Watch out for those who sneer at the new king kong - King Kong Reviews

As I read the reviews of people who sneer at the new King Kong movie, I am seeing complaints based more on personal biases than on realistic cinematic comments. I suspect that many of them are people who are upset by the surge of science fiction and fantasy into the mainstream of big Hollywood films and fiction in general. Listen carefully to their complaints. You will find things like "the storyline was unbelievable." It is a fantasy -- of course the story line is unbelievable. To watch sci fi and fantasy you have to be able to "suspend disbelief" as psychologists would say. Many reviewers, both professional and public, were enraged that The Lord of the Rings received any praise or recognition. They felt that the "fantasy" stuff was only fit for children and could never be more than a "B" movie. One reviewer of King Kong complained about Jackson trying to "make an epic out of his material." First of all, the original is considered an epic, today. Secondly, I doubt that this reviewer would be happy with any film that is not rooted in reality. There are many people like this. Another sneering reviewer stated that the line, ?It wasn?t the airplanes, it was beauty that killed the beast.? ?. . . could have been written by an emotionally retarded third grader.? Actually, it is a direct quote from the original film. Others complained that there was a slow start to the picture. It is called ?character development? which is something we do not see a great deal of in many modern films. I guess that they would not be happy unless there is blood spurting and a decapitation or two in the first few minutes of the film. For those of you who hope that Hollywood?s new emphasis on fantasy films will simply go away, I have some bad news. As a schoolteacher of 28 years, I have watched as the younger generations have become increasingly committed to this genre of entertainment. It is not going to go away no matter how much you dislike it or sneer at it. I also feel sorry for you if you cannot "suspend disbelief" like the rest of us. It makes for a much more amazing world to live in when you can. To those of you with open minds, go see this film. It is wonderful on every level. It is a faithful tribute to the original that expands on it characters, storyline, and visuals. As for those of you who hate sci fi and fantasy, go see some dark, depressing, realistic film that reconfirms your view of life. Those of us who can step into these magical worlds intend to enjoy life to the fullest

Sittin' on top of the world - King Kong Reviews

I am a true blue fan of the 1933 original. And now I'd just like to say "Thank You, Peter Jackson, for improving on an all-time classic film." In fact, this version closely resembles the original, only it's more fleshed out, the characters aren't one dimensional stereotypes, and now, Anne Darrow (Naomi Watts takes over for the original Scream Queen of Cinema, Fay Wray with far more pathos and motivation) has a part that is so fleshed out that you actually understand why Kong goes to the lengths he does just for her. The movie is neatly divided into three equally fantastic parts: 1)The Setup 2) Skull Island (this part of the film makes Jurassic Park look as if it were directed by Ed Wood) and 3)Back to the Big Apple, on top of the Empire State Building in the famous, final, iconic scene for the ages. Peter Jackson got absolutely EVERYTHING right, and this movie is just about perfect. KING KONG officially ushers the world of film into this new millenium we live in with high hopes for the future of cinema. He deserves another Best Director Oscar for this one!

Stupid story + award-winning director = ? - King Kong Reviews

What do you get when you mix an outrageousy ridiculous story with a loaded, well-known, award-winning director? Well folks, see this film and you'll see what I'm talking about. Ever since he saw it at age 9, Peter Jackson has dreamt of doing a remake of King Kong. I've even heard that Lord of the Rings was just a practice for the effects he was planning to use in the film. So why wasn't Kong perfect? If Jackson had so much time to plan out this film, then why is everyone slamming it? I'm afraid it's the story, my friends. A giant ape and a human woman falling deeply in love; sounds like a joke, doesn't it? And that's exactly what many of the past Kong movies have been. A waste of time. But I'm grateful that Peter Jackson decided to remake this film. Jackson made an obscene story actually become somewhat believeable. There are some great scenes of the woman and the ape getting to know eachother...and...(It's hard to say this without cracking a smile)...Falling in love. But don't worry, this isn't a sappy love movie. I have to say, this is one of the most action packed movies I've seen this year, not to mention, amazing effects. King Kong's facial expressions were almost perfect. And for a second, I thought Peter Jackson's camera men actually went back in time to film real dinosaurs. The actors worked pretty well with the green screen effects too. For example, Kong fights, climbs, and runs with Ann Darrow in his hands, and although the actress is really doing this all in front of a green screen, she acts as if she's really face to face with a giant ape. During the first half hour of this film, I was extremely bored. My friends and I were seated in the front row, because the theater was so crowed, and in the begining of the film, I actually stopped looking at the screen for about 20 minutes because my neck hurt and it was boring. But every second after that was pure action. There's an amazing scene where Kong fights three T-Rex's with one hand, while holding Ann Darrow safely in the other. There's also a disgustingly satisfying bug scene. Some of the crew members fall into a cavern, and giant bugs come out and try to eat them. Yeah, it sounds stupid. But it's awesome. People in the auidence were continously shreaking and "Eww"ing. Alright, I really gotta stop typing so much. I'll just cut to the chase...I read other reviews, and I've considered some other peoples opinions...Here's what they think. People Who Liked the Movie Said: "Peter Jackson's King Kong is 200,000 kilowatt jolt through the skull. He blindsides you with images and thoughts and feelings that when you leave, you have to take a moment and reflect." - erico_77375 "It's scary when it needs to be, it's funny when it needs to be, it doesn't miss a beat, the story is classic, and it's got great visuals to boot!" - nateman1023 People Who Didn't like the Movie Said: "Jackson once again decides to leave nothing for the viewer's own imagination. He persists in using every last inch of film that he has shot, and much like his previous film efforts, proves that he still doesn't know what an editor is for." - naplesdave1974 "Characters were put in ridiculous situations and survived against impossible odds." - cferg88218 Basically, what I'm trying to say is, King Kong is a silly story, but Peter Jackon has definately done the best version so far.

This movie frickin rocked. - King Kong Reviews

This was an awesome movie. I don't know about the moron who wrote a 2000 word review and gave the whole movie away and then said that people weren't intelligent or patient enough to appreciate it. You can be 15, 50 or 100 and appreciate this film. I am 37. I took my 13 year old daughter and my 65 year old father and they both loved it. A movie that can draw generations together like that has to be great. This movie had spectacular effects. All I can say is that you will not be disappointed. It was great!

Was it really that long? - King Kong Reviews

Maybe people are impatient or what not, but I thought this movie was perfectly put together. The long and lagging moments weren't boring because I anticipated something afterwards and something big would always happen. I would say this is a pretty good remake of a movie and I'm sad to say that it won't be doing big in the box offices even though it should. I was one of those people who saw the preview the first time and said, "That looks dumb." I actually got dragged to the movie by some friends and in return, came out of the movie happy that I saw it. Look at the ratings and don't believe those who gave it F's. The average right now is an A- which is high for ANY movie.

Kong is king - King Kong Reviews

This is one movie that is worth more than the price of a ticket. It is engaging, dramatic, exciting, romantic and heartbreaking all at once. Peter Jackson had done it again, his Kong is a marvel of visuals and emotions and his actors are exceptionally suited to their roles. The beautiful Naomi Watts is a standout besides Jack Black but nonetheless the star is the CGI Kong himself. Spectacular action and romance that is Kong-sized, there is no doubt that both Jackson and Kong is King.

Beyond words! - King Kong Reviews

Definitly the best movie of the year. Incredible special effects, great direction, and good acting all around. I would say that this movie is probably worth seeing at least twice in theatres. Great adventure movie for all people......well....maybe not little ones under the age of 7yr. There are some creepy scenes that may frighten them. The film does a good job in making you feel all characters and special effect characters real. The movie also does a good job in hitting on your emotions as well. There are frightening times, funny times, and times for crying. ......ps. The scenes with dinosuars is amazing and just has you griping to your seat!!!!!

Best movie of the year, will win every award! - King Kong Reviews

I NEVER write reviews, but after seeing the midnight showing of this movie I couldnt help myself, FINALLY Hollywood made a movie that doesnt suck! Everything is in this movie, Its an action movie, a romantic movie, even at some points a comedy. PERFECT MOVIE! I cannot say enough about this movie! I have seen the top 10-20 money makers of the year from hollywood the last 10 years....and this is by far THE BEST! yOU WILL not regret SEEING THIS MOVIE, ALSO THIS IS A PERFECT DATE MOVIE, as guys will love the action and girls like the romance end of the story....good deal for all involved..... Perter Jackson really did it this time, there ar some scenes in this movie that truly look like kodack moments. This movie is simply cinematic GOLD! I'm going to see it again tom.

Almost perfect - King Kong Reviews

Peter Jackson knew exactly what he wanted for this film, and, for the most part, he got it. He did an excellent job of adding depth and credibility to this classic flight of fantasy. However, I couldn't quite connect with the characters of Ann Darrow and Jack Driscoll, and I felt Naomi Watts and Adrian Brody didn't fit into the time period very well. If this was meant to be a shared quirk of these two characters, it was never developed as such. But I was very impressed with the rest of the cast, particularly Jack Black. I would have to say this is the first time I've seen him actually act. Despite the carelessness and selfish determination of the character, I felt sympathetic for his struggle to avoid failure from his very first scene up to his very last. The visuals were outstanding, and the scenery of the island was especially stunning. Kong himself was perfectly animated (acted out by Andy Serkis) and his facial movements were highly expressive without being cartoonish. I felt I was watching an actual 25-foot ape. The CG was done very well visually throughout the film, but the animations through many of the action scenes seemed a little too fluid and blurred, and I never felt any danger whatsoever from the other creatures. Jurassic Park may have used more animatronics but I believe the effect in that film was more realistic and frightening. Overall, Peter Jackon did an excellent job. Nothing is perfect, after all, but he has come as close as any contemporary director is going to. This is definately going to be one of the top ten films of all time in its category. Keep the films coming, Mr. Jackson!

