"The King of Kong" takes you behind the scenes in a world most of us probably don't even know exists, the world of competitive video gaming. I'm not talking "Madden" or XBox Live, but old-school arcade gaming and players who hold or are determined to hold world records for those games. Every story needs a villain and every story needs a hero, so whether it is the editing of this documentary to tell a story or not, they give you a hero in Steve Wiebe and a villain in Billy Mitchell. Mitchell has held the semi-official world record in "Donkey Kong" since 1982 and Wiebe is a down-on-his-luck family man who decided he wants to go after that record. Mitchell is quite a character: a cocky, wily gamer who has gone on to be a successful businessman, but still keeps close tabs on the world of competitive video gaming. Between these two stands Walter Day, the video game "referee" who has anointed himself the official scorekeeper of world records and is sort of partial to Mitchell. The story that unfolds is the classic theme of David vs. Goliath, the outsider who dares to enter this world to stake a claim. The "good vs. evil" storyline makes this a very entertaining documentary as we follow Wiebe in his pursuit and watch Mitchell continue to enjoy his mantle as the legend he believes he is. Some of his dialogue is so self-loving, it is hilarious. This film is for every one who pumped quarters into "Donkey Kong" (where "Mario" was born, by the way) while they whiled away an afternoon. I really enjoyed this and the classic games and the classic storyline certainly helped.Grade: B
Trailer:
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