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Movie: King Kong
Director: Peter Jackson
Actors: Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Colin Hanks, Andy Serkis
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Peter Jackson was nine years old when he saw King Kong on TV. This moment changed his life and he decided that he wanted to become a filmmaker. Peter Jackson is one of the biggest fans of this 1933 monster movie and the director owns an impressive collection of King Kong memorabilia. His dream to remake King Kong began to take shape in the 90's. The script he wrote was more in the vein of a slick tongue-in-cheek adventure film but somehow the project was put on hold. After the success of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, he finally got the chance to remake his favorite film. Jackson wisely decided to rewrite his first script and change the tone into a more serious approach.
The story in a nutshell:
Filmmaker Carl Denham (Jack Black) tries to save his career and life. The Film Company wants to fire him but that doesn't stop Denham to finish his movie. With their money, crew and gear, the passionate Denham secretly organizes a boat trip to find Skull Island. The mysterious island should be the perfect location to shoot his film. Denham persuades the beautiful actress Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) and writer Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody) to join him on the production. Denham doesn't realize that the island's habitants are dangerous monsters.
King Kong is set in New York 1933. Peter Jackson phenomenally recreated the ol' NYC on film; the buildings, vehicles and of course, the amazing skyline that was formed by the Empire State Building. However, Skull Island is more stylized and was mostly shot on stage. This part of the movie feels more artificial than the rest of the film. Jackson does manage to capture the tone of the original version.
It takes a while before we get to see the big ape but when he finally enters the frame, the movie really shifts into high gear. From that moment on, the film becomes a hardcore monster flick with heart-pounding chases and very creepy creatures. The computer-generated King Kong looks very impressive and real. The monster not only moves Ann, but this creature also blew me away. Unfortunately, the quality of the rest of the special effects will differ from time to time. Some effects have sort of an unfinished look and could have done slightly better. But it all is forgiven after the stunning fight sequence of King Kong versus the T-Rex. The other climax is the legendary shots of King Kong on top of the Empire State building, being attacked by the little planes. This intense sequence with spectacular camera angles and p.o.v. puts you right in the middle of the action.
Peter Jackson finally realized his dream and he can look back with pride. King Kong is a wonderful adventure film, which transports you to another world for more than 3 hours, then throws you back in the theatre's seat, totally exhausted.
Written by Reggy 11/12/05
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