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SimplyScripts Screenwriting Discussion Board  /  Movie, Television and DVD Reviews  /  King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
Posted by: Murphy (Guest), January 29th, 2008, 6:59pm
I watched this documentary last night and thought it was one of the best documentaries I have ever seen - honest.

It was not about gun control, or sick babies or families getting torn apart on some war torn country in the middle east but was about grown men trying to break the world Donkey Kong high score record. So of course no a chance at any of the awards. But even though I have no interest in gaming whatsoever I loved every minute of this doco, it was very funny and very uplifting.

The best thing though is how the movie was put together, It really was in classic screenplay format - Syd Field would be impressed. It had a classic protagonist (An everyday man doing an extraordinary thing) trying to overcome something that challenges him and his family in every way. It has a great antagonist who is portrayed as being just as evil as any James Bond villain. It seems to have a clear 3 act structure with plot points in all the right places and is very very funny.

The characters in this documentary are just so great to watch, little boys who even though are in their 40's now just don't seem have grown up. (The guy who retired at 30 so he could go to his local arcade and play Donkey Kong everyday!) And that is the best thing about the film, It is not about Donkey Kong or gaming at all really, the game is nothing more than a story device, the film is about the characters and the challenges they face.

There is talk already that this doco is being scripted for a "proper" Hollywood movie and I can understand why, It would be really great. I really cannot recommend this movie highly enough, very enjoyable.
Posted by: mikep, March 3rd, 2008, 8:44am; Reply: 1
This is a GREAT movie, loads of fun. Funny, tense, emotional. Even my g/f who cares nothing for video games, loved this. You're right that it's set up very well with a "good guy" and a "bad guy" - but it also serves as a nice overview of the die-hard geek gamer community. It's fascinating, and well done.
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