Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

This film is a masterpiece. It is likely the first esports documentary before there was esports. It is much more than that however. Steve Wiebe seems to be driven to prove his value in a way that seems akin to compulsion. At his core he is an honest man that cannot help but be himself. His honesty paints a picture of a victim in the film. He wears his humiliation and acknowledges it. Billy Mitchell has the exact same flaws but is not honest to himself or others. His manner of coping with defeat is to mask, hide and ultimately we find out, cheat. This is, at its core a film about how two men, compelled to prove their worth, handle defeat and humiliation. It's highly relatable because we all do one or the other. I relate to Mitchell for example and this film has aided me in identifying this flaw. It not like I changed or anything, cuz I'm so great, but yea, at least now I have a glimpse at the appearance of my masquerade.

Usually, the appeal of video games is "man vs. machine". In this documentary, however, it is reconstituted as "man vs. man" when an arrogant old champion is challenged by an "everyman" competitor on perhaps the most difficult arcade game of all-time: Donkey Kong.For a basic plot summary, "The King of Kong" starts out with a bit of history of the Donkey Kong game, as well the rise to dominance of one Billy Mitchell, who owned the high score for more than two decades. However, in the deep recesses of his garage, middle school science teacher Steve Wiebe begins putting together a run of his own at the high score. The resulting conflict is between Mitchell (the egotistical, reclusive jerk) and Wiebe (just a guy who wants to be the best) played out on the arcade joystick.There are two simple reasons why this is such a great documentary:First, the nostalgia factor. Even if you have never played a video game in your life, you have probably heard of Donkey Kong, and for those who remember it well this doc will bring back a flood of memories.Secondly, this is a human-drama story at its heart, complete with heroes, villains, and even moderators (a video game ref!) to separate the two. Over something so trivial as a video game, a truly emotional human-interest struggle results, making you really care about the major players (one way or the other) in the end.So, while "King of Kong" will obviously appeal the most to hard-core gamers (especially those who grew up in that era), it can also at least be appreciate by those just looking for a compelling, fun, interesting documentary. It has all the drama of a Hollywood production...but in real life.

I have to admit that I don't understand what makes these people so driven to conquer this game and go down in the history books for being so great at it. It was casual curiosity that made me watch this. But I was surprised by how interested I became. Billy Mitchell is the reigning Donkey Kong champion, and classic video game legend, and Steve Wiebe has been chasing the record. You may not understand the obsession but you find yourself enthralled in the drama and rooting for these guys (well, one of them anyway). As the documentary goes along there develops a good guy and a bad guy. There is the drama of the taint of cheating and the possibility of conspiracies and the emotions of a lifetime of striving and falling just short so many times. There is a cast of quirky supporting characters on one side or the other, some conflicted and some just interested observers but all woven into the surprisingly complex and intense world of competitive gaming.

Here is a mildly diverting excursion into the insular world of competitive Donkey Kong.Billy Mitchell holds a title won back in the Eighties and is so insecure about giving it up that he refuses to accept Steve Wiebe's challenges to compete in such public venues as Funspot in New Hampshire.The subject of this documentary is the central characters -- the rather icy, big-haired Mitchell; nice-guy, puppy dog Wiebe, and the somewhat tedious, self-styled umpire of this domain, Walter Day.There are a bunch of other personalities populating this realm, all talking about the stakes involved. Except for a lovely female octogenarian interested in another arcade game, I couldn't keep any of these characters straight. They're all given way too much screen time.There's an element of sadness in all of this. Wiebe seems more fortunate than Mitchell in that he has a young family (Mitchell's family consists of a buxom wife). As young as his children are, though, they both seem to question his fixation on what seems like a very monotonous game. Wiebe's uncomplaining wife seems to draw only passing attention from her spouse.I found out about this movie in "50 Documentaries to See Before You Die," but I don't quite get why it was so honored. I AM happy to have found out about Funspot, though; I think my two boys would love a visit to this iconic arcade.