Why I hate this movie:

1. The beginning with the stupid music. And all the sudden this old guy asks her out and then bam the next scene she cries about missing him. What the hell? I know what it's about but come on, did anyone really care?

2. The "love" story between Jack and Ann. First time they meet there is no connection then all the sudden he's writing her a poem ("It's obvious!" stupid line) and kissing her? What ever happened to CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT? Someone call Lucas or Coppola here!

3. The raptors look like they were from Pixar! The effects were half-assed and obviously fake. After The Lord of the Rings I expected non-stop near-realism. ILM > WETA or whatever it's called.

4. Anne actually cares about Kong who just killed what, 50500503 people? Holy shit!

5. Why bring back Kong when you can bring back those awesome Dinosaurs? Wow, a giant monkey? Pass. A big ass Dinosaur? HELL YEAH.

6. That black guy dies

7. There are so many unanswered questions (How did they get Kong to NYC? How was Anne's/Jack's/Carl's relationship on the boat? Did she try to avoid them? etc. etc.) Instead of what could've been more conflict we had to spend about 40 extra minutes in the beginning with talks about "boobies" and some other jibberish.

8. The ice skating scene.

And so many more things I hate about this movie that I won't even bother.

F

There were 2 good characters in the movie: the black guy who died and that actor "hero" guy.

Heh, this always troubled me. I'd think level of interest would be much higher to see dinosaurs than Kong...though, having not seen '33 or '05 versions, might be explained why they took Kong over them.

1. It's called character development... something Lucas doesn't know alot about obviously
2. There was alot of time in between them first meeting and the scene in her room where they kiss
3. You expect too much. You have to pick and choose what you want to look the best, it costs ALOT of money... thus why Kong looked AMAZING
4. He killed 6 people before they tried to capture him, and she cared for him because he SAVED HER LIFE
5. Dinosaurs are alot more dangerous, Kong was an easier target AND they didn't see any T-Rex's, only Ann did
6. The black guy dies in EVERY movie... even RoTS
7. I really didn't care how they got him there, they had a big boat with alot of space. And seeing how Ann acted on the way back might've just been odd
8. Kong likes to have fun with Ann, nothing wrong with that

There... I have debunked your whole review... now I demand you change it to an A+

I saw it last night. I'll have to write something about it when I get a chance to.

I'm ready for your A+ review... lay it on me!

not even a teaser on the verdict and I hope you include a detail of the +/- of Naomi Watts' performance - based on your early stance in the Oscar thread.

"This is one of the year's best films."
-- Roger Ebert, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

"Peter Jackson's King Kong is the most thrilling, soulful monster picture ever made. At last, it can be said without irony -- I laughed, I cried."
-- Jami Bernard, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

"One hundred eighty-seven minutes of mesmerization, astonishment, thrills, chills, spills, kills and ills, Peter Jackson's big monkey picture show is certainly the best popular entertainment of the year."
-- Stephen Hunter, WASHINGTON POST

"Most great movies are lucky to have a handful of moments to remember; King Kong has at least two dozen."
-- Lou Lumenick, NEW YORK POST

"They don't really make movies like this anymore; I don't know if they ever did."
-- Walter Chaw, FILM FREAK CENTRAL

I'm just going to come out and say it. I think that the Lord Of The Rings films are overrated. The first film in the series was an overlong and boring mess. The second was a definite improvement, but recieved much more praise than it deserved. By this point I didn't know what to expect from the third and final film in the trilogy. Could director Peter Jackson surprise me? Thankfully the third film delivered, easily the best film in the series by far. When I heard about Jackson directing a remake of the classic film King Kong, I was excited but skeptical. I really didn't want this to disappoint me. The trailers were exciting and promised a fantastic time, the cast was great and featured many talented thespians and the special effects looked amazing. I honestly didn't know what to expect. After viewing the film I can easily say that I was not disappointed. In fact, I was in awe. I had truly forgotten that films could be this good.

