Customer Reviews
INTERESTING DOCUMENTARY IS OK TO WATCH ONCE! 
2008-06-06
Running only 70 minutes, it's hard to call this a movie. It's a documentary about world record holders for old classic video games. While I found it mildly entertaining, I can't see ever watching this again.......and I like video games! It's OK and certainly worth a look. Billy Mitchell comes off as some delusional geek that thinks he is some sort of god! OK, OK, it's very hard to do what he did, but in the end, who really cares? ......maybe a couple of thousand geeks...that's who! I remember playing video games until my fingers were deformed and had many incredible scores myself, but that was then and this is now. Let it go boys.....let it go!
To each their own, if they still get a charge out of playing 'Donkey Kong' more power to them!
Great Documentary - even if you don't like video games! 
2008-06-03
This is a great film about people. These people happen to play video games, but you could have just as easily changed the object of their affection to be football, competitive eating, bowling - whatever. These are interesting competitive people and there is a story just like this wherever there is a title to be won. This is particularly interesting because of the characters involved. They lead a life dedicated to a very niche segment of pop-culture.
You will be moved, you will laugh, you will hold your jaw open in disbelief.
Don't believe the lies! Shame on the film makers! 
2008-06-02
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".
[...]
Only in America!!! 2008-05-22
So these men stay boys by playing video--sorry, I am not being properly respectful here--"classic" video games.
And, like boys, they pump their fists, and puff up their chests--after having these two, three, four-hour sessions videotaped, witnessed by a referee, and verified by data from the game consoles--when they get the highest score. World Records, by golly, are at stake here!
It is almost charming.
It would be charming, if there weren't a dark side. (Most telling, a young girl, perhaps the most mature person in this documentary, says these records must be important because people ruin their lives to get them.)
Central to this film is the rivalry between two Donkey Kong Kings. There is the established star; there is the outsider. There is the challenge. . .I won't spoil it. . .
Most central to my interest in this film was the personalities of the two gamers. Years ago, there was a memorable baseball article in "Sports Illustrated" about Pete Rose, hit king of baseball, and his son, Pete Rose, Jr., a ball player who struggled to get out of the minor leagues. Junior, the article said, would never be 1/100 the ball player his father was. However, the writer added: Rose would never be 1/100 the man his son is.
That summarizes the two main gamers of this film: one is the star; the other is the gentleman.
Pay your quarters for this quirky American treat, always remembering these are 21st-century American men at. . .(play? work? worship?)
Nerds Uber Alles 
2008-05-12
Steve Weibe is a middle school science teacher from Redmond, Washington. In the past Steve had strived for success in baseball and music. But, despite having some talent, he never quite made it to the top of the heap. Steve's current interest is in the classic arcade game Donkey Kong and this doc follows his quest to beat the world record. In contrast, Billy Mitchell, the long time record holder, comes across as an arrogant jerk who will stop at nothing to maintain his position as the "King Of Kong".
Director Seth Gordon does a fine job spinning this tale of "good vs evil".But he never loses sight of the absurdity of the conflict, with touches of comedic irony mixed in with the all too real human emotions on display.
Eccentric characters like Walter Day and the self-proclaimed "Mr Awesome" add to the film's charm, though there isn't anyone besides Steve and his family that I would personally want to hang out with. I especially enjoyed the soundtrack, including the hilarious use of Survivor's "Eye Of The Tiger" and Leonard Cohen's brillant "Everybody Knows".
The DVD also includes some excellent bonus material. This is recommended viewing not only for video game fans but really anyone who can appreciate a good documentary about a rather odd and obsessive subculture.
The unseen world of video gaming 2008-07-25
King of Kong is a documentary about an average Joe from Washington who really loves Donkey Kong. When he is laid off from his job, he decides to break the all time Donkey Kong record, which has been in place since 1982. Being unemployed isn't nearly so bad if you have a full-sized video game machine in your house that you play constantly. His wife is amazingly supportive (at least on the documentary), while his kids show their displeasure more readily.