One of the best post matrix movies made so far - King Kong Reviews

I saw the trailer yesterday morning and I expected this movie to be just another remake of a monster movie. Well it is a monster movie with almost the same story. But I didn't expect it to be so good. The direction is too good to be compared with movies like Titanic and Spiderman 2. Stunning visuals. Amazing editing job. Bits of Suspense here and there. The scenes I liked the most includes the Diplodocus stampede and the Kong fighting T-Rex. I could never imagine these animals could run so fast. The wrestling scene looked like one straight out of a martial arts movie.. but beautifully pictured. Everyone in the hall were screaming and cheering throughout the movie.. and we did have some dead silence now and then. This movie had all kind of creatures you might have seen so far in a monster movie.. huge mosquitoes, spiders, bats and lots of dinosaurs. But I still wonder how the female character survived till the end. Well, I guess that really doesn't matter. Leave that to the film critics. Overall, this an excellent remake setting soaring expectations for other remakes like Superman. I recommend.

King of box office and budget - King Kong Reviews

The Movie was great.Jackson has done a tremendous job but the film looks a little lost from the ending,Like Return Of The King the ending is too much u feel a little bored.Great Visual And a Stunning King Kong

Depends on what you're expecting - King Kong Reviews

I saw the preview of this movie 2 days before it came out. I wasn't sure I wanted to see it but thought that I had to use free tickets to the most hyped movie of the year. My belief is that if you really want to see this movie, you will love it. If not, you probably will find it really long and kind of tedious. I was somewhere in the middle and you can probably see that it my ratings. No matter how acclaimed King Kong has been through the years, the story just doesn't do it for me. That being said, the story is presented with such a wow factor that it is hard not to appreciate the finished product. If you're dying to see this movie you need to leave now because you are going to love it. If not, well, you might take a look at it on dvd just because it really is well done, but just too long.

King of the box office - King Kong Reviews

Every week a few friends and i go to a new release with the most hype. This week i was lucky enough to be at King Kong. This was an outstanding film. The only flaw was the length of it. But even so, with a movie as good as this one, length doesn't mean much. Everyone knows the epic story of King Kong. The film stayed true to the original almost exactly. I haved watched the original many times and watching this was great. At first I was concerned that maybe Jack Black wasn't in his element with his role in the movie. But to my surprise he went and made the role all his own. He brought an enormous amount of passion to the movie. However, Naomi Watts is really what makes this movie really enjoyable. She was believable from start to finish. Watts enters the movie as a poor actress looking for work...and food. After she is thrown out on the streets she is picked up by a desperate Jack Black, who needs a leading lady for his new film. Her scenes with Kong are especially touching. All the actors with supporting roles were very well cast and did a great job. The only complaint that i would make is against Adrien Brody. After the movie was over i found myself wishing somehow that he didn't end up with the girl. His preformance left something to be desired. Again Peter Jackson shows what he can do with a great story behind him. His attention to detail and special effects made this movie great. Jackson tried to stay true to the original, having many of the same monsters as in the first. What sets him apart is his ability to add something, make it a little better than before. And he does that with this movie. Moving on to the visuals; they were stunning. The fights that took place showed Jackson's brilliance with special effects. It was very powerful and scary at the same time. Every scene in the movie looked believable. That's all well and good, but what honestly moved me was the facial expressions and actions of Kong. Watching the movie, you can see the love in his face when looking at Watts. And just before falling off the Empire State Building, the sadness in his eyes almost caused me to force out a tear. As much as many critics will say that this was all about the effects and action, i disagree. Yes, there was great effects and action in the movie, but what this movie is about is a love story. Deep down what Jackson wanted to show was that King Kong was not just a dumb animal, but rather that he has a soul. The proof is in the love he has for Ann Darrow. At the end it is exposed that Kong didn't have to die, but he chose to. He climbed the Empire State Building and stood atop it like a KING one last time. He himself be killed by the planes becasue he couldn't to live knowing that Ann didn't love him. In a last, and memorable line, Jack Black says, "It was Beauty that killed the Beast."

Comprehensive review of king kong - King Kong Reviews

Story: I was a little weary at first. Could a story about a giant gorilla let loose on NYC have an actual backstory? After watching the first 10 minutes of the movie the answer is a resounding YES. The first 45 minutes of the movie could be called by some slow and boring. I call it marvelous and essential. The tale of Ann Darrow, aspiring actress, down on her luck, who by chance of fate runs into producer Carl Denham who is making a film written by her idol, Jack Driscoll, is simply enchanting. The story only gets better as the cast and crew of the film reach their shooting location, Skull Island, home to King Kong himself. I won't say anything else, except for the fact that the story was surprisingly deep on multiple levels. Characters: I thought Jack Black gave a brilliant performance as over-aspiring, under-achieving producer Carl Denham. The role fit him perfectly given his unique sense of humor. Sure, some of his lines may have been cheesy, but they were cheesy on purpose! Adrien Brody, whom I loved in The Village, played the writer Jack Driscoll very good as well. His onscreen chemistry was subtle, but noticeable. The flirting back and forth between the lead actress Naomi Watts was perfect, and totally believable. The star of the evening was of course Andy Serkis who played two roles, both Lumpy the Cook and King Kong himself. You may recall that Andy played the physical actor Gollum in the LOTR series. I would not be surprised if Andy gets a nod as Best Supporting Actor in the coming actors. I highly expect Naomi Watts to receive a bid as Best Actress, I absolutely loved her heart-breaking performance. Special Effects: They were, in a word, top-notch. The effects were on par with Lord of the Rings, and MUCH better than the recently released Chronicles of Narnia. Which is interesting to me because Peter Jackson's WETA Digital team did did the effects for King Kong, while the Industrial Light and Magic group did the effects for Narnia. IL&M has done the effects for movies such as Star Wars: Episode III, War of the Worlds, Harry Potter 4, & The Island. WETA Digital of course has done all of the LOTR movies, as well as I, Robot. After watching both movies, the effects were really night and day, with King Kong taking the lead. I am guessing it was a time & money issue, as King Kong reportedly cost $207m to make, while Narnia only cost $180m. Costumes: King Kong was a period movie, and the costumes everyone in NYC were wearing was right on target. Both Narnia and King Kong made use of Peter Jackson's other company division called WETA Workshop. They did all the prosthetics, clothing, weapons & armor for both movies. That is why I think they each might be up for an Oscar in Best Costumes & Makeup. Overall: This is a must-see movie of the year. Peter Jackson will get nominated for Best Directed, and he just may win for the second year in a row. The mix of acting & action scenes give the movie a wonderful sense of flow. You will be on the edge of your seat the last 30 minutes of the movie, that I guarantee!

'kong' is mezmerizing - King Kong Reviews

More than a remake, Peter Jackson's KING KONG is a re-telling of a classic story updated for today's audiences. Much the way BATMAN BEGINS used very precise and logical dialogue to explain certain nuances of that film's hero, Jackson totally envelopes us into the time period to make us believe. When we see the Great Depression in its heyday, of course we believe in every character's passion for finding a way out of poverty. The New York City sequences are truly Norman Rockwell-esque. But it is the fight scences between Kong and the T-rex's that will last with most viewers. This is truly remarkable entertainment!

Did jimfoxx1013 pay attention - King Kong Reviews

I dont usually point out another member when writing a movie review, but after reading his I have to wonder if he just paid attention to the pretty graphics and forgot what the story was. He says the girl thought it was ok for Kong to murder hundreds of people to kidnap her. Now if he means on Skull island (Kong's home), he has every right to protect it and her (which is what he was doing). And if he means all the killing in NYC, lets not forget Kong was taken from his home against his will and brought to an unfamiliar place to be paraded like a sideshow. Ann seeked him out remember to try and protect him. Now after that rant, I think the movie was very well done for the most part although the first 45 minutes could have been substantially shortened. I think we can have covered character backgrounds in a shorter period of time. But we have to remember this is Peter Jackson we are talking about. When many movies these days barely cover 90 minutes and leave you feeling unsatisfied and out 8 bucks, Peter does give you a great movie experience. ANd I too cannot wait for the DVD which I am sure will be an extended version of the film with probably another 45 minutes. Overall great movie!

