King Kong

Now for my full review of Peter Jackson's KING KONG.

The story is pretty close to the original. However, the major change Jackson and his crew made I really enjoyed. They made Ann and Kong pretty much friends. Ann sees something in Kong, something good, and she manages to evoke that. Kong then becomes not her captor, but her protector. Becasue of this change, you feel more involved with Kong, and feel more sympathy towards him.

The casting, however, if a bit iffy. Naomi Watts was amazing as Ann Darrow, the out of work Vaudville actress who Carl Denham(Jack Black) casts in his picture. The way that she interacted with a somewhat nonexistant creature is amazing, and I think nomination worthy. Black as Denham, however, I had problems with. He is much more self-obsessed and careless with others than the Carl of '33. And for a while you can't get over how it's Jack Black. But where this casting hurts is in the movie moment lines. You just can't believe it for some reason. Adrien Brody as screenwriter(first mate in '33) Jack Driscol is good for the little material he is given. I thought the chemestry between he and Watts was good, but for smoe reason it just disappeared with no fulfilling resolution at the end.

However, the biggest acting achievement of all is from Andy Serkis. He not only plays Lumpy, the Venture's cook, but did motion capture and on set work as Kong. You can tell in the intimate scenes with watts that she is working off of something, and that something is Serkis. Absolutely briliant.

Contrary to several reviews, I felt the writting in the film was good. Just the right mix of humor and exposition, I felt. It was never boring or dull, and Black is given his "Jack Black" moments. Plus, there were lines straight out of the original that a nerd like me loves to recognise. The score was amazing. It is subtle, but not enough to go unnoticed. And it definately takes its roots from Max Steiner's original score. I thought it was briliant.

The effect, as is to be expected, were phenominal. Kong looked realistic from start to finish, and the dinosaurs and various other island creatures were terrifying and real-looking. The t-rex fight went on a little too long, but was enrapturing from start to finish.

Now, I have to agree with Golden Globe voters in nominationg Peter Jackson for Best Director, but no the film. I felt that the film itsself is not necesarily Best Bicture material, but Jackson's work is, as always, brilliant. However, he did let his 3 hour+ running time get the best of him. I did like the three-act structure, but I felt that the movie wqas a little too long by about 30 minutes. Just trimming little things like a wide shot here and 2-3 minutes of the final show down would have helped tremendously. And what's the true testimate, I cried...a lot in the last half hour.

Overall, a good film. No where near LOTR quality, but still a beauty to behold. In a year where the box office has been flooded with adaptaions, remakes, and comic-book adaptations, Kong stands out as one of the years finest achievements in film.