differences give some room for an argument on who is truly best, because while both men are adjectiving top scores, both men are doing it in different ways. So who is better? The game player, or the person that finds the loopholes? Both men are by far some of the best gamers on Earth, so respect has to go to given to both of them. As of 2008, Billy Mitchell holds the top scores for Donkey Kong, but Steve has not given up on reclaiming his top scores. This movie is very enjoyable. I have seen it both on DVD and on G4. It is not a movie I can get bored of. So if you are into video games, even if you don't play the classics's, King of Kong is still right for you. I didn't want to write too much in the way of reviewing the core storyline, because I don't think I review should give away the entire movie. So I would suggest buying the DVD, because it is well worth the money. You get a nice guy to root for and a mean man to root against.Read full review
As you are watching the documentary on one man's quest for fame, you become engrossed. Not in his almost single-minded quest to be the best in something that many people consider trivial, but in his travel to accomplish something for once in his life, that gives him meaning. Steve Wiebe is the most likeable of protagonists in this piece, a quiet, somewhat fragile sort, whose obsession with shattering Billy Mitchell's Donkey Kong takes back seat to gaining the respect of a very closed community, the classic arcade high score club. While Steve gets to wear the white cowboy hat in this film, Billy Mitchell gets to play the cynical, equally as fragile, bad guy. The thought of not being the best in this very elite group obviously wears on Billy to the point of hypocrisy, where he expects the community to accept his high score (on videotape), while trashing the same kind of proof submitted by Steve. He is seen ducking and dodging Steve throughout the whole movie, obviously concerned. I think, not so much about losing to Steve, but that his mythical persona would be crumbled in front of his disciples. I think that Billy is a good guy, but he has the most difficult time dealing with his own mortality. Does he think he is a god? No. But he knows that he appears as such amongst his peers. And exposing himself would mean shattering their perceptions, possibly forever. A heavy price to pay for any kind of immortality. Real people define this movie, from the cast of supporting characters that walk in Billy's tall shadow, to Steve's down-to-earth family which doesn't initially understand the fervor of Steve's accomplishment. The documentary does a wonderful job of showing that goals in ones life, no matter how they are perceived, are the most satisfying victory of all. A very good documentary, and a very pleasing lesson of life. King of Kong shows us what it means to be truly great, and human, outside of the spotlight.Read full review
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best Selling in DVDs & Blu-ray Discs
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Save on DVDs & Blu-ray Discs
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- You may also like
