Critics Scoreboard
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Average Critic Score:
83
(23 sources)
83
(23 sources)
-
100
Village Voice
It's all true--every magical, exhilarating, infuriating, dumbfounding, jaw-dropping second of Gordon's miniature masterpiece. Read Full Review » -
100
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100
Film Threat
It's not just one of the best documentaries I've ever seen, it's one of the best movies I've ever seen. Period. Read Full Review » -
100
Chicago Tribune
Gordon's documentary proves better than 90 percent of the manufactured stories out this summer. One can breathe a sigh of relief that it was done right and not cobbled into another bad fictional comedy. Read Full Review » -
91
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Gordon's feature directorial debut mostly stops being about video-game obsession and turns into a film about what it takes to make it in America. Read Full Review » -
91
Baltimore Sun
This film about fierce competition among classic video-game players is a comic action epic in documentary form. It captures fear -- and heroism -- in a handful of dusty video games. Read Full Review » -
90
New York Magazine
Very entertaining (and doesn't overstay its welcome) but it's a little depressing to contemplate. Read Full Review » -
88
Premiere
If you don't play at all, you may find yourself enjoying this film more than anyone, because you'll at least get all the laughs with none of the cringing self-recognition. Read Full Review » -
88
TV Guide
Like "Air Guitar Nation," the stranger-than-fiction cast of characters is fascinating, and their high-stakes machinations are nothing short of mind-boggling. Read Full Review » -
88
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88
Boston Globe
A portrait of two different men whose compulsion for Donkey Kong is hilarious. Read Full Review » -
83
Portland Oregonian
One of this year's funniest movies -- and its most inspirational sports drama -- is a documentary. Read Full Review » -
80
The New York Times
The movie's "Rocky" formula proves irresistible anyway; unsurprisingly, New Line has commissioned Mr. Gordon to remake this story with actors. Read Full Review » -
80
LA Weekly
It may seem overblown when one of the gamers calls Donkey Kong a metaphor for life, but The King of Kong is just that -- a reminder of how we all have to prove ourselves to others, and the extent to which the odds are often stacked against outsiders and newcomers. Read Full Review » -
80
Salon.com
Ultimately Gordon's movie becomes both a hilarious story about an unbelievable collection of arrested-teenage morons and, yes, an inspiring fable of persistence and redemption. I haven't mentioned this movie's fabulous addition to the English language yet, so here it is: the verb "to chumpatize." Read Full Review » -
80
Los Angeles Times
Obsession creates its own fascination, and never more so than in King of Kong, a sprightly new documentary that's as compulsively watchable as the vintage video game it focuses on is addictive. Read Full Review » -
78
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75
New York Post
Not since "300" have I seen such manly mano-a-mano-ing as the iron clash of wills in the docu mentary King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters. Read Full Review » -
75
Chicago Sun-Times
A documentary that is beyond strange, follows two arch-enemies in their grim, long-term rivalry, which involves way more time than any human lifetime should devote to Donkey Kong. Read Full Review » -
75
Rolling Stone
Who would have guessed that a documentary about gamers obsessed with scoring a world record at Donkey Kong would not only be roaringly funny but serve as a metaphor for the decline of Western civilization? Read Full Review » -
75
San Francisco Chronicle
As impressive as it is geeky. Most of the principal characters look like they haven't seen daylight since "Pac-Man Fever" was on the charts. Read Full Review » -
75
Miami Herald
A nuanced study in obsession, dedication, manipulation, ethics and how the all-American need to be the best at something -- anything -- can shape a life. Read Full Review » -
40
Washington Post
It's a depressing little kingdom, even when Gordon tries desperately to goose the drama with the requisite "Eye of the Tiger" riffs and some junior high-level palace intrigue. Read Full Review »
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