king kong new

THE FLICK: Turns out, it wasn’t beauty that killed the beast, it was box-office expectations. Peter Jackson’s King Kong, the director’s labor of love and follow-up to his Lord of the Rings trilogy, was actually well-received by critics and brought in some sizable audiences, but its final theatrical take ($217 million in North America, $546 total worldwide) unfairly marred its reputation as the year’s 300-pound gorilla. It’s almost laughable for a film that made that much money to be labeled as only moderately successful (and even more pathetic to admit that box-office numbers supersede the quality of the film), but such is the sad state of Hollywood filmmaking. But don’t shed too many tears. After all, Hollywood filmmaking is what King Kong is all about. Jackson’s film embraces it like few others in the past decade. Fat with special effects (for which it earned an Oscar), bloated with marketing tie-ins (from videogames to Volkswagens), and besting the original film’s running time by a good hour-and-a-half, this is a remake that truly believes in doing everything bigger and better. That is even accomplishes half of what it set out to do is a testament to Jackson’s obvious enthusiasm for the material and his fanatical devotion to honoring Kong’s reputation as one of the crown jewels of Hollywood history. Hey, you can’t say that about Dino De Laurentiis. Forgoing stop-motion for digital effects, the Kong of 2005 is a much more dangerous figure than his wire-armature ancestor. Scarred and calloused, his face fits his disposition which is generally mean and ugly. And, unlike the original, he poses a legitimate threat to Ann (his human sacrifice and love interest played by Naomi Watts) whom he brutally manhandles and threatens to dash on the rocks, a fate which, as several skeletons prove, befell his previous visitors. In short, Jackson isn’t afraid to have his Kong scare the bejeebers out of anyone under the age of 13. It’s a brilliant move, telegraphed early on during the classic scene where shyster movie-director Carl Denham (Jack Black) and his crew first confront the villagers of Skull Island. At once the film turns ferocious and frightening, with the villagers taking on an air of menace akin to the misshapen Orcs from Jackson’s Rings trilogy. While it might be seen as a betrayal of trust to those expecting a safe Christmas blockbuster, it’s also a tremendous piece of filmmaking, catching everyone off guard. What follows is a series of effects-heavy showdowns between Kong and a variety of oversized monsters, each well-choreographed and cleverly executed (especially considering the aforementioned ’76 remake only pit Kong against one foe, a phony-looking rubber snake). In keeping with the “bigger and better” idea, Kong takes on not one T-Rex but three, not a single Pterodactyl but a swarm of giant bats. Only one sequence on the island significantly differs from the original and that’s the infamous “spider pit” scene in which Ann’s rescuers are beset upon by a horde of insects (reportedly written but never filmed for the ’33 version). But Jackson does find time to give Kong some heart. In fact, the airplane attack atop the Empire State Building generates even more excitement and empathy towards the big ape than any previous cinematic incarnation. Even if the 2005 version is a bit bloated (its first act needs some obvious cuts and the entire “Jimmy” sub-plot could be lost without missing a beat) and features more than a few false endings (a repeat of Return of the King), Jackson has achieved something that box-office numbers can never reveal – he’s brought new life to a classic and managed to keep its soul intact. THE FEATURES: Although for review purposes I was only provided the single-disc movie only version, this is one instance where I really don’t mind. Jackson has proven to be only too anxious to reveal the methods behind his filmmaking and uses the DVD format to its full potential. Meaning, even though there’s a 2-disc version available now with segments from the director’s Production Diaries and in-depth looks the creation of a Depression era NYC and the wildlife on Skull Island, it’s a good bet Universal will revisit King Kong if it sells well (duh!). For the time being, this edition serves me just fine. But am I excited about the super-deluxe-expanded (or perhaps condensed?) version Jackson has waiting in the wings? You bet Kong’s hairy ass I am!