The ensuing story is absolutely hilarious. Prepare to delve into the realm of high-intensity video gamers, which is not a realm you ever want to personally visit. The politics, the back and forth, the broken records - it's all a wild ride. It really is like the Rocky of video games, if that is possible.
Even though the theme is video games, kids will probably not enjoy it. However, I think most adults will enjoy it. Thanks to Judd for the great recommendation.
A great study of reverse snobbery 2008-07-13
This movie should be required viewing in any college level sociology class. The film documents a man who would struggle to actually be an outcast in any social group attempting to penetrate a clique of individuals who have likely been outcasts their entire lives.
Steve Wiebe is almost painfully average. He's a middle-class school teacher who'd been an above average athlete and he plays a couple of musical instruments. He has a good-looking wife and could be a poster boy for suburban America. He also has an almost preternatural ability to play Donkey Kong, and therein lies the trouble.
In order to have his record-breaking score recognized, Steve has to break through and enter into a world of people who probably weren't two-sport athletes and certainly couldn't mingle well at an office Christmas party. In getting his score validated, too, he will be bringing down their king.
Billy Mitchell is the undisputed monarch of these gamers. I'd first read about him in a 2006 article in the now-defunct Oxford American magazine. In that article, the author, David Ramsey, tried to convey Mitchell's cockiness but still be respectful. After this film, I have a new degree of respect for Mr. Ramsey's restraint.
Mitchell is, rightfully, recognized as Gamer of the Century. He's sort of law and order in this world in that he is uniquely qualified to challenge all high score claims. Mitchell is also a successful business man and he's married to a woman who you will not admit is hot in front of your wife, but men get it. Mitchell's success in business and marriage, though, does not tarnish or diminish his status among the gamers. In fact, they likely cheer him on. You expect your hero to do well in all endeavors.
When Weibe submits his score, it's obvious that the Twin Galaxies crowd is eager to close ranks and protect their hero. Weibe is left with no option but to demonstrate his skills in person. He has to physically play the game surrounded by these outcasts who are so galvanized they have actually become snobs in their own right. There seems to be several instances where they are trying to distract this interloper during his game-play, with Billy Mitchell himself doing a silent walk-by. The crux of it is, here's Weibe, a guy who could be anybody's best bud and fit in anywhere, being shunned by folks who've probably been kept at a distance all their lives.
The extra features, particularly the extended interviews, are almost better than the movie itself. The players describing Burger Time are the greatest thing I've seen on film in a while. Interesting commentaries, too.
Anyone old enough to remember arcades needs to watch this film. Beware, though, you'll find yourself with an almost uncontrollable urge to prowl e-bay for old games.
Suprised how much I enjoyed it 2008-07-01
This is a fun documentary looking in a world that you probably didn't know, or cared, existed. It's all about classic arcade games (donkey kong, centipede, etc.) and the competition to hold the "high score". It mainly revolves around two grown men fighting (I'm talking serious stuff) over the top score in the world on Donkey Kong. It's hard to believe at times that the events in this documentary actually occured and were not staged for humor's sake. I found it extremely entertaining considering the subject matter. Definitely was fun to watch.
The Story Of A Gaming Legend vs A Gaming Unknown 2008-06-20
The King of Kong is a documentary about a legendary gamer and Rickey's Hot Sauce creator, Billy Mitchell and his new gaming foe Steve Wiebe. Both men are trying to get and keep the best scores possible for the classic Nintendo arcade game Donkey Kong. Billy Mitchell is the current champion in the movie. Billy has held top scores in many classic arcade games over the years; Donkey Kong being the last title he held onto. Steve Wiebe, currently a Science teacher, decides he has plenty of time to challenge for the highest score possible in Donkey Kong; after he finds him self laid off by Boeing. The movie almost seems to good to be true. Steve Wiebe, being the nicest of nice guys. The prototype of a good father and husband. Against the brash, and often times rude for no real reason, Billy Mitchell. The movie mainly follows Steve Wiebe, in his quest for the title. Billy Mitchell is featured in many segments, but mainly as a protagonist. Billy makes claims of being the best and makes a comment to the effect That To Be The Best, You Have To Play Live. Playing Live in front of a crowd being the only way to truly prove you are the best. This comment is the basis for the entire movie. Steve Wiebe flies all over the US showing off his skills, all in the hopes of being recognized as the best Gamer. While Billy tries his best to avoid him. In a deleted scene on the DVD, you get to see a comparisons of both men's game play. While Billy mainly uses hammers to destroy objects to gain maximum points, Steve uses tricks to adjective his best scores. Like jumping up and down on certain platform stages to get extra bonus points. These differences give some room for an argument on who is truly best, because while both men are adjectiving top scores, both men are doing it in different ways. So who is better? The game player, or the person that finds the loopholes? Both men are by far some of the best gamers on Earth, so respect has to go to given to both of them. As of 2008, Billy Mitchell holds the top scores for Donkey Kong, but Steve has not given up on reclaiming his top scores.
