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!