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The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007)
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Movie Review by Jarrod
August 19th, 2007
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'The King of Kong' is an utterly fascinating documentary about people committed to breaking world records in classic arcade games, though the primary focus of their efforts is Nintendo's Donkey Kong, which I played myself when I was a kid, but found it much too difficult to finish. It is all about top scores, and in 1982, the world record was established by Billy Mitchell, who became somewhat of a celebrity. He also holds the record for Pac-Man, which is perhaps his more notable achievement. Mitchell is quite full of himself, arrogant and over-confident, and he expresses nothing but disdain when Steve Wiebe, after more than a decade, actually breaks Mitchell's record in Donkey Kong.
Wiebe, a former Boeing employee, seems to be naturally adept at Donkey Kong, though he obviously plays it a lot, as Mitchell certainly did, to practice and memorize the layout of each stage, to master the controls, things one needs to conquer any game. Wiebe is a likable guy, in many ways the exact opposite of Mitchell, who has been famous since 1982, and is not willing to have his fame usurped by a rookie. Of course, no one has ever challenged Mitchell's record for Pac-Man, so he could perhaps continue to take pride in that. 'The King of Kong' is not just about Wiebe and Mitchell, but it could be, as they are the most interesting. This is a movie about obsession, and as someone who plays video games a lot, I can say they are addictive, and fun, and challenging, and can turn into a hobby or passion, but they also form the basis for a distinctive subculture, and many have now embraced gaming professionally, it is their job, they play for money in tournaments, nationally and internationally, and invest what little free time they may have into polishing and perfecting their skills. Mitchell is an entrepreneur, he developed and manages a restaurant chain, so he does have a life outside of gaming, a rather successful one at that.
But the film lets us observe these characters, as they share their thoughts, compete with each other, explain to us why they do what they do. Why so devoted to what seems like an irrelevant waste of time, especially since old arcade games are now relics of the past, as gamers have moved on to more sophisticated, artistic stuff. It is a good question, and I not really sure there is answer. This is just something they enjoy, something they are good at, and so why shouldn't they find a way to exploit it for fortune and fame?
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 | Tim
Aug 20, 2007 2:20 AM
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| Ha......I actually own the full size arcade version of Donkey Kong.....this film is funny to me. |
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