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    The King of Kong

    Reviewed by
    adamwatchesmovies@

    "The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters" brings us a story so good no one could've made it up. The twists are turns are so insane they HAVE to be true. This documentary shows you can take a subject as mundane as the high score in a Donkey Kong Arcade machine and make it feel as important as World War III.

    On one side we have Billy Mitchell, who's held the high score record for "Donkey Kong" since the 1980s; a video game legend who used his video game skills to become a big success. On the other, we have Steve Wiebe, an engineer who lost his job and picked up a Donkey Kong machine to play in his garage as a pastime. When Wiebe submits a new high score of 1,006,600 points to the organization to keep track of arcade game scores, the battle is on.

    You can’t believe this picture was made using interviews and random bits of footage. How could all the planets in the universe align so perfectly? These two adversaries couldn’t be more opposite. The dynamic they have is as poignant as something you’d see between Spider-Man and Venom, or Superman and Lex Luthor. The personalities, the lifestyles, the attitudes; everything about these giants of video game playing pits says they were destined to do battle.

    We have this awesome battle of David vs. Goliath with a ton of drama thrown in as Steve Wiebe climbs ladder after ladder, dodging metaphorical fireballs and barrels to get to the top… only to have his opportunity to be one of the greats snatched away. What brings it home is the editing. Either the filmmakers feasted on a diet composed exclusively of four-leaf clovers, or they have an instinct for capturing the best footage you could hope for. It’s likely a mix of both. There are times you can tell that the camerawork is a little amateurish. Then, something will happen in the background of a shot. Not just something: THE thing. A hint that confirms everything you’ve suspected all along or a piece of evidence that turns everything you’ve just witnessed on its head.

    Even if you somehow didn’t know this was a documentary, or we learned much of it was faked," The King of Kong" would still be white-knuckled gripping. There are many ups and downs throughout the story, you get a full range of emotions from laugh-out-loud comedy, to outrage, to pure joy and even moments of quiet sadness. Many of the people featured are given enough scenes for you to recognize their growth as people as they witness this clash.

    Who would have guessed that a movie about video games could be so exciting? “The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters” is frequently hilarious, infuriating, inspiring, mind-blowing, and a load of fun. It’s a great lesson in the history of video games, which is a topic that might sound dull but is made fascinating. I can’t think of anyone I wouldn’t recommend watch “The King of Kong”. (On DVD, June 25, 2016)

    10
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    adamwatchesmovies@  29.3.2015 age: 26-35 2,867 reviews

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