Kong rules

Filed under Reviews on January 3, 2006
Tagged: Jack Black, King Kong, movies, Naomi Watts, Peter Jackson

Peter Jackson does it again. The wife and I went to see King Kong yesterday. It was an afternoon well spent. My wife summed up the experience in one very appropriate word: exhausting. The movie takes you on a roller coaster that gives you just enough time to catch your breath before launching you into another series of dips, loops and whirls. There were a couple places where my suspension of belief was tested, but nothing that really jerked me out of the story.

The CG for Kong is incredible. I loved the attention to detail shown in the scarring, among other things. The facial expressions humanized the monster, allowing you to sympathize.

Naomi Watts made Ann Darrow strong and yet still feminine. She was as much the star of the film as the ape. I think Ann’s affection for Kong was emphasized more (or perhaps added) in this version, though it’s been a long time since I saw the original. I also liked Jack Black as the self-centered, unrepentant movie director/producer.

The island scenes were my favorite. Jackson changed some of the monster fights from the original and added one that my wife found particularly disturbing. The natives weren’t as exotic as I would have liked. At first I thought they were shipwreck survivors, as they appeared to be caucasians smeared in grease. Perhaps Jackson meant for that to be a question, but I found it distracting, though in no way a deal breaker. King Kong is a must see.

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