In 1981 Nintendo released Donkey Kong introducing the world to the barrel throwing ape and his challenger Mario (originally called Jumpman).
In 1982 Billy Mitchell claimed the world record for the highest score ever achieved in Donkey Kong. He got 874,300 points… a record score which would remain unsurpassed for 24 years.
The King of Kong documents Steve Wiebe’s efforts to gain acceptance as the guy that beats Billy’s title. He’s fighting for a place in the Guinness Book of World Records, recognition from Twin Galaxies (the official scorekeeper of the gaming community) and a chance to play against the legendary Billy himself.
It’s a quest that’s more challenging than I ever would have imagined. It involves community politics, conspiracies, travelling to sanctioned locations and even some forgivable breaking and entering. Steve’s main adversary in this challenge is the iconic Billy Mitchell… most of their conflict, however, is played outside of the actual game.
This is a sports film. This is a film about corruption versus innocence… the villain versus the hero. This is the story of an ape on high throwing obstacles down to the well intended challenger. In the end, this is the story of Billy Mitchell versus Steve Wiebe.
It is the best movie I’ve seen in a long time.
It introduced me to a culture I never knew existed… a community I never would have cared about. But as the story unfolded, I was drawn into the history of the culture and the plight of the players.
I never would have guessed that a documentary about gamers’ obsessions could be such a rich metaphor for the everyman struggle to succeed against opposition. Or that a game with such inconsequential rewards could become a vicious competition.
This film is fueled by drama, suspense, comedy and nostalgia.
I absolutely recommend this one to anyone that can find it.
