A documentary about videogames? In my non-techie town? I believe I was required to go by law.
To summarize: a few years ago some guy breaks the world record for Donkey Kong, which had been set, seemingly in stone, back in the 1980s. Result: all hell breaks loose. It's kind of like when Indiana Jones found the Ark of the Covenant, and the Nazis opened it, only to reveal pissed-off spirits who melted their faces off. Sometimes it is scary to mess with ancient history.
Going into the movie I expected a bit of amusement and nostalgia. As it begins, you might find yourself a bit uncomfortable with your laughter - after all, these people up on the screen are actual people out in the world. But then, then, you are sucked into this ghost world of low res, high scores and 8-bit obsession. Every character is too real to be real. Emotion drips from the screen.
This is a movie you want to watch with other people around. Ideally, you will invite over as many friends as your local fire code allows. There will be cheering. There will be booing. You will pay for the whole seat but you will need only the floor, because, rolling with laughter, that's where you'll be most of the time.
At minimum you need one other person to turn to incredulously as the drama unfolds. And make no mistake - there will be drama. This documentary manages to expose the searing, pure, white-hot tip of pure competition and later you'll realize that your heart raced as if this was a race to the south pole, or the moon, instead of people sitting on stools looking at flashing pixels.
]]>