Review: ‘The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters’

Travis:

I’m not going to bore you with the details of who made the film, or who its about, etc. No, instead I am simply going to say this … if you fancy yourself a movie geek and you believe that documentaries are just as significant a style of film-making as any other, you owe it to yourself to see this film. At a glance, the story about two competing classic arcade gamers sounds trivial and perhaps even boring subject matter for anyone not interested in the subject matter. However, what’s truly important to comprehend is that this film is not really about all that. The King of Kong is actually about us, you and I, our American culture of greed and need. Its about the haves and have-nots. Its about the age-old parable of how the good guy doesn’t always come out on type, but its the fact that he’s the ‘good guy’ that means everything. The film also deals with the idea that the virtues of persistence, determination and being humble are valuable and can play the fates in your favor … if you believe in those things. The King of Kong is full of emotional peaks and valleys, suspense, intrigue, espionage and is easily the most entertaining, while also enlightening, documentary I have seen in ages. SEE IT NOW!

(4 out of 5)

Zac:

The most entertaining documentary I have ever seen is this little seen gem about Donkey Kong and the fight to own the world record on the classic arcade game.
Billy Mitchell is the arcade video game player of the 80’s and the owner of the world record of Donkey Kong at 874,300. Billy in the present runs a restaurant and hot sauce company that has allowed him to have financial success while remaining an avid video game enthusiast and is well respected in the competitive gaming community. Billy Mitchell has a personality and a way of speech that is almost indescribable. Extremely confident and cocky the man will stop at nothing to defend his records and name at the top of these scores, which he believes are untouchable.
Enter Steve Wiebe (WEE-BEE), a down on his luck nice guy that needs something to prove. Just laid off, adding to an endless string of coming up short in his life, he discovers the record for Donkey Kong online and tells himself, “I can beat that!” Steve begins his quest and we get to observe the effect it has on both himself and his family over the course of a few years.
To say more would be a disservice to the viewer and the film as the story is gripping and filled with unbelievable twists and characters that must be seen to believe. Just know you will encounter frauds, lap dogs to video game celebrities, the founder and head referee (who watches days of tapes to review video game records) of Twin Galaxies, the officially recognized keepers of video games records, and I guy named “Mr. Awesome”.
The film moves quickly and is almost always compelling. Some might be a bit turned off at the beginning due to the very general focus on competitive video gaming, but stick with it as the real story doesn’t kick in till you meet the hero Wiebe. The twists and turns in the story are all over the place and the conniving that takes place over a score in Donkey Kong is baffling.
There is an underground society and passion for this world like you wouldn’t believe and Wiebe’s outsider looking in angle is a perfect way to experience this story as 99% of us are just like him; not having any idea what we are about to get into. A bad guy like Billy Mitchell hasn’t been seen on screen in a while and likable hero like Steve Wiebe is even better because he is real.
This film is for anyone and not just fans of video games. It tells a very real and human story of someone just trying to be the best at something and you will root for Wiebe through and through till the very end. I can’t implore you enough to run out and find this movie as it is one of 07’s best and a great story and documentary to be seen by all.

(4.75 out of 5)

Scott:

This was one of the best doc’s I have seen in recent times. I will contradict what I said, and say this might be one of the best geek films … ever!

You have a story about a guy who was the grand master of all Arcade Video games, Billy Mitchell. He was the first person to ever get a “Perfect” Score in pacman. He also held the highest scores in ‘Burgertime’, ‘Donkey Kong’, and ‘Donkey Kong Jr.’, most of the records were set in the early 80’s, and were still the highest scores until the last two years. Until Steve Wiebe came along and broke his Donkey Kong score, and Donkey Kong Jr score. Much controversy ensues about how he broke the record, and he is forced to do it in person.

This documentary shows just how geeky some guys can be, and how some records were just made to be broken. This is a definite must see.

(5 out of 5)

[rating: 4.5/5]