Ahmed has NEVER showed ANY bias towards this film, which is something I can't say about most other people, so just back off him... Just because he's been excited to see this doesn't mean he's a fanboy... ala YOU with Mr. Anderson/Boll

Warning: Possible spoilers. Don't say I didn't warn you.

The ship is steaming across the ocean. It has become a dark night, and plenty of fog has settled down blinding all those on the ship. There are no stars in the sky. Light, tense music is playing in the background. You hear the sounds of waves, and sudden blow horns sound from the boat startlingly us. All faces are glued out to the ocean. What lies ahead? “A wall! A wall ahead!”

This is the final scene of the trip to Skull Island in the film King Kong, with this scene and the native scenes perfectly showcasing Jackson’s horror roots. There are certain moments in this film where the tension is very high, and the music, the mood and cinematography all set the tone. The Heart of Darkness book (a novella by Joseph Conrad, which was adapted in fact into a film by Francis Ford Coppola called Apocalypse Now) which is being read by Jimmy foreshadows the danger that is to come, and personally added to the creepiness, as I am a huge fan of the novella and movie.

It is interesting for me how complaints talk about how the first part of the film is slow, because a lot of my favourite scenes are in fact in New York and on the ship. Depression era New York is absolutely beautifully constructed, and the costume work here is also dazzling. The greatest part of this first act was the character development, something that is a must for me. Moments on the ship that I found particularly enjoyable were the moment between Carl and Jack down in the cargo area of the ship (when Jack is speaking to Carl through the cage bars – this is quite amusing), the scenes where Carl is shooting his film, and the ultimately daunting and moody final scenes on the ship before they hit the island.

On to the first, and probably the most talked about actor in this film: Jack Black. It takes a while to get used to his very Welles-like characterization, and there are certain scenes that just do not work with him, however there are scenes that are spot on, specifically the scenes in New York. Here, the character is in his element, and Black encapsulates the charm, wit, greed, selfishness of the character. It is back in New York after the events on Skull Island when we realize just how despicable this guy is. Jack Black’s devilish grin during the fame and photographs remind us how much we really hate him. He didn’t care about the 17 lives lost, he never did care about rescuing Ann. He only did care about shooting his film; and when his eyes tear over losing the film he shot (and not the lives he lost), he turns to using Ann to lure Kong to the outside of the island to capture him.

The relationship between Ann and Jack is quickly handled, but still handled well. There are many touches of the development of their relationship. There are the first moments that are awkward for the two. There is one first scene when they meet and Ann mistakes another person as Driscoll, and in another where Jack awkwardly tries to compliment Ann on her way back to her cabin. Soon their relationship interplays throughout as Denham is shooting his film on deck. It is seen that Ann inspires Jack to write his play, and she herself is distracted when Jack is by the shoot. When the ship hits the island, Jack tenderly supports Ann as she is knocked off her feet. When Ann is startled in the small boat, she quickly grabs Jacks hand for comfort. And the only person who ever has the courage to save Ann from Kong is Jack.

This leads me to Adrien Brody, who doesn’t fit the action hero look, but this is the perfect move. We learn later on in the film that it isn’t looks that determines the hero, but the bravery and courage that Jack exemplifies. His character is contrasted to Hayes, the actor in Carl Denham’s film, who is supposed to play the lead male hero and who has the typical boyish-handsome good looks, but when it is time to be the real life hero, Hayes is a coward and runs away.

And Naomi Watts deserves an Oscar nomination for her sensational performance as Ann Darrow. She is moving, emotional, and perfectly naïve. Her character is the easiest to identify immediately, and it is through her to Kong in which we feel the emotional impact of this film. There are three scenes in which I felt the sadness and the impact: the moment right after the final T-Rex is killed, the moment that Kong is captured, and of course the final, incredibly moving finale on top of the Emperor State Building; the one scene where I became teary-eyed. Naomi Watts is amazing at grieving. She has probably the most realistic looking crying I have seen in film, and the fact that a lot of this emotion had to be directed to blue screens is a testament to her acting abilities.

The most remarkable scene in terms of action and special effects is the spider pit scene. Not only is it a creepy creature exhibition, but it felt like the ultimate test for survival. Carl, Jack and Lumpy the Cook (who is, in my opinion, one of the coolest characters in this film) are all being tortured by creatures, and as an audience member, I just felt it. It was hard to endure watching it. All of the females in the audience responded vocally to the creatures and critters in the film, particularly one between a critter and Ann.