Jackson dropped the ball, in my opinion... - King Kong Reviews

Having heard that this iteration of "King Kong" was faithful to the original really had me hopeful. After all, the legend of King Kong has endured over 70 years largely because it was a compelling story. As such, I went into the movie with reasonably high expectations. A great story plus modern technology that could really due it justice - how could it NOT be a winning combination? Well, as you can tell from my detailed ratings, I thought all aspects of the story were great - except for Jackson's directing. Yes, it is basically faithful to the original, but it seems to me that he failed to capture the spirit of the original, the elements that made the original so compelling to begin with. That's why I walked away with such a bitter taste in my mouth, despite the incredible CGI and great acting. *** Because some who are reading this review may not have seen the movie yet, be warned that what follows are examples of how I think Jackson failed to serve the story justice. Read on at your own risk, keeping in mind of course that if you saw the original, then you already know what happens! *** On a positive note, I like that the first third of the movie was spent in New York, laying the foundation for the trip to Skull Island. This is one element that was expanded upon the original, and I think it was worthwhile. On the other hand, I disliked nearly the entire set of scenes on Skull Island. First, Jackson severly diminished the role that Kong played in the lives of the local tribe. Instead, he portrayed the tribe in a revolting manner, completely belittling their ways of life and rituals. In the original, it was clear that they revered Kong, perhaps seeing him/it as a god. It was also clear in the original that they were startled by the presence of the crew, not necessarily hostile and outright antagonistic. In this version, however, Jackson chose to portray them as muderous, self-mutilating creatures fully intent on killing the entire crew without reason. He didn't even explain or offer implicit justification why Ann Darrow would make a suitable offer of sacrifice to Kong. In short, his portrayal of the native tribe and the foundation for the sacrifice was unjustly truncated and disgusting. Second, many of the action scenes were completely ridiculous. Now before I expound, I fully realize that NONE of the story is realistic, and that's it not meant to be. However, just because the basic premise of the story is unrealistic by design (ie, fiction), it does not mean that every sequence has to be completely impossible. For example, there is NO WAY the crew would avoid getting trampled by the herbivorous dinosaurs as they fled down the narrow channel like a Pamplonian running of the bulls for what seemed like miles. First, the bulk of the dinosaurs on the run were plant eaters, so they posed no imminent threat to the crew. As a result, why wouldn't the crew simply press itself against one side of the cliffs and allow the dinosaurs to trample through? And why again were the dinosaurs running? Afraid of Kong? Why? He showed no signs of being their predator. Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. So was the fight scene between Kong and THREE T-Rexes. Fine, let's assume that Kong could take three T-Rexes at one time. I don't have a problem with that. But doing so with one hand while Ann Darrow is in the other, being violently thrashed to and fro as he fights? Her neck would've snapped after one violent arm swing, much less after TEN MINUTES of constant thrashing. Why couldn't he just have put her down? Would that have somehow ruined the fight scene? Want more? How about when the young crew member was shooting those flesh-eating creatures off Adrien Brody's body WITH A MACHINE GUN while Brody himself is thrashing about trying to get them off? AN INEXPERIENCED WEAPONEER FIRING A MACHINE GUN DIRECTLY AT BRODY, AND BRODY COMES OUT UNSCATHED??? The above examples are but a few of what I see as Jackson's overriding error in judgment - he was more consumed with demonstrating the admittedly fantastic CGI at the expense of the story. CGI aside, I think what was most distressing to me about the story was the creepy love triangle that Jackson created between Ann Darrow, John Driscoll (Brody), and Kong. To me, what made the original so compelling was the fact that Ann Darrow was able to see the purity of spirit in Kong, despite the obvious fear he/it instilled in others, and thus truly empathized with him/it when he was removed from his natural environment for human expoitation, and then gunned down when the exploitation when awry. In this version, though, Jackson took Kong's ability to love(?) as a human so far, that he actually had them (ridiculously) frollicking on ice in Central Park. How creepy is that? A love triangle between two humans and an ape. Compassion and empathy are one thing; potential bestiality is quite another. I can only imagine how Jane Goodall must feel... In the end, I walked out of King Kong 2005, disillusioned not only by it, but by what mainstream Hollywood fare has become. I read news articles all the time about how box office receipts are down this year, and no one's quite sure what to make of it. Some blame the advent of home theaters; others blame steep ticket prices. As far as I'm concerned, though, this movie epitomizes the real problem with Hollywood. Directors, producers, and studios alike still think that special effects will win the day. Well, guess what, they're wrong. 2005 hasn't been a down year because of home theaters and ticket prices. It has been a down year because the lion's share of movie plots that get produced are pitiful. And King Kong 2005 is not only no exception, it is the quintessential example.

3- hour kong movie is worth the price of admission - King Kong Reviews

King Kong rocks the box office with visual effects that will leave you wanting more and I think you might even want to see again. Families worried about your young children seeing this movie, fear not because King Kong is a great movie for everone to see, I recommend that you are with your little ones because some scenes are very frightening to some because of the T-TEX and Kong. Parents should also buy tickets early because this movie is predicted to sell out all week long across the the country. I would like to tell you about the story but pretty much everyone has an idea of whats going to happen and trust you would want to see the movie yourself before listening to others reviews about the movie. See King Kong, I won't tell you whats going to happen because that would take all the fun out. 3-Hour King Kong is worth the price of admission. Oscar winner of 2005!!! Movie of the year!!!

Better than return of the king! - King Kong Reviews

Wow. I must admit that my enthusiasm was at a low going into this movie. The previews did not look great. However, if you want to go drift off into a completely different world for 3 hours -- go see this movie!! A++ Jack Black should get an academy award for his role in this film. He completely broke out of the shell that Holywood has incased him in over the last decade!

Beauty killed the beast! nice ending, nice all! - King Kong Reviews

I don't care what others say, but when I saw this movie, it was worth staying 3 hrs. The visuals were fantastic, and the emotion that the actors portrayed really got to everyone in the theater. It was the first time that my lady had actually cried for an ape... Anyways, Naomi Watts was awesome, the sadness in her eyes really touched me... Anyways, I think everyone should watch it... it is hard to make, produce, and direct a story like this, especially when you are trying to remake an original to meet the expectations of today... it's a MUST to watch... and I will certainly buy it on DVD!

A true masterpiece - King Kong Reviews

If you want to go back to the days when you were young and had an infinite imagination watch this movie. I have never felt so captivated by a movie since I saw ben hur as a child.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!definetly a blast!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - King Kong Reviews

The new "King Kong" is a blast, and I'm probably not the only one surprised at how well the lavishly overstuffed project, unlike Kong after the fall, lands on its feet. The great achievement of Peter Jackson's remake, the one he couldn't get anyone to finance until the fearsome global grosses of his "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, hinges on many factors. One, they got the big boy right. In the same way actor Andy Serkis and a team of computer animators created Gollum in "Lord of the Rings," the towering yet nimble lord of a lost world is portrayed by Serkis (he also plays the cook on board the S.S. Venture) and then re-portrayed, digitally, by Jackson's animators. The result is a proud, tough loner who moves like lightning. The original Kong, the one who saved RKO from financial ruin back in 1933, can never be topped: Working with an 18-inch miniature, effects wizard Willis O'Brien fashioned a remarkable stop-motion icon. But the new Kong is just different enough to be terrific screen company. His relationship with his leading lady, played with heart and panache by Naomi Watts, doesn't feel like an old story retold. It feels like a brand new story. Success factor two is the tale of two magical islands, Manhattan and Skull. The movie's technologically complex evocations of 1933 New York are as thrilling as anything in Kong's zip ZIP code. Director Jackson, who co-wrote the screenplay with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, has shrewdly kept "King Kong" part and parcel of 1933, the worst year of the Depression. He has made a swell period picture. It begins with a quick tour of New York City in all its gritty, atmospheric glory. As Al Jolson sings about "sittin' on top of the world" - nice allusion to the climax - "King Kong" piles up images of homeless and have-nots, along with the swells. The movie may be a fantasy, guided by one of the silliest durable myths of 20th Century popular culture, but when cash-strapped vaudevillian and actress Ann Darrow contemplates going into burlesque to earn a buck, it's no joke. Times are hard, and visually the realization of these times helps us into a truly tall tale. The obsessive detail of production designer Grant Major's work folds seamlessly into the computer-generated skylines. And when Kong, having been brought to the world of show business against his will, breaks out of the Broadway theater and starts messing with Times Square, your feelings are gloriously mixed. Does Kong have no feeling at all for what Jackson and company have done for little old New York? For a movie that runs a tick over three hours, "King Kong" moves like a streak, and once the protagonists arrive at Skull Island, it's Monsters, Inc. every minute. (Don't be mistaken, however, regarding the appropriate audience age range for "King Kong"; I wouldn't take anyone under 10 or 11.) There's an exciting dinosaur stampede and, paying homage to the original film's excised spider pit sequence, a particularly ooky array of giant slugs and roaches and man-eating whatzits. The natives of Skull Island are scary, too, yet you don't get that patronizing racial hangover watching their crimson-eyed rantings as you do in the original; they've been sufficiently and creatively turned into a desperate band of survivors living on an island that time forgot. Looking good, screaming less Besides looking great in Fay Wray's old hats, Watts is just right as Ann Darrow, screaming far less often than Wray did in the original, and never forcing a single emotion. (The script contains several sly references to Ms. Wray and the original film.) Jack Black plays maverick moviemaker Carl Denham; he's OK, though you wish he brought more snap and verve to the dialogue. Adrien Brody is playwright Jack Driscoll, kidnapped by his old pal Denham to finish the movie scenario to be shot on the mysterious fogged-in island. Despite a little too much hair for 1933, he's fun. As Kongiacs like to remind everyone, "King Kong" is at heart a love story. In the original film, Kong, the brute from the jungle, embodiment of 1,001 racially charged rape myths, pokes his dishy blonde like an adolescent on the verge of a discovery he can't handle. The 1976 remake went further with the hubba-hubba stuff, although each lovesick close-up of Kong in that forgettable campfest showed us a teenager who couldn't quite get the nerve up to ask the pretty girl at the dance to dance. Director Jackson ditches all that, and makes the central Kong/Darrow relationship work. (The nominal human-to-human love story of Darrow and Driscoll pales in comparison.) Darrow knows what she has to do to avoid a bad end to their first date: She has to entertain him. So she pulls out some of her vaudevillian routines. They work. And without getting uber-sappy about it, the new "King Kong" is, in the end - and what an ending; Kong's last look at Darrow is a heartbreaker - a weirdly plausible retelling of the oddest couple in the history of odd couples. Not without its flaws The movie is not concise, and it is not flawless. As in the "Rings" trilogy, director Jackson proves overly fond of a certain digital aerial perspective, swooping down and around some new wonder or other. The middle hour on Skull Island contains perhaps one too many unholy monstrous threats on the human characters. Later, back in New York, Kong and Darrow share a lyric interlude on the frozen Central Park lagoon that is a bit much. (I'm surprised he didn't take her to a show.) But not long afterward, when Kong and Darrow reach the top of the world's tallest building and hang around long enough to see the sun rise, the sight is a beaut, proof that computer-generated animation can achieve lyrical results in the right hands. In its multiplicity of visual effects, "King Kong" extends the last decade's worth of cinematic advances. When the S.S. Venture lands on Skull Island, the storms and waves are as good as anything in "The Perfect Storm." The dinos are right up to the "Jurassic Park" level. As for the gargantuan, emotionally expressive simian of the title, well, the only one to compare is the original from a long time ago and a special effects galaxy far, far away. Is there any visual poetry in the new "Kong" to equal the stop-motion creature of genius that freaked out generation after generation? Maybe not. But the way the gorilla and the actress become acquainted, under extreme duress, in Jackson's film, you're astonished at how well the makers have thought everything through.