The film begins in New York during the Great Depression. Down-on-her-luck actress Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) has just lost her gig at a local theater and is desperate for work. Film director Carl Denham (Jack Black) is desperate for a leading lady for his new film. Through a chance encounter, the two meet and Ann reluctantly agrees to fill the position. Under the impression that she is going to Singapore to film on location, Ann boards a ship headed towards an unknown location - along with the film crew and screenwriter Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody). What they don't know, however, is that Carl is in search of the legendary Skull Island, a place thought to exist only in myth.

Aboard the ship, Ann quickly bonds with Jack and the two fall in love. The audience is also introduced to several supporting characters, including Carl's good-hearted assistant Preston (Colin Hanks), self-centered co-star Bruce Baxter (Kyle Chandler), the suspicious Captain Englehorn (Thomas Kretschmann), the crewmember and former military man Hayes (Evan Parke) and his protege Jimmy (Jamie Bell). This portion of the film allows for extensive character development and lets us into the lives of these individuals. This is one of the film's strong points because we really begin to feel for them.

The action really begins when they finally find Skull Island. After becoming trapped in a heavy fog, the ship crashes onto the rocks that surround the island, and Carl sees this as a perfect opportunity for exploration. The characters all walk around the seemingly deserted area before encountering a strange group of natives. They initially appear unthreatening, but it is quite obvious that they are hostile beings. They attack without mercy and eventually end up kidnapping Ann. Through an extensive ritual, they present her to "Kong," a massive 25-foot tall gorilla. Ann is initially terrified of the creature and will do anything to get away. But after he saves her life numerous times, she begins to see that he is indeed a good-hearted creature. Meanwhile, Jack and the others are risking their lives looking for Ann - while Carl deviously plans something sinister.

One has to give credit to director Peter Jackson for creating one of the most realistic worlds ever. The setting of 1933 New York is perfectly recreated with every last detail looking incredibly accurate. The shots at the island itself are amazing to behold, with visuals that are truly hard to forget. Finally, the climax is one of the most intense sequences of the year. The scene on the Empire State Building feels completely real, which adds greatly to the effect. It is obvious that he put a lot of hard work in this film, and it shows. This is easily the best directorial work of any film this year.

The acting is great. Naomi Watts gives one of the year's best performances as Ann. She makes her character really likable and sympathetic, and most of all realistic. This is one of the reasons that you completely buy her relationship with the computer-animated Kong. Most of the scenes between the two characters involve little to no dialogue, yet they come off as some of the most effective and touching of any film this year. Credit also has to be given to Andy Serkis, who provided the movements for the computer-animated Kong. At a point in this film, it doesn't even feel like you are watching a CGI creature. The performance actually comes off as incredibly powerful and you will easily sympathize with the massive creature.

Comedian Jack Black steps out of his comfort zone here by taking on a role that requires comedy, drama and action. He does a brilliant job and really shows his versatility here. He goes through so many emotions as the character and really makes the role his own. I've never been a fan of Adrien Brody, but I thought he was great here and I liked his character a lot. Both Colin Hanks and Jamie Bell aren't given a whole lot to do, but both do a good job overall and create memorable characters.

The visual effects and action sequences here are simply amazing. Something that surprised me was that a lot of the film was quite creepy. The natives on the island were absolutely chilling. A mixture of ancient warrior, inbred human and prehistoric creature, they will definitely be hard to forget. The bug sequence was really creepy and hard to watch. The dinosaur scenes are absolutely brilliant and are some of the film's highlights. But some of the best footage comes from the final act. It is intense, touching, beautiful and effective all at once.

I loved every minute of KING KONG. Although it clocked in at over three hours, it didn't feel like it to me. I was so engrossed in the great story, the amazing direction and the wonderful special effects that I never wanted it to end. Easily the best film of 2005, without question. In fact, KING KONG is one of the best films in years. Do not miss this instant classic.

10/10 (A+)

I love your reviews!

Thank you!

Still gathering my thoughts right now. Definitley one of the best of the year and a huge improvement over the crapfest in '76. Solid A.

As did I.

