You know?? I was doing a little reflecting on this movie and noew that I think about it, another thing that bugged me about the FX in this movie for KONG that makes the 76 KONG FX MUCH BETTER were the Law of Physics in this movie.. KONG Running through the streets slamming cars and pulling the SPIDERMAN movie on the side of the building, PLUS, swinging on vines and being tangled in them with the T-Rexes(V-Rex is Lame.. What's Spielberg have the patent on the word T-Rex??) and the vines supported the weight of a 4 ton Gorilla plus the Rex monsters??? No way... Overall, your grade is worst then mine is and I will say it was a Good movie for a 1 time viewing, but forget about sitting through this again until the DVD comes out where I can fast forward through alot of nonsense..

I feel like I'm living in bizarro land, where people are happy with any fast moving bright pictures on a screen.

The physics were indeed crap and the foreground creatures looked like they were pasted in front of the background.

The FX in the original Kong were better because they matched the style and quality of the 1930's film technology - when a modern movie sets a standard of photo-realism, it has to be seamless, which the newest Kong comes nowhere near achieving...

there is only one aspect of the physics that annoyed me and nothing in this world can provide an excuse for it.

how they got kong ONTO the boat. thats it. argue all you want. it couldn't happen.

They radioed for a bigger boat (and more chloroform)...

And the fact that this was 3 hours and 8 Minutes long, that Jackson could've at least showed this aspect of the movie..

stop trolling.

the fact that AvP was only an hour and a half long, PA could have shown us something that didn't SUCK!

You should get AVP: The Unrated Edition.. Lot's more blood for an already Awesome movie..

lots more? there was none to begin with. anything would be an improvement.

WorldofKJ's forum sure is a crazy place.

...for boring old uninformed movie discussion, we can all just talk to our average real life friends and family.

But, if you want high end movie crazy talk, we all just keep comin' back to the (Wacky) World of KJ!

Really? Could have fooled me. There are only a handful of reviews in this thread and one hell of a lot of garbage being spewed from 2 or 3 retards. I guess Jackson must have raped their mothers or something, because most of what they post is baseless shit.

So please, post your review.

*Sorry Double Post*

This is quite possibly the great action movie I have ever seen. With agruably the greatest action scene of all time. When Kong is fighting the 3 T-Rex's it is truly awe inspiring. The fight is so well done on the screen that the entire fight is amazing, not just one climactic part of it.

Anyway, things I liked about the movie...

Stampede Scene - People who say this looks fake don't know what they are talking about. PJ wasn't trying to give us dinosaurs that look exactly like Jurassic Park. He gave us dinosaurs where their scariest features are engorged. Teeth on the T-Rex and Raptors (assuming that is what they were). And I think it is about freaking time that a director realizes that just because the opponent is a dinosaur, doesn't mean they are invincible. In every single one of the JP movies, the Raptors (which are basically human sized) are never touched by humans. You telling me one raptor is going to wipe out 10 humans just because the humans don't have weapons. I'm glad PJ finally showed that humans aren't just weak beings. The scene itself was so fast paced that I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. It wasn't too unrealistic because plenty of their party got squashed or eaten or fell to their death. The only part of the scene I didn't like was that raptors were chasing Brachiasaraus's (or however you spell it). You telling me a 90 foot creature is afraid of a 6 foot creature (I know PJ showed them jumping up and grabbing one by the neck, but if they didn't run into the canyon that would have been impossible anyway). Overall this scene was amazing, and I couldn't have asked for anything more.

Native Appearance Scene - When all of a sudden the natives start attacking the crew I felt right there. Terrified. I mean I could totally understand the situation. You go to an island that you think is deserted. All of a sudden you are fighting for your life (and almost surely to your death) as these native come out of no where and start killing your friends. I would be terrified in their situation and I was terrified of what was going to happen in the movie. Great scene, really well done.

Insect Scene - Only problem I have with this is that I find it hard to believe that they only had one flare. Other than that this scene was amazing. The desperation of them first knowing that half of their party had just been killed by Kong (specifically the first mate, and the asian guy who asked for help but they couldn't get to in time) and then the pure despair of almost suredly being killed by man eating insects. The scene where the guy gets eaten head first by the leech was absolutely terrifying. Probably one of the scariest things I have seen since The Ring. The rescue was every bit as good. Coming out of no where, I definitly didn't expect it (I was expecting them to find another flare). Another great scene.