King wronged - King Kong Reviews

Well, as King Kong was one of my favorite movies of all time, I was excited to see the modern version. I ended up watching a modern perversion. It was the most tragic defamation of a classic film I have ever seen. The action was unrealistic, even for a fantasy film. After the dino stampede, I though I was watching a bad joke. In Training Day, Denzel Washington said, "King Kong aint got sh*t on me." After this abomination it is clear that King Kong aint got sh*t on anybody. Peter Jackson, shame on you.

Classic kong becomes king of cgi movies - King Kong Reviews

In one fell swoop Peter Jackson remade an iconic film, rewrote an iconic story, and reinvented an iconic character in King Kong. How was it- spectacular! Mostly :) The story line became as compelling and obsessive as Jack Black's interpretation of Carl Denham. Naomi Watts was perfect as Ann Darrow. I liked that Jackson stayed close to the original story, though it was troublesome for me as a man to think of a beautiful woman falling in love with an ape. One thing that was excellent was the set, costume, and character renderings of the World War I era, both in New York and on Skull Island. The natives on the island were positively horrific in their terror, feeling like I was back in the zombie film of 28 Days Later. I suppose if I lived on an island where you had to keep a monster gorilla from consuming your village by offering one of your own as a sacrifice on a regular basis, I might develop a culture of fear too. Speaking of the island, I wasn't really expecting to run into Steven Speilberg on this adventure, but it was a clear nod to Jurrasic Park as the herione runs from the bite of valoceraptors to T-rex that we feel like we might have taken a detour into another film momentarily. Still, the film really doesn't create the situation from nothing. It provides the "homeland" for our Kong, in which you find out why he is truly the king of his island. Some people have complained that the picture takes too long on Skull Island, but for me, I think it is a great development. I also truly enjoyed the character development of Ann Darrow, showing her plight as a stage performer who loses her job (as the vaudville theatres close down) and considers the possibility of having to dance in a burlesque club (the early 20th century version of peepshow porn houses). Not much fails in this film, though there are a couple of points that render into the absurd. When Adrien Brody's Jack Driscoll character takes off to single-handedly rescue Ann Darrow, he somehow finds her and Kong instantly. This would be fine if the rest of the movie allowed for time lapses and cut aways and openings in similar fashion. But the rest of the movie leaves no such thing to imagination, so this one abberation seems unrealistic. There is also a literal cliff hanger scene in which Ann Darrow, King Kong and 4 T-rex attackers all re-enact a scene from The Emperor's New Groove in which Kuzco and Kronk swing from entangling vines trying to hit one another. This scene was supposed to be a "cliff hanger" but quickly turned into humor. I kept thinking it was so absurd I wasn't sure if Jackson meant me to laugh or meant it as serious suspense. I laughed anyways. What makes the film tower above its namesake film of 1933 is the incredible voiceless performance of Andy Serkis as Kong himself. The acting in this film is what makes it the new standard in monster films. Yes the CGI is amazing, the directing is artful, but the acting makes it work and really engage the audience. You won't be disappointed in the 3 hours plus that it will take to watch this film. For the parents out there-- the fight scenes aren't any more frightning than anything you've scene in films like Jurrasic Park, but the shots and interaction with the Skull Island villagers will scare any child under 12 (even if they don't admit it). Seeing this film will be a waste of time on DVD, unless you have a 60 inch or larger screen-- REALLY! See this in the theatre!

Blew me away. - King Kong Reviews

So my expectations for this movie dropped after I saw the original one. A) because it didn't look like it had a very intriguing look or tone do it. (like the original) and B) the adertisements were just a showcase of effects, and nothing more. But I was awfully wrong. This one is miles better than the original, for many reasons. The first being that the effects are better, naturally. The second is that they made the love story between Ann and Kong sweet, and touching, and not creepy. The effects are amazing, sometimes they look a little too animated (like the part with the bugs) but for the most part they're pretty spectacular. The original one took forever to get started. The opening scenes on the boat, and with the sacrifice took over in the first one, and it moved along like a snail super glued to the sticky side of tape. But in this one the first hour just flies by, every scene is filled with great music, and the sets are so elaborate, and its just so gosh darn fun to watch. I think Andy Serkis should be nominated for some type of award for his work as Kong. He totally brings Kong to life. There were some scenes in this film that were painful for me to watch because I felt so much sympathy for Kong, and the final duel on the Empire State building almost made me cry, but I held myself together and sucked it in. So yeah. King Kong is the friggen best movie of the year. The three hours running times just flies by, except or maybe a little bit at the end, it starts to feel a tad bit long cuz its kind of repetitive, but besides that this movie moves along like a bullet. As far as movies go, you won't be enteratined this much for a very long time. Awesome film. 10/10

Top ten things that king kong taught me - King Kong Reviews

10 - Cannibals don't like candy 9 - 25 foot apes fall in slow motion 8 - Beautiful blondes dig bestiality 7 - King Kong is a better actor than Jack Black 6 - Naomi Watts is indestructible 5 - Giant vampire bats make excellent hang gliders 4 - Dodging a herd of rampaging dinosaurs is not nearly as difficult as it sounds 3 - Hollywood still loves to kill black actors 2 - Ice skating with apes is romantic 1 - Human-sized grasshoppers aren't nearly as cute as the little ones What can I say? This movie was a travesty, by far one of the worst pictures I have ever seen in my life. Jackson's script was packed full of gore, bestiality innuendo, cannibals, voodoo, and blasphemy. The film is also too long and many of the action sequences are closer to a Bugs Bunny cartoon than an action film. There was a pretty cool part with giant bugs, though, and the special effects and cinematography in the film was beautiful. Even the bugs looked cool while at the same time being disgusting. Far more nauseating than the gigantic bugs who attacked and killed a bunch of the characters in the story, however, was Naomi Watts continously giving lusty looks at, and snuggling with, an oversized gorilla. And watching sunsets together with him. And dancing for him. And ice skating with him. They even had a lover's spat, after which she humbly apologized to him after he saved her life. After her human love interest arrived to save her, she shed more tears at the stupid beast being captured (admittedly not cool) than she did at the brutal deaths of all the humans in this picture combined. There were characters running over and through the legs of an army of charging brontosaurs with nary even a scratch, people climbing craggy mountains and the Empire State Building like they did it every day, people shooting giant bugs off of other people without hurting the person at all, etc. Naomi's character, Ann, at one point was hanging onto a tyrannosaurus rex's snout after falling a hundred feet with it, King Kong and another t-rex, into a giant network of vines, where they hung suspended while battling each other for what seemed like forever. Then there was the scene where Ann was tied by thick ropes to two bamboo posts. King Kong came and grabbed her with his over-sized hand and yanked her free, snapping her rope but not the much-weaker arm it was attached to. And then there was the ridiculous, overdrawn finale, where King Kong, after an interminably annoying "melodramatic" (read laughable) period, falls off the top of the Empire State Building in slow motion...after he (finally) hits the street and dies, his body has noticeably shrunk in height and apparently lost most of his mass as well, because instead of going through the street like a hot knife through a banana, it hardly makes a dent. I almost wonder if Peter Jackson has a cutback conspiracy going on with the psychiatric profession, because after sitting through this multi-million dollar stupidity for 3 hours you're bound to go bananas!!