Originally I wasn't going to reply but:

1. That wasn't character development. For example who was that old man? The owner of that place? Man no character development at all. All the sudden he just leaves her and BAM *cue emotion music* Lucas knows tons about character development.
2. Yes but that's not enough. It just... well just happens.
3. Kong looked super fake in New York (especially tied up). How come Spielberg's dinosaurs in Jurassic Park look 10000 times better when it came out 12 years ago? Spielberg here sets the standard for special effects and here Jackson comes and ruins it.
4. "He killed 6 people before they tried to capture him" - I thought Carl said 17? I guess he was exaggerating for story? You might be right though because it didn't seem like that much. And he saved her life - wow! He almost killed her and HE GOT HER INTO THE MESS. This is what I hate about Pulp Fiction; Butch basically gets Marcellus raped yet Marcellus leaves him alone? Dumb.

Anne was a stupid character. "Oh, please don't kill him! I am obviously more important than these 4,000,000 (or however many people lived in NYC in 1933)!"

5. What about the T-Rex's? What about those huge brontosaurses? Why not more exploring?

And I think it may be a little safer; what's worse, a T-Rex (or what they call: V-Rex) or an angry monkey with human like characteristics (meaning it can throw everything around, easily escape chains, etc. etc.)?

6. I said THAT black guy - not saying all black people.

7. But would it have been odd as seeing Jack write a play out of nowhere for Anne then kissing her for no reason?

8. It was still lame. Kong is getting the hell shot out of him then all the sudden the ice skating scene? LAME.

F -

King Kong is academy award winning filmmaker Peter Jackson's followup to his Lord of the Rings trilogy, the highly anticipated remake of the classic film about a giant monkey that shocked audiences and blazed a trail for filmmakers in the special effects department in 1933. One of the first big popcorn type movies.

Of course, this isn't the first time King Kong has been remade, as the 1976 version starring Jeff Bridges, a young and hot Jessica Lange, and the World Trade center in it's first featured role in the movies proceeded it. The 76 remake is not without it's charms, but could never eclispe the original.

Peter Jackson's new 3 hour and 7 minute version is quite ambitious, but it doesn't reach the classic level, and some of it's flaws keep it away from what could have been. I think it was brilliant of PJ to make it a period piece, as modern day forces could restrain Kong from ever breaking free, and if he did, it would be over quick for him. The casting of Naomi Watts was great, as she is excellent reprising the role that Fay Wray will always be immoralized by. Though not an Oscar type of performance, she holds the screen well. Kong as a character was the real star for me, as his emotion came through fine. My favorite scene in the movie was when Kong would knock her over and laugh about it as he played with his new toy. By the end, I believed in both of their characters and how they felt for eachother.

Unfortunately, the same came be said about the relationship with Adrien Brody. Their relationship was incredibly forced, and instead of trying to introduce meaningless characters who were pretty one dimension and uninteresting, this relationship should have been built. He had the time to do it, but focused too much on the boring crew members. I also feel that Brody was not a good choice for Jack Driskel, as he didn't embody the dash and leading man looks that the character would have benefitted from onscreen. Jack Black was probably the weakest cast member, as he looked far too tense in the eyes. He wasn't horrible, but not quite as strong of a screen presence as the role needed to be.

The beginning also wasn't horrible, just not anything great. Jackson tried to stuff too much into it, and focused on the meaningless characters far too often, but it had it's moments. The natives on Skull Island were creepy, and the film took off after they got there. I felt the way they had the ONE native kidnap Ann was kinda dumb compared to the other two versions, and I believe the 76 remake handled the native scene where Ann is sacrificed to Kong best, but Jackson did it effectively. The action is great that follows, though I think too many wow moments are stuffed into it, and the stampede was cringe inducing, as you could tell it was green screen, and it was impossible from a physics standpoint for any of them to survive. The Raptors being added to the stampede was a bit much. It was very cheesy.

The final capture on Skull Island was a bit cheesy too, as Kong had just taken multiple bites from the T-Rex's, but was brought to his knees by a harpoon. The harpoon thing was a little weak. I didn't mind that they didn't show the trip home, as I think it's easy enough to figure that out for yourself, so that's not anything that I see as a complaint.

