Universal Pictures Starring: Naomi Watts, Adrien Brody, Jack Black
Directed By: Peter Jackson
Rated: PG-13
Universal Pictures
I was kind of surprised when I first heard that another remake of King Kong was on the way. The original 1933 version was excellent (for its time) and stood far above the 1976 remake (which was just terrible). Why mess with it again?
Apparently, it's because Peter Jackson started making films because he was inspired by the original King Kong. And, after his success with Lord of the Rings, he was pretty much free to do anything he wanted to do.
The story is the same as it has always been--Carl Denham (Black), a filmmaker in search of a breakaway hit, packs his crew and cast onto a ship bound for a mysterious island to which he has found a map. Along for the ride are screenwriter Jack Driscoll (Brody) and out-of-work vaudeville actress Ann Darrow (Watts). On the island, they find the exotic location they were after--but, more than that, they find a lost world of dinosaurs, giant insects and, of course, the titular giant gorilla. After seeing the beast, Denham decides he can make a fortune displaying the ape--if he can get it back to the States, that is. But along the way, Ann and Kong form a bond that adds depth to what would otherwise be a simple monster movie.
Other than the length of the film--at just over three hours, it's twice as long as the original--the things that really set Jackson's Kong apart from its predecessors are the imagery and the depth of emotion. Using the ever-evolving computer technology that made Lord of the Rings such a visually impressive series of films, Jackson outdoes himself by recreating the world of the original Kong and enhancing it with creatures that look very much alive (for the most part). The CG work is, perhaps, not as consistently impressive as Lord of the Rings or Chronicles of Narnia, but it is spectacular nonetheless--and, when it comes to the title character himself, essential to the success of the film as a whole.
For the first time ever, Kong is able to convey emotions. At any point in the film, you are able to see what the ape is feeling. This makes the ape side of the relationship between Kong and Darrow come alive in a way that was never possible before. This, combined with the fact that Jackson plays down Ann's fear and plays up her wonder and tenderness toward the animal makes the beauty and the beast relationship the central theme of the movie. I don't mind saying that my eyes welled up a few times during the film--you just feel so sorry for Kong, who is forcibly taken out of his environment and ultimately dies trying to save the one human he cares about and who cares about him.
Although this film is wondrous to behold and has a marvelous depth that no other Kong has been able to achieve, it does have its flaws. Some of the shots that combined CG and live action look only marginally better than the stop-motion/live action blend from the 30s. There are also some shots where the computer-generated Ann looks very fake in Kong's hand. While these shots can make you cringe, the overall scope and quality of the film are not affected.
Perhaps the biggest drawback is the length of the film. It is over an hour before Driscoll and company get to Skull Island, so the film gets off to a very slow start. There's lots of character development in this portion of the film, but I'm not sure a lot of it is necessary. Luckily, the humor and acting are good enough to carry you through the rough spots. Particularly funny is Driscoll's desperate search for an actress (before he finds Darrow). He's rattling off a list of actress names to his assistant, who is explaining why none of the women are available. Finally, Driscoll says, "What about Fay?" "She's doing a picture for RKO," his assistant replies. (The "Fay" they're referring to is Fay Wray, who starred as Ann Darrow in the original King Kong--RKO was the studio that made the original film.)
Despite the fact that the film probably would have been better at two and a half hours in length, it's still a powerful and engaging film--deeply emotional in a way that no other Kong has ever managed to be.
Peter Jackson will still be able to make any film he wants to make.
Bottom line: Best King Kong ever made.