As a whole, the special effects are exceptional, and this includes not only King Kong himself (who is amazingly real and I did not find one scene where he did not look real) and the rest of the CGI, but also the wonderfully crafted New York and models. The one glitch in the special effects in terms of CGI was the dinosaur stampede, which as many people have already pointed out, was obviously blue screen. This film deserves the Best Special Effects Oscar for King Kong alone.

One scene for me that will go down as one of the greatest scenes of all time is the Kong and Ann sliding on ice in Central Park. This scene was so moving and so innocent, and I personally loved it. Other parts of the film that I really enjoyed include Kong’s biggest roaring reaction when Ann is taken away from him on the island by Jack Driscoll; the amazing triple T-Rex action scene with Kong; the utterly adorable scene when Ann is entertaining Kong in order to save herself and Kong is mildly amused, and the most perfectly handled scene in the film: when Kong finally falls from the Empire State Building.

There are moments in this film that I don’t like, in particular a few awkward moments with Jack Black and some action scenes that are too long, but Jackson excels where it matters most: story and characters. It’s a big testament to this film when the action scenes are so amazing, yet I loved all character driven, non-action scenes just as much, if not more. As a whole, King Kong has emotional impact, and is a film that is at moments charming and fun, terrifying, awe-inducing, and totally moving - and in short, I loved it.

A

PEACE, Mike.

What a wonderful review. Thank you Mike!

Because that is when the tickets were booked for..and THE ONE is a FILM fan first and foremost..don't take everything so literally. Someone can defend a film without being a "fanboy" but that lable makes it easier for some to marginalise others so they don't have to present decent counter-arguments all that matters to the BLACK SUPERMAN is good films, and if Kong is great then he will be satisfied, a great boxoffice run is a distant 2nd

Well said, if anything the extreme (and mostly light-hearted) outbursts by the Great Black King were a direct reaction to BKB's (and other's ) INCESSANT trolling in a build-up/anticipation thread for the film.. The ONE was not the instigator, merely a challenger to ill-thought out rants

At first... I totally didn't care about your review Mike... so I skipped to the end and saw your grade... now I care

saw it tonight and luved it. i would give it an A if it wasn't for the sucky first hour.
once they got to the island it got better.

KK get's a B

Kong get's an A for acting. he was the best part of the film.

That's right. I thinking about upgrading Kong to an A-. The second half was just too good. And the ice-skating scene may is my favorite scene of any movie 05.

9.7 Million Wed and 6.2 Million Thurs =

I'm pretty sure if "The Man" had made KONG, it probably would've opened higher and "The Man" Paul W.S Anderson would've been smart enough to simply release it on a Friday instead of Wed which was Jackson's mistake..

After claiming he supports Benny's assertion that there are hardly any reviews in this thread, Ahmed then goes on to post 7 more non-review comments in this "retarded garbage" heap of a thread...

Any negative reviews on the main site will mysteriously disappear into a shroud of fog.

Like when AVP finished with under 100 million.

Yeah but it only cost like 20 Million to make and anorher 10 Million to market which really didn't need a big marketing boost for 2 big name monsters in their respective franchises and the movie RULED.. It also made a killing on DVD.. At this rate, this is making more $$$ than KONG...

It cost $60 mil to make... $35 mil to market... it made only $80 mil... It lost $15 mil

Proof

BKB, what the hell are you talking about?

It cost $60 million to make and $35 million to market. It still made a lot of profit after international numbers and DVD sales, but don't try to swing the arguement your way with made up numbers.

Well, I know what isn't made up?? That's KONG'S Wed opening of 9.7 Million and Thurs total of 6.2 Million and a measely 14.2 Million for Friday which pretty much puts this movie at GODZILLA BOMB level..

Changing the subject is always a sign of realizing your stupidity.

Come on now Zingaling, no matter how much you are irritated, you're still a mod...don't go name calling route.

Zing is still human. Mods should not be inhuman. We already had that with Sean.


Anyway, I saw it again today and it is now clearly my #1 of the year. The action-packed scenes were a little less impressive and mind-blowing this time around, but the emotional impact hit me harder this time at the end than last time.


A/A+

Oh well, guess it doesn't matter even though I disagree with you Dr. Lack on insults wouldn't make him any less 'human'.

Just sad to see after that much people calling BKB names (might or might not be deserved) mods are there as well.

When someone tries to attack you, often you respond in turn, bradley you rubbish bastard


You are CONSTANTLY hijacking Kong threads so you have no room to speak here.


Now onwards with the reviews!

Yeah you wouldn't want the Jackson-bashing to stop anytime soon would you

Ofcourse I would!

He is a good friend of my Buddha, Mohammed, Jesus...George. And any friend of George is my friend.

That is, if they want to be my friends, which I doubt.



And that above had nothing to do with Peter!