I thought the 3rd act was very well done, and I really wish that the rest of the film would have been as flawless as it was. The final look that Kong gives Ann is touching, as he knew it would be over soon and that he was trapped. It was genuinely touching. All in all, King Kong is really good popcorn entertainment, despite some stilted performances and cheesy dialogue and sequences. Check your brain and the door and enjoy the show. Suspend a little disbelief. It's a classic and beloved story that's competently done for modern audiences, though the flaws keep it from being a classic itself. I did buy the new Kong DVD today that Peter Jackson put out, and I am glad to have a filmmaker like Jackson in the game. Looking forward to his next film.



B+ or B

BE MORE DECISIVE!

WUSS!

Here we go again

1. The old man wasn't for his OWN character development, it was for Ann... he was a father figure... which Kong replaces...
2. You've obviously never heard of love at first sight, the DAY I met my 2nd girlfriend, we kissed
3. That's your own personal opinion, keep it... cry about it when everyone tells you your wrong
4. I don't think Carl ever said a number, I think he said many. And no, Kong didn't get her into the mess... the natives did... and the crew on the ship, kinda. He never almost killed her
5. They NEVER saw the t-rex's... all of which died anyway. The brontosoraus were all too big and pretty much were all injured. And they weren't there to explore, infact, they were leaving when Ann got captured, and that is the ONLY reason they went back
6. I know you said THAT black guy... but he had to die... because in every movie... the black guy dies... even in this one
7. Again... Love at first sight
8. He was not shot at during the end of his rampage in New York, and when you see someone you love, in this case Ann, you forget about your anger.

Now, where's my A+

Chip, don't bother. Arguing with Star Wars is like arguing with a brick wall.

Can I argue with you then?!?!? Did you give Kong an A+?!?!? If not... list your reasons... I shall shoot them all down and make you realize how much of a fool you are

1. How do you know he was a father figure? Did he do anything fatherly? Is asking her to eat and hugging her "father figurely?"

2. Yes but this tries to be "deep" and all emotional ("Isn't it obvious?" for example). Especially with him writing a whole play for her! The love story was almost as unnecessary as Jack the character.

3. The raptors still look like stuff from Pixar to me. Spielberg's 1993 film was so much better (effects wise) than this turd of a "movie" (more like an endurance test).

4. No, he said 17. But that doesn't matter. The natives did yes but Kong is the one who brought her to the dinosaurs basically (but then she escaped, so I won't blame Kong really). But still, does she think her sorry ass is worth more than the millions living in New York?

5. Yes, but Carl didn't come up with the idea to get Kong until he thought about that AFTER he went on the island. Why not go with the crew, get a bigger ship (sell their house, and everything else) and bring back those awesome dinosaurs?

6. Not in every movie. Mace Windu HAD to die in ROTS because he was a Jedi so it was destiny. The black guy in this movie SHOULDN'T have died - it should've been his annoying friend!

7. No, more like "We need females to swoon over this movie because I am copying James Cameron's ideas!" but failed miserably. Why spend 6 hours GETTING to skull island when we could see something interesting like more Kong shows in NYC or more action scenes?

8. Anger? He was being SHOT AT. So I guess when the cops are after you, you will get your girlfriend and skate?

Hopefully you never get in trouble.

I haven't seen it yet, cracka.

But I'll argue one point with you...:



Deep Blue Sea. 'Nuff said.

He wasn't black. He just had a tan.

Mav, you're going to die when you read my review. I wrote it this morning but it hasn't been edited yet for the main site.

I struggled with the word cheesy but I eventually found the word I was looking for.

Didn't Samuel L. Jackson bite the dust in that movie?

I stopped taking Star Wars seriously after he dropped his BB grade from 11 out of 10 to an F---.

ok... I'm taking Zing's advice... mostly...

You're too in love with:

1. Action
2. Star Wars
3. Dinosaurs

Oh, and Zingy... Sam Jackson got EATEN in Deep Blue Sea...

Did we all forget LL Cool J?! He survived.