Kong is king - King Kong Reviews

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! MY REVIEW: Rarely ever do I bestow an A+ rating on a movie, but Peter Jackson's rendition of Cooper and Wallace's "King Kong" has earned it. From the stunningly gorgeous visuals, to the amazing locations and recreations of 1932 New York City, to the King himself, the film takes you on a visual and emotional rampage that doesn't let go until the credits roll at the end. Much praise to Jackson's sense of storytelling and artistry, and for staying with the original 1933 script. Although extensive use of CGI and animation was used throughout the movie, it was always done in *support* of the story; the special effects were never over-played, an ailment that afflicts far too many modern screen-stories. From the vistas and creepy jungles of Skull Island, to the hustling city street and somber skyline of New York City, every shot is framed for glorious visual impact. Jackson's use of camera angles shows his (or, more likely, cinematographer Andrew Lesnie's) understanding of keeping the action shots interesting, yet not too confusing or overly-busy. Particularly arresting are the shots that follow the ship's crew as Kong tries to shake them off of an ancient tree-bridge over the brink of a foreboding canyon. Not all is perfect, however. Although Jack Black ("Carl Denham") provides charisma and bravado, he sometimes overplays the part; there's too much Black in Denham, making it hard sometimes to believe in him as a true charachter. The biggest problem, however was the beginning. It takes a full *hour*, 1/3 of the movie, to set up the fact that Denham's a third-rate director, Ann Darrow (played by Naomi Watts) is a down-and-out Vaudeville actress, and that they're all going on a sea-adventure to "Singapore", as Denham fools the S.S. Venture's crew into believing. But you know that something big is about to happen when the Venture *ventures* into the Dark Spot on Denham's mysterious map. Two words, from then-on-out: Hold on. Not once on the island will you have time to catch your breath. From the initial encounter with the island's indiginous people, to the dinosaur stampede and fight, to even the capture of mighty Kong, the watcher is horrified, mystified,and - ultimately - satisfied. Particularly amazing (and disgusting) was the "bug pit" scene, after Kong shakes the Venture's crew off the log bridge into a deep ravine. The tentacle monsters are my favorite! Also, the fight between Kong and the Tyrannosaurs is downright jaw-dropping. However, there's much more to "Kong" than just fast-paced action. The relationship that develops between the gorilla and Ms. Darrow is heartwarming, strong, and - surprisingly - believable. One can't help but be deeply moved as we see Kong's treatement through Darrow's eyes. Kudos to Naomi Watts for her moving performance. Credits to Andy Serkis as well, who lent his expressive talents to Kong (he also plays the Venture's cook, "Lumpy"). Serkis' ability to evince strong emotion and insight through physical means is evident on Kong's face (Serkis, as you may recall, provided the "face" and voice of another Jackson CGI charachter, LotR's "Gollum"). The immortal climax with Kong over the top of New York's tallest building is dizzily amazing. As the giant climbs the skyscraper, and later as the fighter planes circle and attack, you're well-aware of how high up this fight is taking place. Again, credit goes to the cinematography team for the wonderful plane's-eye-view of Kong, adding to the overall "bigness" of the final scenes. The best is for last, however. The powerfully-connected emotions of Kong and Darrow are played out beautifully and heartbreakingly. Words can't describe the feelings that pull at the viewer's heartstrings during the film's last moments. Even as the credits began to roll, no one in the theater spoke, and many were wiping away tears. In the end, even a King must fall for man to understand that not every wonder is meant to be conquered. ***** WHAT WORKED: Everything, except the first hour. WHAT DIDN'T: The first hour. FAVORITE MOMENT: Three-way Tie! 1.) Kong and Darrow sitting on the cliff ledge, overlooking Skull Island at sunset. 2.) Kong's fight with the Tyrannosaurs. 3.) The "bug pit" scene. Swamp tentacles are creepy-cool. FAVORITE QUOTE: When Denham asks his assitant, Colin Hanks's "Preston" if they can get actress Fay Wray as the leading lady in his film (Wray was the *original* Ann Darrow in the 1933 film). OVERALL OPINION: Stunning visuals, poingnant storytelling, and excellent direction and cinematography, combined with great acting makes "Kong" King. ***** GRADES: Story (A+), Acting (A), Direction (A), Visuals (A+) Overall Grade: A+

Simply brilliant overall!! - King Kong Reviews

Peter Jackson has done a very good job here of story telling. There is something here for everyone even if you hate action movies and I was suprised by the movies heart. Like "Titanic" we all know how this ends, what's better is how effective the ending is despite you knowing what's coming. The ending would not have worked were it not for the solid story and acting-this adds up to more than a popcorn film. Personaly, I'm kind of tired of CGI and while it started to get on my nerves, I loved Kong! At times I had to remind myself this was a CGI character. This is a long film, but it doesn't feel like the 3 hours that it is despite some slow moments. Good for all in the family. If you cry easily, fear not because you will have plenty of company.

The eighth wonder of the world. - King Kong Reviews

One of the most anticipated movies of the year is, finally, about to open. Opening worldwide December 14th, "King Kong" is about to become a hit. The acclaimed director of the "Lord of the Rings" series, Peter Jackson, resurrects a legend, an iconic figure. Nostalgic fans will not be disappointed. Audiences looking for action, amazing effects, and adventure will leave theaters satisfied. "King Kong" is not only a roller-coaster of emotions, but it improves some parts of the original and is one of the- if not the- best movies of the year.

Could not believe this was so bad - King Kong Reviews

Let me start off by saying that I am a lifelong monster movie and science fiction fan. I hurried home from work, had my family snarf down dinner, and rushed to the theater to see the remake of one of my all time favorite classics King Kong. We wondered what was up when the theater was still only half full for the prime time opening 7pm showing, but nothing could have prepared me (or us) for the fiasco that was to follow. The first part of the film was uneven (Jackson takes complete liberty with the story line, changing the very nature of key characters and thereby the story itself) but reasonably enjoyable until we got to the island, at which point, the best way I could describe the next hour and a half was a completely self absorbed, dimented director, completely ignoring the story and his actors in favor of showing how much moment to moment mind numbing special effects he can throw at the audience. And mind numbing was what it was. With barely a second to catch your breath, and with little to do with the actual story, director Peter Jackson (I will never go to one of his movies again) goes from one preposterous dinosaur stomping, flesh ripping, disaster scene to the next, leaving precious little time (as is his apparent style) for storytelling. Oh sure, the animation of Kong himself was impressive and probably the only real bright spot in the film, but it was difficult to enjoy even that. Starting with the natives from hell (more like night of the living dead) and progressing to the absurd dinosaur stampede, the movie quickly dissolved into what looked more like a video game my son plays at home. Despite the beautiful leading actress, the movie failed even to touch on the senualism Fay Wray is still remembered for more than 70 years after the original. Remarkably, our heroine in this movie spends hours (days??? we can't tell) running around the island barefoot in lengerie and yet retains her eye makeup, curly hair, and never hurts her feet. Some of the scenes were truly ridiculous. And when did this story become a two way relationship? Sure, even in the original we all rooted for Kong to some degree and felt badly for him, and he fell in love with the girl, but in this movie, there were times when it looked like the girl was actually ready to ride off into the sunset with Kong and live happily ever after. I could go on and on, but the bottom line was, THIS MOVIE WAS A DISASTER. I could not wait to go home and watch the original, which we will do this weekend after we have had a few days to recover. In fact, we could not wait for the movie to end so we could leave. Please, save your money, and go see a great Sci-Fi movie like War of the Worlds, which proved that both an original and a remake could both be classics and masterpieces. I think I will stick with Spielberg and Lucas from now on. Jackson cares only about satisfying his own ego, nothing about stories, his actors, or for that matter, his audience. I predict this will be the biggest box office flop of all time, relative to expectations and it's cost. If we didn't have our 14 year old with us, who didn't remember the original and who seemed to like it well enough (he spends most of his time playing video games), we may actually have walked out, it was that bad. What a shame. Entertainment? Not in my book.

