The King of Kong: Review
I saw “The King of Kong” a few days ago, and wrote a short user review for Netflix (review below). My lukewarm reaction may be entirely due to the high expectations I had, both from critic raves and my own fondness for these types of documentaries. There are also some arguments over the movie’s details I read after watching it that make me question the degree of its accurateness. Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
“The movie’s best moment is its two-and-a-half minute preview. There, the elements of the story are stripped down–egotistical manic versus likable, down-on-his-luck Joe–and the twists and turns of their battle is left to the imagination. The actual movie doesn’t live up to the promise. The succession of interviews with the socially awkward and singularly focused give off an insular feeling that the film makers don’t do enough to overcome. Friends, this is what true nerd-dom is, and it’s not pretty. Also, the film makers mishandle a few dramatic moments and leave the narrative muddy in others. It’s not bad and worth seeing for fans of quirky documentaries, but doesn’t reach the heights of similar documentaries before it.”