Kong with Ann Part I - When Kong start knocking her down and laughing I thought it was hysterical. Gorillas aren't stupid creatures, in fact they are some of the smartest in the world. Ann started at first terrified that Kong was going to kill her. When she realized that he was more intrigued with her and she started her comedy routine, all I could think of was that Kong was a perfect replication of how a Gorilla would act. Although their chemistry together was good and funny, the truly great part about this scene in my opinion is how accurate Kong is to a real gorilla (outside of being 25 feet tall and all).

Kong with Ann Part II - The sunset scene was an excellent scene. It showed that Kong was more than just a wild beast, but a semi intelligent being that had feelings. It was also a great way to have Kong and Ann grow together.

Kong with Ann Part III - The famous Central Park scene. This scene was incredible. Many people in the theatre were crying around me. Shows that Kong isn't just a raging monster. He would just spend time with Ann if he could, and he does in a great heartfelt scene, until the military ruins the party.

Kong on Empire State - The whole time you could feel that "this was the end." It took Kong a while (and a lot of wounds) before he took out just one of the planes. The feeling of Kong getting weaker, but still fighting for his life and Ann's was in my opinion even more heartfelt than the Park scene. I felt so bad for Kong. The chemistry between Kong and Ann reaches and all time high at this point, where you could tell that she truly loves the beast, and she is terrified that he is going to die.

Set up of Depression New York - Very well set up. Puts the story in context. Why would some girl go on a ship to no where? Well because she is a starving actress of course, and has no better options. Definitly needed, but could have been cut down by like 15 minutes.

A++

1) In the first scene where Ann is introduced she talks about how he is not eating, then says he is all she has left. That shows the connection, it is obvious that she will miss him if he is the only one she has. Personally I really liked the music at the beginning, the movie takes place in the 30s and just in case you don't know, that was movies reminiscent of music from the 30s.

2) First off remember that Ann LOVES his work. She already has a crush on him, and is embarrased about talking to someone else before they even met. Then they have 2 more scenes where they talk and Jack says she shouldn't be embarrased. And he watches her acting and obviously loves it, and Ann notices him watching her and it completely ruins the scene she was in. There were plenty of moments where they are shown falling for each other, you obviously were paying attention.

3) First off who says they are raptors? Secondly who says what Speilberg made the raptors look like in JP is what Raptors look like? Thirdly they didn't look fake at all, you are just used to the JP version of a raptor and since they didn't look like those you thought they were fake looking.

4) Ann develops her love for Kong WAY before he kills any humans. First they have the pushing scene, then he saves her life from 3 T-Rex's, and then they have the sunset scene. She doesn't see him kill anyone until the humans try to capture him.

5) Well how are they going to lure a dinosaur to the gate? They knew Kong would be coming, they had no way to get a dinosaur there first off. Secondly, im not sure what I would rather see a dinosaur or a HUGE gorilla.

6) True, as does 16 other white guys (and an asian). Don't see your point.

7) How does Kong get to New York? last time I checked they were on a 100+ foot boat. Doesn't seem that farfetched they they put him on it. Their relationship? What about it, on the way to the island she is acting for Carl at least 3 times, as well as the first intro scene on the boat. And she has at least 4-5 scenes with Jack. You just made up reasons to dislike this movie.

8) Well I guess this is your own personal preference since you don't explain why you don't like it. But I thought it was a very moving scene. It was the first time that Kong had ever experienced ice, and he was having fun. Don't see what was so bad about it. Oh and btw, the military didn't attack him until AFTER that scene.

King of the World

Peter Jackson's retelling of the classic 1933 film is many things. Imaginative, faithful, thrilling, over the top, tender, unrelenting, my hyperbole index has just exploded over the simple task of describing the film. Let’s try this again.

Peter Jackson’s retelling of classic 1933 film is bursting from the seams with heart and excitement. Like James Cameron’s Titanic, Jackson uses state of the art technology as a tool, something to supplement the larger tale being told. Never once did I feel as if I was witnessing hollow spectacle. Even the much ballyhooed V-Rex showdown was in reality, about more than special efects. King Kong spends a third of its 3 hour running time setting up NYC during the Great Depression and the look and feel of the period is immaculate. It is at this point that the film reveals to the audience its wild card and boy is it ever wild. Jack Black, known to many as the lead singer of Tenacious D and star of School of Rock does his best to fit in as Carl Denhem, a director desperate for fame and fortune. And though he tries his best and at times actually shines, the casting of Black was a risk that ultimately didn’t pay off. Jack Black aside, the rest of the cast is quite spectacular. Naomi Watts’ portrayal of the beautiful struggling actress Ann Darrow is played with so much conviction that for a brief moment, you wonder if she’s really in a film about a giant ape and an island full of monsters. Adrian Brody’s Jack Driscoll is a welcome relief from stereotypes. He’s not your typical leading man, he’s a bit off center, but his eyes convey a certain puppy dog charm. The chemistry between Ann and Jack is palatable and with haste but alas, there’s another fella vying for her attention.