King kong is king....of boredom - King Kong Reviews

I?d head into this movie with fairly low expectations, or you might come out disappointed. The overall plot of the entire three hour movie can be summed up in one sentence: Bring King Kong to New York, then kill him. Unfortunately, the writers saw how thin this plot was and decided to stuff it with any random thing they could find. There was a good half hour of dinosaurs thrown in there for thrills too. Yes, dinosaurs?there?s no reason or explanation as to why they?re in the film, but the characters spend all their time running from everything and not asking deep plot-like questions. A lot of time in the movie is spent looking for Naomi Watts, who is constantly getting herself in trouble with bugs, dinos, more dinos, and even bats. Apparently, saving her life over and over again is enough to win the girl?s heart, which is amazingly what draws Kong to her in the first place. Seventeen men lose their lives to save this girl. WHY? This has got to be the largest logical gap I?ve ever seen in a film. The entire crew of the ship leaves to rescue one woman, and more than half of them don?t come back. Who?s left to man the ship when they head for America? Next, the movie jumps to New York, where Kong has been tied up and put on display. There is nothing to indicate that this is the first show, of one of many, but low and behold, Kong escapes. The best part of the whole movie is when the monkey runs through the streets, picking up blonde women in hopes that it?s Ms. Watts, then flinging them in some direction when it?s not. The rest of the movie consists of the military trying to kill Kong, but missing dozens of times, striking buildings, cars, and anything else unlucky enough to be standing nearby. I kid you not, you actually see them level an apartment building. After ten minutes, you begin to wonder just who the bigger threat to the city is. Did I forget the token car chase? There?s a car chase. In all, there?s more action in this film than there really should be, and it begins to wear on you after a while. Eventually you just get faded to everything, because you know that the actors are all really just in front of a blue-screen. All forms of special effects are no longer special, you come to expect them. You begin to predict the effects almost as easily as you predict the plot. The movie ends with a tacky line from Jack Black saying, ?The planes didn?t kill Kong, the Beauty did? (referring to Watts). But in reality, you can?t help but want to say, ?No, Peter Jackson killed Kong.?

Remember the hulk? - King Kong Reviews

I remember when the Hulk received rave reviews when it came out a few years ago. Just like the Hulk, King Kong is well made and has a good flow. The graphics are considerably a step up from the Hulk too. There is also lots of action- I like how the commercials did not reveal too much into the good parts. Still, the movie lacks what the Hulk lacked- charisma. There is no spark that made me feel sorry for King Kong, and the three hour length is a far stretch for any movie. It was difficult for me to become involved with the emotional appeal of the movie and left me bored. It is a good remake, but if I were you I'd wait til it came out on DVD.

Great production...great acting...so so movie. - King Kong Reviews

Okay, here it is. Peter Jackson is great. He can tell a story in such a way as to keep you on the edge of your seat, even when the story is as bad as this one. By now you all know the story of King Kong. People go find ape...ape falls in love with winsome actress...people capture ape...ape climbs Empire State Building with actress...ape gets killed. Sorry, but that really is all there is to the story line. Now, what Peter Jackson and a great cast do is make the story more interesting than just that...for 3 hours...then you go away feeling "Yeah...so what". Jackson does so much in staying true to the original story and adding some great CGI scenes and a story of a prehistoric world to give Kong some more believability. He does a great job of showing the development of the bond between Ann Darrow and Kong. But in the end, not even Jackson's brilliance can save this story. I don't know...just something about the story that really is just not that intriguing...It plays well on a big screen, visually, but the story is made for a movie of the week or something. When the movie is over, you just feel a bit gypped...as if Jackson's direction and the great acting of Adrian Brody and Jack Black should somehow make the story more fulfilling. It just never happens. The movie is a wonderful rollercoaster ride that, when it is over, leaves you saying that it was a nice ride, but you don't care to ride it ever again. Enjoy the movie for what it is...a novelty that wears off the minute after you see it.

And the oscar goes to>>> - King Kong Reviews

I am not a PJ fan. I hate him with every particle of my body for no other reason than because I can. Before viewing the film, I thought the Executives at Universial idiots for allowing the movie to be 3 hours and 7 minutes long, thinking that Jackson may have put pressure on for any number of reasons. However, after I viewed the film, it is very clear to me on many different levels that this is one of the best films of the year. This is a money-maker and a Oscar-winner. It is better than the first Kong. It may be long but watchin it is like a kid squeezing a orange to get every drop of sweet juice out on a very hot day. I could go into a very detailed and long essay of film analysis, but there is no way to accuratly articulate the feeling that one gets from this film. Those who are fans will not be disapointed. Those who are not fans will be unintentionally impressed. It is as simple as that.

Disfunctional - King Kong Reviews

Jackson failed with Kong. Plain and simply. He either needs to learn the word 'cut', or utilize his editors. His attempt to make an epic of this literary and cinematic tale failed. The failure occurs as he attempts to connect an exhausting love story with eccentric computer graphics with to many portions of the story that are newly created. Two hours in I looked at the time a was dumbfounded that the storyline had not yet taken us back to New York. Others have used the word 'silly', the word that decribes it best for me...Cheesy!

Welcome to the 21st century: king kong - King Kong Reviews

King Kong ushered to the 21st century, but still reminiscing the 1930?s is a brilliant remake of a masterpiece suitable to today?s generation of audiences. The story remains the same but it has been told countless times and yet retains it classic tale of an adventure glazed with drama. Peter Jackson, director of Lord of the Rings, is no doubt one of the best directors the world has to offer. His extraordinary attention to details is well defined on the scenes that translate screen after screen. A true visionary indeed and he raised the bar every now and then for each movie he makes. The movie is broken into three segments namely pre-adventure, adventure, post-adventure but build up on the characters themselves making you forget that you are actually watching a popcorn movie. This is not a bad thing if you want to win an Oscars, but tend to be dragging to mindless ones. The pre-adventure provides a historical perspective of the 1930?s with retro designs in all facets of the movie. We are introduced to Ann Darrow, a theatre performer during the Depression era in New York City. Watching her is like being drawn to her like a moth over a light and your empathy towards her bring a soulful understanding to the dilemma that arises. Naomi Watts indeed showcase a brilliant job in providing her that aura of sigh every time you looked at her. She doesn?t even need a lot of lines to provide that charismatic character. Jack Black as Carl Denham, a director who reminds me more of Peter Jackson trying to direct this movie provides the conundrum of trying to have a movie or trying to earn money. He is drive by greed, but something is missing in portraying that he is not the antagonist in the film but a character in a story that intertwines the whole segment together by trying to find Skull Island. The adventure begins when they left New York and supposed to go to Singapore as what they told the crew, but in fact is planning to go to Skull Island to shoot a film. When the boat arrive in the island, the eerie feeling is being generated as anticipation on what would happen really put you at the edge of your seat. Curiosity or adventure gives you that inclination building up to the introduction of King Kong. The post-adventure brings us back to New York, as our characters goes back to their lives and try to adjust what happened. Carl on the other hand tried to capitalize on it with the capture of King Kong that eventually wreak havoc to the city. Those who were put in the sidelines like Adrien Brody?s Jack Driscell was the hero who never give up on finding Ann was completely overshadowed by the main characters, but still provide a segment on trying to understand humanity even for King Kong. The effects are brilliantly displayed that provide a certain synergy to the theme of the movie from the giant insects, to dinosaurs and finally to King Kong was well done indeed. The science fiction of it was left out to the audience on why they grow so big. The good thing about this movie is that the anticipation was well anticipated and didn?t become Godzilla in essence but a true justification of the previous King Kong movie. The movie was well paced except for some certain dialogues not worthy in making it a 3 hours movie. Who is really the beast here is it King Kong or Man who tries to exploit everything. I really like the movie and hopefully you would enjoy it to.

Possibly the worst film in years - King Kong Reviews

This film really closes the book on Peter Jackson as a director-the movie is UNBELIEVABLE: unbelievably bad. The story has now gone to an overblown 3 hours of BS; CGI everywhere to cover up the fact that they have very little to show other than f/x. Jackson shows almost no respect for the original; he spends an incredible amount of time on useless backstory and the history of characters that have no role in the story. It takes over an HOUR to GET TO SKULL ISLAND. The sequence in New York? 20 minutes MAX. Devotees of LOST reruns will love this film; hours spent going nowhere. Fans of his "The Return of the King" film will also love it; instead of one Brontasaurus in the first movie, you get over six, (plus the obligatory Raptors that appear in ANY movie with a dinosaur these days), instead of one T-Rex, you get three! NOW how much would you pay for this movie? Jackson ought to throw in some Ginsu knives, as well. As this film drags on, and on, and on, you are left with the constant oneupsmanship of Jackson's version; apparently, more dinosaurs are better, regardless how stupid the "Dino pileup on interstate 80" scene is, or how laughable the "3 T-Rex Kung Fu Hustle with a Naomi Watts popsicle in one hand" scene might be. As far as the acting goes, Adrian Brody and Naomi Watts do the best with what they have to work with, but Jack Black is thouroughly bad. He can't act, and he can't even inject energy in the "Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World!" line. In a nutshell, this is a CGI f/x fest without any story, drama, or charm. Jackson spends an endless amount of time on fluff that doesn't add anything but boredom, and some of his "updates" are not only long, they are beyond belief. Instead of rowing a boat out to the ship to kidnap Ann Darrow, one islander POLE VAULTS accross several hundred yards of ocean with a 60 foot pole. Call the Olympics! Adrian Brody is covered by insects; no problem! Just unload a tommy gun at him-with your eyes closed!- and you'll kill all of the bugs on him-whithout hitting him! The audience in our theater was laughing hysterically, usually at all the wrong times. While many filmgoers will be facinated by the bright lights, shiny objects, loud bangs, and endless 'dino fu', this film is itself is the real monster, loud, obnoxious, taking you everywhere, and ending up nowhere.

