- In this hilarious, critically acclaimed arcade showdown, a humble novice goes head-to-head against the reigning Donkey Kong champ in a confrontation that rocks the gaming world to its processors! For over 20 years, Billy Mitchell has owned the throne of the Donkey Kong world. No one could beat his top score until now. Newcomer Steve Wiebe claims to have beaten the unbeatable, but Mitchell isn’t re
In this hilarious, critically acclaimed arcade showdown, a humble novice goes head-to-head against the reigning Donkey Kong champ in a confrontation that rocks the gaming world to its processors! For over 20 years, Billy Mitchell has owned the throne of the Donkey Kong world. No one could beat his top score until now. Newcomer Steve Wiebe claims to have beaten the unbeatable, but Mitchell isn’t ready to renquish his crown without a fight. Go behind the barrels as the two battle it out in a vicious war to earn the title of the true King of Kong. The stuff of gladiatorial battle is here: good versus evil, right versus wrong, nerd versus… super-nerd? At any rate, it’s a more entertaining showdown than most fictional movies can muster. The King of Kong is the saga of Steve Wiebe, a Redmond, Washington dweeb who sets a new record in the video game Donkey Kong, only to see his accomplishment challenged by the grand poobahs of the gaming establishment. And if you don’t know how pernickety the grand poobahs of the gaming establishment can be, well, one of the pleasures of this movie is finding out about this collection of oddballs. It seems Wiebe has toppled a score that has stood since 1982, when eminent “Gamer of the Century” Billy Mitchell set it, and Mitchell isn’t too happy about being overthrown. A black-mulleted showboat, Mitchell provides the perfect counterpoint to Wiebe’s mild-mannered family man, and the smaller fish around him are no less colorful. This is one of those movies you watch in delighted disbelief, marveling that such people exist–and that they gladly allowed themselves to be filmed. Director Seth Gordon does an important thing in presenting this world of eccentrics: he doesn’t mock them, or provide editorial nudging; he simply lets them be. The result is an ingratiating classic. –Robert Horton
Buy “The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters” For Only $6.98
April 29, 2008
#1
This documentary is OK if you like the classic arcade games. It’s worth renting, but I sure wouldn’t pay $20 to buy it because it’s not worth the money. The guys in this documentary all need to get a life, and yes that includes the “hero” Steve Wiebe. He’s out of work and can’t afford a new Donkey Kong board when his breaks down, so Mr. Awesome buys him one? Then why is he playing Donkey Kong instead of spending his time finding a job? Watching this, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for his wife and two young children. Also, watching this documentary I couldn’t help but think “Does anyone really care who has the highest score on a video game that’s 27 years old now?” Billy Mitchell has got to be the biggest jerk of all time! Brian Kuh is even more pathetic than he is and worships Billy like some kind of god. The only one in the whole movie that’s halfway entertaining is “Mr. Awesome” just because he is so over-the-top in love with himself that it’s funny! This DVD is good for a few laughs, but not worth buying. Save your quarters!
April 29, 2008
#2
I watched “King of Kong” on G4 today, and I came away with pretty strong feelings about “Twin Galaxies” and Billy Mitchell. If you watch the “documentary” (I use the term loosely), you’ll know who I’m talking about. Anyway, I was so affected by the film that I ordered a copy of the DVD and the soundtrack from Amazon right after watching it.
Then the ugly truth…
I went to Wikipedia to learn more, as I often do with something I become interested in. I read the section entitled “Disputed facts”, and was beginning to feel misled by the movie. After following a link from the article’s footnotes (to the “Official Statement” regarding inaccuracies in the movie on the “Twin Galaxies” forums), I learned some disturbing information. The more I read, the more I realized this movie completely misrepresents the whole situation. It villainizes Billy Mitchell (who admittedly is a somewhat cocky individual) and people who are affiliated with “Twin Galaxies”. The worst part is the news media picked up on the story and continues to spread mistruth. On top of that, most viewers will probably never realize the truth about the situation.
What a total burn. Shame on the producers of this film. What a bunch of hypocrites portraying Billy Mitchell as a coward and a fraud. The real fraud is a so-called documentary entitled “The King of Kong”.
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April 29, 2008
#3
This movie has a lot of hype surround it. Can’t say I get why it is so hyped after seeing it.
The “hero” in the documentary Steve Wiebe is worth cheering for. However, I didn’t like any of the other people in the story. This documentary is weird.
April 29, 2008
#4
This documentary is based on a true story, but some of the events have been a bit distorted. The film really did a big disservice to Billy Mitchell by pulling a ‘Michael Moore’ and twisting/mainpulating certain scenes and events in order to make Mitchell out to be the bad guy. (I won’t go into details here because there is not adequate space, but you can Google the movie and read all about it if you’re curious.)
This was obviously done for dramatic effect, but when you’re slamming somebody and calling their character into question by intentionally misleading the audience, that’s not cool. Note that I have no affiliations with Billy and have never met him. However, I know several people who have met him (at the classic gaming expo events), and they say although he can be a little arrogant, he’s a real nice guy and nothing like what the film shows.
It’s still an entertaining story, but just like television, don’t believe everything you see.
April 29, 2008
#5
I have to say that I’m not much of a gamer. Well, not really at all. And I’m not much for documentaries that are not film related. And I still enjoyed it. That should say a lot.
About twenty years ago, Billy Mitchell became the world record holder for the arcade game Donkey Kong. The film documents one man’s journey to become the next King of Kong.