There were some creative choices made that didn’t quite click with me and kept the film from being perfect. If you’re a fan of Peter Jackson pre-Lord of the Rings (Heavenly Creatures, Meet The Feebles, Braindead), you’ll notice a return to days past. I struggled with finding a word to describe it. Cheesy came to mind but that’s not giving credit where credit is due and Kong is anything but cheesy. But then it came to me. Whimsical. These moments of quirkiness are Jackson’s trademark and I understand his desire to include them, he’s earned the right. They just didn’t work for me. Not here. Not for Kong. Thankfully, they almost completely disappeared once the crew reached Skull Island. Taking the Skull island section of the film as a whole, it’s the single most impressive piece of filmmaking I’ve ever seen. If I was to find fault in any part, it would be in the use of slow-mo during the initial attack on the film crew by the natives. But that’s a personal issue. And really, when your film runs 3 hours, the last thing you need is slo-mo.

There are moments on Skull Island that defy the rules of filmmaking. Kong is shown in all his glory during daylight hours (night is often used to mask CGI). Action sequences are shown without the aide of cutaways. The spider pit sequence in particular is so opulent, it’s sure to ruin any arachnophobe’s day. Kong is the world’s first fully realized CGI character (sorry Gollum). He occupies his space, demands respect from his co-actors, and hits all his marks like a seasoned pro. When Kong captures Ann, what could have been hackneyed in a lesser filmmaker’s hands, develops into a stunning reversal of fortune for both characters. Kong’s interest is peaked when Ann finds a clever way to avoid being torn to pieces. It’s comical, it’s heartwarming and most important, it fits perfectly in the context of the story. The film hits an early emotional peak with his capture. Kong reaching out for Ann as he begins to succumb to the power of the chloroform will be remembered for generations to come. It’s devastating.

The final act of Kong takes us back to NYC. We all know what’s in store, and how it will happen to the smallest detail, so there’s really no need to go over it here. The film wisely adds a trip to Central Park for Ann and Kong before his death and I challenge anyone not to be moved by their ice frolic. When they finally reach the Empire State Building, the two share a sunrise. It was perhaps one tender moment too many for me but its potency wasn’t completely lost on my weary heart. They say beauty killed the beast. But it was love that doomed him. And it's Peter Jackson’s love for the tale that makes King Kong an absolute delight.

A

So not the best of the year, Loyal?

No, not in a year with Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, A History of Violence, and some stellar documentaries.

My biggest criticism of the film is Jack Black and that idiotic slo-mo. Both kept it from being a perfect experience.

Am I being overly critical Lect?

BTW, Im watching it again tomorrow and Tuesday.

It just dawned on me that there are people here who saw Kong and Narnia and thought Narnia was a better film

Fair, fair words! theres some classic herd mentality going on here at KJ at the minute....



(with BKB being far from the worst in this regard! amazing!)

Very well done loyalfromlondon! the one hopes he has similar reactions come Monday night... if you could, how would you sum up the overall tone of the film? (there have been comparisons to Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park etc)

There's definitely two tones to King Kong. Again, everything pre-Skull Island seemed whimsy. The acting, the music cues, the framing of shots.

The rest of Kong however was the ultimate adventure film. Would I compare it to Spielberg's best in the genre? PJ and Steven have vastly different styles IMO. Outside of dinos, Jurassic Park and King Kong aren't similar at all.

Oh God, that slo-mo was the worst art of the movie! I mean, why on earth do I need a slo-mo of Adrein Brody typing the words "Skull Island" it came across as either pretentious ("look how I can have cool cinematography!") or idiotic. That was one of the couple of minor reasons why I stick with my A and not an A+ as well.

Surpisingly, I was fine with Jack Black, I think he pulled it off very well.

Had Kong been under the control of a lesser filmmaker, Black would have sunk the film.

Those eyebrows. He definitely didn't give off a Depression Era vibe to me.

I waited for him to launch into a Tenacious D song.

Overall, Jackson's casting choices have been rather...weird? I mean Adrien Brody for a love interest/action hero?