Pretty ape, bad movie - King Kong Reviews

OK I have been reading the reviews and I think I have figured out what is different between what I saw in this movie and the others did. I thing the job at rendering and moving Kong was great. The Ape looked amazingly real. But, here is where I disconnect with the other side of the debate; there still needs to be a good movie around the pretty ape. This movie is almost exactly 1 hour and 22 min too long. The bloat is primarily on the back story of the human characters. Oddly omitted though was any back story on Kong himself. However we were made painfully aware of the back story of each of the people. I know that the director wants to make a movie, the writer wants to write a movie, and the actress is in the movie. This much is obvious by their merely being on the boat. Why did we need a 70 some odd min back story? Also there was a lot of repetition to the shots used in the movie. Normally this is not even noticeable but in over three hours such things don?t just repeat once but 5 or 7 times! I think the saddest thing about this is the number of special effects mistakes. Kong grows and shrinks by 10 feet randomly throughout the movie. There were a lot of compositing mistakes in which the live action looks to be sliding around on ice as the computer animated stuff rolls on.

Preposterous love story. - King Kong Reviews

I'm reading so many great reviews of this movie, I'm left wondering if I'm just crazy...but I could not get past the ridiculous love story between the woman and the ape. "Don't hurt the beast, he's only murdering hundreds of people in order to kidnap me! and I can respect that!" Are the apes attributes ones women look for in men? Also, I did not like most of the fighting scenes, especially when the dinosaurs were stampeding and quite a number of characters manage to avoid being smushed by the herd. Lastly, Jack Black does NOT work as the money-hording villian at all. -Merely what I thought of the movie

My children cryed, even after.... - King Kong Reviews

During the weekend I rented all the different King Kong movies I could find and watched them with my children an 8 yr. old daughter and a 12 yr. old boy, to get the excitement going about the new King Kong I thought for a moment I had spoiled the surprise for them... but after seeing King Kong today I'm glad I let them see the old ones first, this new movie is amazing.. talk about "beauty" thats exactly what this movie is. There was not a dry eye in the audience including myself I cant stop thinking about I didnt want it to end. thank you Peter Jackson!!! you made a boyhood dream of mine come true. There will never be a need to make another remake of this movie.

What!? - King Kong Reviews

Are you guys on Peter Jackson's payroll or something!? This movie was WAY too long and at times obnoxiously hokie. By the second hour I was ready to leave and forgo the havoc in New York. Had someone exerted a little self control in the editting room this movie COULD have been good. The ONLY thing that didn't appear in the movie was how they got King King on the ship which is shocking because I'm suprised Peter Jackson didn't catalogue each character going to the bathroom during the voyage, with all the film he wasted. Jack Black played the character he's played in all his movies, which didn't work well for this. The performance was neither dramatic nor comedic, just akward. The dinosaur scenes (outside of the T Rexes)should have been cut. Jurassic Park, back in '93 looked MUCH more believable. The stampede scene made me sick to my stomach at how fake it looked, beyond the mechanics being unbelievable. Humans with a 5 foot stride outrun a herd of brontosaurus with a 20 foot stride? I know some fanboys are going to bash me for this harsh review but before you write me off as a total cynic I do have a few good things to say: The cgi of King Kong, the ape looked amazing. 1920 era New York looked amazing. The characters Ann and Jack were played well. I'm not afraid to give credit where credit is due but editting and direction ruined this movie for me.

Jareds offical kong review: read this one! - King Kong Reviews

** SPOLIER WARNING** For those of you who live under a rock and don?t know the story of King Kong, do not read on. I suggest that you see the ORIGINAL 1933 film as soon as possible! Not only will you enjoy the film that much more, but you will understand many of the inside jokes, reasons for situations, and changes and revisions to the film for the 2005 version. If you like movies, and are considering seeing this film, please, read on.*** I am probably the biggest King Kong fan that you will ever meet. You might say that it might give the movie an unfair advantage to my scrutiny, but in fact it makes it that much more observed. Being such an avid movie watcher and fan of the original Kong, I expect the new movie to deliver on several levels. Let me say right up front, I have never been more satisfied with a film than I am at this moment. When I heard that a local radio station was giving away private screening tickets to King Kong nearly a week in advance, I knew I had to win them. I have never won anything on the radio in my life, and I also have never tried. I don?t care. Hell, I don?t even really listen to the radio. But this time it was different. This time I was determined. So I called, and I called, and I called. For five days, every chance I could get I called. And finally, I won four tickets to the movie I wanted to see so bad. If you have ever had the pleasure of seeing the original Merian Cooper film, you will understand the importance of this work with the history of film making. So many things were before their time, the effects and story, the acting and imagery. It?s a masterpiece of entertainment. Stepping out of Jackson?s version, I feel just as excited as the first time I ever saw Kong. The movie had my mouth wide open the entire film, packed full of amazing special effects, camera shots, cameos and special lines. Again, even basic knowledge of the original Kong will add to your enjoyment of this version. The film opens in 1933 New York. The depression has set in, and times are hard. We are introduced to the young and beautiful ?Anne?, played beautifully by Naomi Watts. Also introduced is Jack Blacks character, ?Carl Denham?. At first I didn?t think he could possibly fill Armstrong?s shoes, but boy was he cast great! Jackson knew EXACTLY what he was doing! Jack Black uses his tenacious powers to portray the perfect Carl Denham, determined, daring, brave, crazy, and mischievous. Of course Anne accepts the job to become a film star, and the ship sets sail to ?Skull Island?. The movie is all actors at this point. Jackson takes great time to build up the characters, explain what weapons they have on the ship, their concerns and weaknesses, etc. During the boat trip we also begin to build the love story between Ann and Jack. These scenes are artfully done, never boring, relevant and entertaining. Then of course, the ship comes to Skull Island in a very incredible ocean scene that has your mind going every which direction. You just getting a taste of the amazing special effects in the movie, its all a wild ride from here. The natives as you might remember in the original are silly looking, dancing African warriors. In this version, they are absolutely sick. The same effects that made the orks in Lord of the Rings look so evil are used on humans this time with amazing effect. The waste no time killing off the explorers one by one with spears and rocks. They are covered in dirt, skulls, blood, and all kinds of nastiness. They even use an amazing technique to capture Ann from the ship. Its so entertaining to see all this. Are first glimpse of Kong comes as Ann is strapped on the sacrificial alter, and its ABSOLUTLY AMAZING. They didn?t make Kong a monster, or a freak. They made him a huge silverback Gorilla. Don?t bother wondering how he got so large, obviously the locals got tired of wondering long ago and built the massive retaining wall that surround the island. Kong is just stunning. He moves like a gorilla, looks like a gorilla, acts like a gorilla, and has a sound that is 100% Kong. The movie is non-stop action at this point, Kong fights Dinosaurs, Bats, a Log, and Humans. The rescue team is plagued by an amazing brontosaurus stampede, a run-in with Kong, and the ridiculously creepy ?Bug Pit?. This scene was cut out of the 1933 version because it was thought to be ?Too Gross?. This is Jackson?s specialty! The creepy crawlies are like nothing you have ever seen on film. Be prepared to be icked out. When Kong finally has the showdown with the Tyrannosaurus, you know its time for action. But what the previews have not shown you is that he not only fights one, but THREE of them! Most of the fight occurs with ONE HAND, and Kong shows everyone why he is KING Kong. During this whole sequence you will have your jaw WIDE OPEN. Words cannot describe how incredibly well done this scene is. You may not be able to imagine a giant ape fighting a dinosaur, but this film will have you believing! Jackson puts so much more work into Kong?s character, that you begin to finally understand who he is. In his cave you can see the bones of other Kong?s, and its painfully obvious that he is the last of his kind. He old, fat, covered in scars and wounds from previous battles with the hundreds of deadly creatures on Skull Island, and he has never looked better! His fur, movements, actions and facial expressions are 100% believable. He moves just how you imagine a 25 foot Ape would. Of course, Kong is captured and returned to New York after a chloroform attack by Denham, who is now showing his ?true colors?. ?THE 8TH WONDER OF THE WORLD?. This sequence is especially entertaining, because of the references and amage of the original. When the curtain lifts, we see a captured, defeated Kong, given up on life. As the play rolls on around him, he could care less as surely his mind is only on Ann. Pay careful attention to the music and actors around Kong in the Scene. The music is the original score from the 1933 version, and the ?actor natives? are dressed exactly how the REAL natives in the 1933 version were! Amazing! Of course Kong breaks out, and tears up everything in the process, and once again we are treated to amazing cinematography, special effects and scenery. Ann finds Kong to console him, and now Kong is being tracked by the Army. Kong go?s on his way up the Empire State Building, but the rest as you would say is history. I love how much more damage Kong does to the airplanes in this version as well, much more Kong like! The ending is inevitable, but beautifully done with great acting by the whole cast. It?s a real tear jerker of an ending, not because we don?t all know what happens to Kong, but because of the character Kong was, and how much the audience cares for him at this point. The film ends on the same line as the original. So, I must say, in conclusion, GO SEE THIS MOVIE AS SOON AS YOU CAN. It is one of the absolute BEST movies I have EVER seen, and has the BEST special effects of any film EVER RELEASED. Its got something for everyone, and I know that you will enjoy it! Great job to Jackson for once again delivering a beautiful film for the world to enjoy! I?m so happy that I got to see it before everyone else! I will be seeing it several more times!

