King of Kong (Seth Gordon, 2007): USA

Reviewed by Keith Chancey. Viewed on DVD

I’ve been waiting to see King of Kong since long before it was released in theatres, but I never had a good opportunity to see it then. I was finally able to purchase the DVD for a decent price and sit down and watch it. The DVD cover art alone was enough reason for me to spend about $10.00, but the content of the documentary film are so well delivered I don’t think I would have hesitated to spend more if I had seen this in theatres first.

King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters is a documentary film directed by Seth Gordon, that follows the worlds two best Donkey Kong players, Bill Mitchell and Steve Wiebe as they compete against each other to hold the record for best Donkey Kong player.

Not only is this now one of my favorite documentaries, I would certainly rank it higher than a lot of other films of any genre. The way information is presented and the story is told is very unique for a documentary. Usually, one would except achieve footage with a voice over- not the case here. While there are a few instances of achieve footage, it stays entertaining and it’s hardly noticeable. Most of the film is being told as it is really happening. The main characters aren’t reflecting on what they once did, they are in the middle of trying to accomplish their goals while the cameras are all rolling. Which is quite lucky and extremely good timing on Seth Gordon’s part. Everything good about this film doesn’t stop there though, no. The cinematography is incredible for a documentary style film. The continuity of direction from character to character is kept from scene to scene, camera angles are not chosen arbitrarily and each bit of information is kept very relative to the story. I found virtually nothing wrong with how this film was presented.

As far as DVD extras go, there are a few entertaining features found on the disk. Among them is an animated brief history of Donkey Kong, an update to the DK world record, extended interviews, two different commentaries of the feature film, an arcade glossary and a CD-ROM feature that I have yet to explore. Quite a lot of extras and on top of the awesome cover art, that may or may not be special edition, this DVD is well worth adding to your collection.
Out of 10, I would rate this film a 9.5


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