In 1982, LIFE magazine collected the world's most acclaimed video gamers for a year-end photo shoot. Billy Mitchell, the world record holder for Centipede, was among this elite group of players. Although he held the record for Centipede and had accomplished the only perfect score in Mrs. Pac-man history, Mitchell had been tracking the word record for Donkey Kong for quite some time. Then at that photo shoot, surrounded by the twenty best video games of that time, Mitchell almost doubled the previous record on his way to 874,300 points, a record that many felt would never be broken.
Enter Steve Wiebe. In 2003 Wiebe, after getting laid off, discovers Mitchell's so called "˜unbeatable record' and sets out on a journey to shatter the twenty-one-year-old record. Over the next four years, Wiebe, along with director Gordon and his camera crew, is sent on an emotional roller coaster as he fights the most unthinkable obstacles to become a household name in the world of Donkey Kong.
Gordon struck gold by discovering this story, and has successfully turned it into a hysterical journey that no one should miss. Seeing Wiebe struggle to not only conquer the game of Donkey Kong, but also the respect of the fellow gamers, is just as inspiring as it is fun. Billy Mitchell plays the villain role to perfection. Being named the "˜Player of the Century' in 1999, Billy has been able to live off his gaming records for over twenty years and seems to be quite comfortable being the uncontested greatest. When Wiebe travels over 3,000 miles to challenge Mitchell to a playoff, Billy kindly refuses, stating that he doesn't have the time. Is Mitchell afraid that there is someone out there better than him, or is he really being overworked in his hot sauce business? ... You be the judge.
In the end, the film is a great piece of work that should not be overlooked. Though it has an extremely short running time of 82 minutes, the film is rich in story, characters and comedy, providing one of the best movie-going experiences of the summer.
