Journey into DVD: The King of Kong

I think I love this movie too much to ever see it again.

You see, I find a personal dilemma of sorts with "The King of Kong." I rented the DVD of this 2007 documentary about two men battling it out for the world record score at Donkey Game, and I was floored by how absorbing, moving, and flat-out entertaining it was. I was captivated by the story of high school teacher Steve Wiebe, the good-natured underdog; as he struggled against the entrenched top man, egocentric and stooge-employing Billy Mitchell.

It's an incredible story the filmmakers present, one that just keeps making you think truth is indeed stranger--and sometimes more compelling--than fiction. A mere plot summary would not do justice to the twists and turns in the narrative, and it's hard to express in print just how vivid the principal characters are. It plays out almost like a pro wrestling storyline, with recognizable heels and babyfaces. And it's all about a video game. Let me tell you, though, this movie made me CARE about competitive video gaming, and I don't even play Nintendo anymore. I never did like Donkey Kong, much, either, but I was caught up in "The King of Kong" nevertheless.

After seeing the feature, I couldn't wait to dig into the extras. There was all sorts of good stuff: audio commentaries, extended scenes and interviews, background info on the games...and, oh, yes, a text scroll that updated us on what happened after filming.

Turned out there were even MORE twists. The story could go on forever! I went to the web and looked for some more updates.

And here's where the dilemma appeared.

For one thing, at some point, I had to cut myself off. There was just so much info, so many viewpoints, so many directions to pursue with regards to "The King of Kong" that I could go insane trying to keep up with it.

More importantly, I found myself doubting the fundamental honesty of the film. I don't mind a little exaggeration, a little distortion, maybe a minor error or two here and there in a documentary, but I want to know that the manipulation inherent in the process is being used for stylistic reasons, not to fundamentally shape the story itself. The more I researched the movie, the more I listened to the filmmakers, the more I tried to see Billy Mitchell's side of things, the more I began to question that almost-too-perfect narrative structure of hero vs. villain.

I'm not going to go into the details here, but suffice to say I have reason to think there was a lot more manipulation in this movie than I feel comfortable with. I think that while Mitchell is clearly in the wrong with some of his actions, he may have gotten a bit of a bum deal. Even worse, I think viewers got a raw deal because someone decided to leave out vital bits of info or shape things in such a way as to skew audience perception to fit the preconceived storyline.

I don't know that this is the case, but I suspect it is, and I don't want to dim my enthusiasm for the movie anymore right now. Any fan of the movie will love the DVD. As I said, it's packed with bonus material that does give an even fuller view of what is still a fascinating story. I still recommend it very strongly to movie fans of all types. It's not a stuffy academic documentary, but an exciting one with plenty of emotion.

Maybe someday I can sit back with some perspective, watch it all again, and get back into the saga. For now, I'm cutting myself off and walking away from it. I still think it's one of the best documentaries I've seen in the past few years. I just don't want to see it again. I may be tempted to revisit it soon, though...when the same filmmakers present their fictionalized feature version of the same story.