RingSide Report

World News, Social Issues, Politics, Entertainment and Sports

Focus – THE MIKE ROSS STORY – A Movie Review

By Siri Karri

For those who have followed professional Street Fighter, this movie needs no introduction. For those who don’t know about Focus and just want a good documentary, allow me to give a quick summary.

“Focus: A Documentary” follows the story of Mike Ross, a professional gamer who specializes in Street Fighter IV. It doesn’t delve into the specifics of Street Fighter as a game so much as analyzing the community that has been built around it. It combines an analysis of Mike’s upbringing, his hopes for the future, and culminates in his spectacular run at Evolution Champion 2010.

The first success of Focus as a film is choosing Mike Ross as its focal point. While gaming is certainly an acquired taste, Mike Ross is someone that even a new fan can take an instant liking to. He manages to be vibrant without being abrasive, confident without being cocky, and manages to milk drama without coming off as melodramatic. He’s an absolute kid when it comes to his enthusiasm in video games, and it’s hard not to get swept up in his intensity on video games that most people have lost with their childhood. But when he finally sits down and talks to the audience, he turns back into a man in his mid-twenties with realistic plans for how long he can actually play video games professionally.

The other big success is how Focus takes a comprehensive view of Mike’s life. It dabbles frequently into Mike’s childhood and family life and by doing so, it adds a certain human element that niche documentaries often miss. Not to be sappy, but Mike already has a boyish charm about him and seeing his family and friends help him attain new levels of greatness definitely adds a universal “feel good” element that even people who never touched a video game can admire. It’s also admirable to see how much Mike’s thoughts on professional gaming have evolved. Prior to Evolution 2010 he says he was considering playing for only one more year and now . . . he’s travelling all over the world playing tournaments and has a prestigious sponsor backing him.

These two elements combine to make a movie that can be enjoyed by fight fans and casual viewers alike. There are enough snippets of high level game play against big name players for hardcore gamers to be interested, and Mike’s screen presence will hold the average audience member’s attention long enough for them to get swept along for the ride. I hope Netflix puts this thing online or something, because I truly believe its step in the right direction for expanding the appeal of professional gaming.
Amid documentaries such as “I Got Next” and “King of Chinatown”, I’m inclined to give the nod to “Focus: A Documentary” as the best out of them. “I Got Next” certainly encompasses the growth of the gaming scene of a whole better and “King of Chinatown” grapples with a far more touchy subject but Mike Ross’s journey through the ranks is so charmingly executed that it’s definitely the most enjoyable despite its well worn story arc.

Definitely worth the watch even if you’re only a casual fan of documentaries, get Mike Ross an acting job.

So now I have to ask: Where the hell is the Gootecks documentary?

Leave a Reply