Man, what a nice hidden gem was. Despite the appeal of a documentary on playing arcade games, I was worried that this was going to be cheesy or attempt to mock its subject matter. Instead, this was the best documentary I've seen this year. I'm not sure how this got overlooked for an Oscar nomination. I guess we really needed to nominate 3 films on the Iraq war (groan). Anyways, this film does an awesome job of providing a hero and villain and letting their story played out in front of your eyes like some sort of Shakespearian play. I don't deny that the director may have omitted or ignored some of the events that actually happened in order for the story to work, but I understand why he wouldn't want it to get in the way of a good story.
If you're unaware the film focuses on two men who are out to claim the best score on Donkey Kong. We learn all about their strategies to play the game and the organization that is in charge of determining when a high score is valid. You would think this would be a simple process, but it turns out video game record-breaking business is more devious than it seems. The people portrayed here all suck you in with their stories and their explanation for why things the way they are in the gaming community. About the only oddity is that there are a few moments in the film where it seems like the focus is going to shift to other people, but instead nothing happens (i.e. the Qbert lady, the guy slamming his trunk). However, it doesn't really detract from the film's quality. In general, this is an excellent film and I found myself wanting to stay in their world longer. The most unfortunate thing about this movie is that it's only 80 mins. long. Still, for those 80 minutes, I dare you to find a more entertaining and interesting documentary. I never would have guessed it, but this one's actually making my top ten for 2007. Netflix rating: *****
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