| Overall Grade: |
A- |
|
| Story: |
A- |
|
|
| Acting: |
N/A |
|
|
| Direction: |
A- |
|
|
| Visuals: |
A- |
|
|
America's Next Pixeled Simian Champion
by Eric (movies profile)
Feb 5, 2008
7
of
7 people found this review helpful
There is something strangely familiar when it comes to the war between Billy Mitchell and Steve Weibe. Perhaps it’s because I used to be a chronic gamer and had known guys who lived, breathed, and worshiped classic games. But I honestly think that gaming has very little to do with this feud. It’s quite amazing how people will act when their place in history (albeit minor footnote) is threatened. And this documentary shows us how humanity’s need to leave an imprint will impair our general nature.
It is shown early on that Billy Mitchell during the early 80s had obtained the best gamer in history through his many top scores in games such as Centipede, Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong. We are told that Donkey Kong is the most difficult game in history, which most people don’t even last a minute, not to mention getting past the first screen. This is a thing of pride for Billy, possibly his most personal achievement, after which he had gone off to make his fortune on barbeque sauce and becoming a kind of gaming ambassador to the world. His scores are recorded in the halls of Twin Galaxies, the company that holds the records for all classic gaming scores. He is a leading referee alongside founder Walter Day, who seems to have a joy for all things good about gaming.
But out of the mists of Washington State comes Weibe (pronounced Wee-Bee), a science teacher who has constantly been second place in everything he’s ever taken part in. His life has been one near-success after another. So when he was fired from Boeing (and before taking the teaching gig), he bought a Donkey Kong arcade and started playing constantly (something that his wife tries to reign in, but only so much). And one day, he does it! He beats Billy’s score. He becomes a local celebrity and can finally put the game away. Not if Billy has anything to say about it. He sends his protégé (and lackey) to “inspect” Steve’s machine while he was away. They find that one of Billy’s oldest rivals had sent Steve a component for his machine and without actually testing it, nulls Steve’s score. Steve, coaxed by friends, decides to go to the Mecca of gaming to challenge Billy one on one. And just when he does the impossible (in front of a packed crowd no less), Billy pulls one of the most devastating fast ones that I have ever seen, and one of the most questionable ever. And if you think that’s the end of this sordid affair, think again.
It would be too simple to call Billy a rotten scoundrel (though the film does want to make that argument). There is no doubt that he is a jerk and a bit of a hypocrite, but far from villainry if I may say so. We have to admit that we understand why he does what he does, considering that his miniscule place in history (which he does blow out of distortion) is being threatened. Now a better man would be openly excited about having real competition, but how many people could say that they are? Does this excuse his behavior when it comes to meeting Steve’s challenge later in the movie? Not at all. But in not being the better sport, he left himself open to being demonized both by the movie and by the community he pioneered. That the effort put in by Steve to make it where he was brought more admiration to him, something that means more than the score itself.
This is one great documentary that tackles the issues outside of its subject, but without forgetting what it’s subject is. True, we learn a lot more about gaming and the physics of gaming, but we also learn about sportsmanship, the obsessions that have many people daring to do the craziest things for a place in history, and the even crazier things people do to KEEP their place in history. We can talk about the pettiness of Billy’s lackeys who talk about how they don’t mind who gets the score, yet you can tell that Steve’s success would mean a bigger defeat than Billy’s. In the end, Walter Day is the most honorable amongst the gamers, since he seems to be joyful no matter the outcome. And Steve’s wife is the most patient and caring woman on the planet to put up with Steve’s obsession to this meager title. In fact, I would love to see a small documentary called The Queen of Kong all about her.
But I think it’s interesting how American this story is. The underdog tale is one that America was built on. But even more interesting is how Billy flaunts his “American Dream” even to his screen name (USA). And yet it is Steve that comes off more of the idealistic American, the one that is perhaps a little clumsy but really has the heart to go the distance.
Director Seth Gordon is very talented in how he produced and storied out this tale. True, he forced a little more villainry on Billy than was needed, but I assume he felt he needed to make Steve’s journey more epic. I loved how nerdy his movie is, with its subjects talking in epic monologues about the most obscure things. I love the geeky music that comes from The Karate Kid and Rocky movies (if you’re not laughing at his use of “You’re The Best Around”, something is wrong with you). Even the cheap look of the photography is another brilliant stroke since the movie, like it’s subjects; aim to be more than it really is. That the filmmaker himself is striving for success of his own.
All in all, I love this documentary. It’s not one of the year’s best films, but it’s one that I cannot recommend lightly to all my friends, whether nerdy or not. Although nerds might be more entertained than their lesser brethren. It’s been said that many people thought this movie wasn’t real. The thing is if it weren’t, I wouldn’t have believed it. |
My Public Profile 