Not that great - King Kong Reviews

Reasons why I didn't like the movie: 1. The acting was boring to watch. 2. The plot was unbelievable. 3. The pacing was terribly slow. 4. It took an hour for the characters to reach Skull Island. 5. Characters were put in ridiculous situations and survived against impossible odds. 6. There is no emotional attachment to the characters. 7. You could care less if they died. 8. Character subplots are lame. 9. Character development is nowhere to be found. 10. The story is stupid. 11. Naomi Watts doesn't die. 12. The way Peter filmed the movie was annoying, so many fuzzy slow motion shots, it drives you crazy. Good aspects of the movie: 1. The graphics were pretty good. 2. The T-rex fight scene was fun to watch. 3. Next to that, the insect attack scene was sick. Overall, it wasn't worth the money and I could care less about seeing it again.

King kong-you are our legend!!!! - King Kong Reviews

???.. What can I say? I?ve just seen one of the GREATEST MOVIES in the history! I love this movie so much!!! King Kong, will be on top of HARRY PORTER and NARNIA as well as many other great films. The computer graphic is much better than HARRY PORTER, NARNIA, WAR OF THE WORLD, and STAR WAR ETC. Am I saying too loud? No, this movie deserved of what I?ve just said. This movie is divided into 3 parts. Manhattan, Skull Island, and Manhattan with King Kong. From the beginning, the movie started at the depression era of Manhattan. Aside from its well-created scenes and characters development as well as the story introduction, it was a fine 1-hour (some may feel boring because drama isn?t their favor). Once I?ve seen the computer-generalized scenes of the old epic Manhattan city, I knew immediate the rest of it would be great. The next hour, welcome to the enchanted skull island. Entering the world of full with chills, adventurous, and scary scenes. This is where the movie gets into high peaks. The fun begins. The natives in the island, was scarier than ghost (ok the director had a movie called dead alive in past! Go figure). The high walls, the jungle edge from the seaside, and the living place of the natives, all of these scenes are greatest. Now listen to this, it is just the beginning. Following up scenes, were the scenes I?d never seen them before in any other movies! A totally awesome experience that would make me screams ?AWESOME? out loud in theater. Sure everyone will expect some terrific actions and monsters. Well, the movie will gives you MORE THAN you expected! With its string of unexpected actions, it?s an hour of ?WOW, OH MY GOD, SCARY, JESUS ?? that makes your mind go into blank with its total new experience. This is where you will discover T-rexes and other creatures ? >>after u saw these scenes, you may think of Jurassic park was just for kids?!! Really, the T-Rexes and other dinosaurs look so damn real, and so scary and huge. Lots more than that, the dinosaurs chasing scenes are SPECTACULAR, SUPERB AND ON TOP. When u thinks each chasing scene it?s going to be over, you are wrong!!! Following up are included giant creatures all over the jungle chasing foods (human). 15 minutes battling scenes of T-rexes and King Kong, 15 minutes of King Kong battling with Giant Bats, 15 minutes of other dinosaurs chasing group of human, 15 minutes of scary giant insects killing humans, and these and that and other creepy creatures you?ve never seen before. All string up together. GO FIGURE. And the King Kong looks SO REAL, perhaps the TOP 1 in many other creature films in history. Ok ok, we all know how the story goes further. The final hour in NYC, with King Kong! Trust me, it will never let you down of what u expecting! Lets just jump it to the High tower. The fight scene between the airplanes and King Kong makes me screaming, ?I?m on high?. It means that they did a fine job making audiences feel like riding airplane in high hills or roller coaster (Spiderman will left behind!). (Absolutely WONDERFUL) King Kong>you see his sides of wild, love, jealous and hate?like human. They didn?t make king Kong looks like a toy, they made him REAL. I also want to say that Naomi Wyatt will compete the Oscar in this film. Between her and the KK, really makes my heart melt n my tears out. The remade of kk, the director did stick to the original KK and enhanced it with SPECTACULAR vision of unexpected actions as u?ve never seen before in your whole life, as well as the defined scripts plus the 21st century computer graphic technology. They did through all what they could to made this movie. There are lots more I want to tell you about this film. All I could say is, this film is well made, quality, and totally CLASSIC>it will exceed more than you want. $10 ticket? It deserved $100. Oh yeah, I?m definitely going back for this movie as well as pre-book the DVD. Final words: KK is top 3 in my history movies ranking. Those who opposed my reviews, or those who dislike this film, or or .. Those who don?t appreciate this kind of movie, JUST LEAVE ME ALONG. Because I know your rating is SUCKS. That?s all I want to say. So here you go my KING KONG! You are our legend!

Kong still remains king - King Kong Reviews

It will be sad to see this movie bomb in the box office. As much as I love this film with the same furiousity as the beast himself, I also know that this film will not be loved nearly as much by those who will see it after me. Some will complain about the running time. Others will find something wrong about the structure. And some will just not know what exactly they seen and not like it all the same. I know what it is. Peter Jackson's King Kong is 200,000 kilowatt jolt through the skull. He blindsides you with images and thoughts and feelings that when you leave, you have to take a moment and reflect. Making a decision about the film while watching it or just after seeing the film you will not realize that you got everything you expect from the film AND with second helpings. Scratch that...THIRDS. The story of a man, a woman, and an ape doesn't need to be described. You know the story already. What this version does is tweak it a little, give some emotional depth and give us a heroine who deserves not only our sympathy (she REALLY has it bad in all three versions), but our respect. Ann Darrow in this film is a survivor of the Depression. Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) is a physical performer when we meet her. She's starving, but likeable. When the theatre she works for goes belly up, she's offered a job doing burlesque. By fate or chance, she refuses and finds herself in the clutches of Carl Durham (Jack Black), rouge filmmaker and scoundrel. She expiriences a slight romance that evolves with her and Carl's screenwriter Jack Driscoll (Adrian Brody). When she is taken by Kong, she quickly assesses the situation and begins to survive. Only when she realizes that Kong doesn't mean to harm her that she finds a kindred spirit in the ape, a fellow survivor who uses brute strength where she uses cunning and quick reflexes. I love the scene where she realizes this and uses her street acrobatic skills to show Kong she's not afraid of him. That bond is really what this film is all about. The film really feels like a trilogy in itself. The initial scenes in New York and on the boat feels like a romantic comedy. The events on Skull Island feel like a completely different movie, mostly horror due to all the creepy crawly and big-teethed things around. When we go back to New York, it's almost entirely an action movie. But what binds all three "movies" inside the movie is the heart given by all the characters, real and CG alike. Even as Carl is greedy and almost vile, we see he doesn't mean any real harm. He just wants to be accepted by his peers. What he doesn't see is that he destroys everything he touches because he's not careful about what he does to others. But don't get me wrong, there are amazing sequences all the way around. While the first act doesn't have anything real exciting happening, the last two acts are almost entirely wall-to-wall. In fact, between dinosaur stampedes to fights in the vines to a brawl on the Empire State Building, we're talking serious sensory overload. Jackson sees this film like a runner sees a marathon. He'll give you time to catch your breath, but he won't stop moving to do it. That's probably why you need to give yourself some space after watching the film before making any decisions. But the real star of this film is Kong. When he's on camera, you feel his presence. You understand his primal need. He acts like an ape; brutal, irrational, and impulsive. Ann might be a kindred spirit to him, but she's also a prized possession. He wants to protect her the only way he knows how. Peter Jackson could have given us just a reheated plate of nostalgia in remaking Kong. Instead, he does something special, he gives us understanding of these characters. He gives us his vision of Kong, the one that's been in his head for thirty-something years. And some of those ideas even surpases the original in many ways. But he doesn't idolize Kong. He allows the ape to be an ape, nothing more, nothing less. True, a couple of special effect shots aren't up to snuff, but it did more right than wrong, a WAY lot more. But still, this film will tank. I hope I'm wrong but American audiances aren't interested in such complete wastes of time such as character development or complete flights of ingenuity. Yes, it is long, but works. When people ask me about this remake, I always stated that the only way that it will succeed is if Jackson indulged on every fantasy he has with this story. Even I didn't know he had THIS many fantasies. All in all, can I recommend this to everybody? No. You have to be patient with this film to get what it plans to offer. Just prepare to come a little light, because this film is the equivelent of a five-course-meal. And dinner is served.

A universal masterpiece! beautifully done! - King Kong Reviews

The movie was really good! It's a three hour movie, but it doesn't drag of the flow of a good story line. It reminded me of Goonies (old school), Indiana Jones, and Jurassic Park all rolled into one big fantastic movie. There's human sized insects, dinosaurs, people getting crushed, man, it's just too much to talk about. It's a movie packed with drama, action, suspense, comedy, and Naomi Watts... yum! She was looking good throughout especially when she wore her nice silky dresses! Overall a good movie! Check it out, you'll definitely enjoy it!

Kong is king of the big screen - King Kong Reviews

I just got back from a midnight show of "King Kong", it's about 3:30 am, and I can't sleep! Wow! That's really all I can say. What an awesome movie. It's scary when it needs to be, it's funny when it needs to be, it doesn't miss a beat, the story is classic, and it's got great visuals to boot! There are so many things about this film that are worth mentioning, it's hard to get it all down in a review. It truely is something you need to witness for yourself. Words can barely discribe it. "Kong" may not be the best film of the year, but it is by far the most fun, and one of the most exciting!