I'd been seeing a lot of hype for this movie but I didn't know much about it. Ain't It Cool News hasn't been able to shut up about it and for a while their site was plastered with ads for it. I don't typically trust AICN but there was something nagging at me to check it out and I'm glad that I did.
Right now, King of Kong is getting the typical limited theatrical run that documentaries get, so it's best to check the website to see where it's playing near you and do everything you can to get there. It's a great documentary about the most unlikely source of tension and drama that you can conceive of: Competitive Donkey Kong.
What seems like a goof at first is as foolish as it seems and the players that inhabit the Twin Galaxies world of competitive classic gaming are every bit the creepy, mildly autistic nerds that you might expect to have found in an early 80's arcade, hundreds of dollars invested in Centipede, a pair of headphones blasting Journey's 'Escape' into their ear canals. However, when the alpha-nerd, Billy Mitchell's nigh-untouchable Donkey Kong high score is threatened by a new guy, an ordinary middle school science teacher, the gloves come off and new guy, Steve Wiebe is called upon again and again to prove his worth in the Donkey Kong arena.
Read the full review at Cinema Suicide
http://www.cinema-suicide.com/2007/09/03/king-of-kong-movie-review/Quite frankly, this off-beat documentary is now one of my favorite movies of the year.