This movie is very enjoyable. I have seen it both on DVD and on G4. It is not a movie I can get bored of. So if you are into video games, even if you don't play the classics's, King of Kong is still right for you. I didn't want to write too much in the way of reviewing the core storyline, because I don't think I review should give away the entire movie. So I would suggest buying the DVD, because it is well worth the money. You get a nice guy to root for and a mean man to root against.
Fun Subject for a Well Framed Documentary 2008-06-10
The King of Kong is about the conflict that arose in 2005 as Steve Wiebe challenged Billy Mitchell's impressive world record. The record? It is the 25 year long highest score on the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong. He had 800,000 points, and that my friends is quite a bit of busted barrels and fallen monkeys.
It turns out that The King of Kong is a wonderful underdog film. Steve Weibe is portrayed as a likeable everyman who just happens to have a knack for the extreme patience and analytical skill to get such a score. He is described by his family as a savant in some respects but he seems like a relatively normal guy. As a fellow-gamer, I will concede that it takes some work to do what both these guys have done. On the other side of the coin, we get the sub-culture's heroic golden boy Billy Mitchell. Billy is portrayed as the villainous and elitist coward and I get the feeling that he didn't get a fair shake from our documentarian Seth Gordon, but I can't be sure. Billy has a charisma and bravado that will turn most people off, but in his own culture he is the man and his big old mullet is indeed very cool. He is very successful far beyond his game-playing however, owning his own restaurant and homemade line of hot sauces. He is the "Sauce King" of Florida. I actually liked Billy but most viewers are going to hate him. Then again, I almost always root for the villain in these formulaic good vs. evil kind of films. The people I really didn't like were his toadies and minions who seemed to support Billy and undermine Steve consistently throughout.
There are great characters in this movie. In addition to Steve and Billy we have Walter Day; the referee and founder of Twin Galaxies, a small arcade that evolved into an organization that tracks video game world records. Walter is also a songwriter and provides some surreal impromptu folk singing. Steve Saunders is the old nemesis of Billy who was handedly defeated by the Donkey Kong prodigy 25 years ago. He is now one of Billy's friends, who in many ways come off more as disciples. Brian Kuh for example is portrayed as the quintessential Billy Mitchell toady. He has played Donkey Kong with great enthusiasm as well and put up some very high scores, but he is humbled in person by Weibe's gaming chops. Brian walks around the arcade containing his jealously with this bizarrely awkward disposition that was one of the film's highlights for me. He just couldn't wait for Billy to come along and take this guy's score out! Another character is Roy Shildt or Mr. Awesome. Mr. Awesome is a fitness guru and a self-proclaimed pickup artist. Well, where else would one find such a person but in the underworld of classic arcade gaming? Mr. Awesome is one of Billy's hated rivals and he is accused of unfairly assisting Steve in his quest to shatter Billy's record.
Anyway, the fascinating thing about this film is that it does come off as formulaic in some respects but that is just fine with me because it is coverage of real life. I'm sure that the editing favored Steve Weibe, but that is because there was a really fun and interesting story to tell within Gordon's footage. I obviously loved this movie and I would guess that anyone who has any interest in this kind of thing would as well but my wife, who has rarely if ever played any video games, loved it too. We were glued to the television for 80 minutes and I have no doubt you will be too.
