Kudos to Jackson for relying so heavily on quiet moments with his expressive CG character. Once again, excellent work, which is hardly surprising given what Jackson did with Gollum. The animators are the real stars here. I’d argue that the entire movie is driven by how well they capture that ineffable something you can see in a beloved animal’s eyes.
It helps that they cast someone as good as Naomi Watts. She really managed to lose herself, considering she must have been staring at a green screen most of the time. When Adrian Brody enters the picture, it’s oddly artificial in comparison. Which I guess works. We’re here to root for the ape anyway.
Jack Black, on the other hand, is far too much of a goofball. Maybe I’ve just seen him so much that it’s hard to divorce him from his persona. But I would have preferred someone with some gravitas. Instead, you get Jackson slowly dollying the camera in on Jack Black as he all but bugs out his eyes to indicate that he’s a veritable Ahab after his Great Black Ape. And all along I was dreading – rightly so – the last line. At least Jack Black is better than Charles Grodin in the 1970s King Kong.
Waaaay slow to start. It feels like it’s about an hour before they finally run into the orcs inhabiting Skull Island, but from then on, it’s really rolls. Lots of CG intensive set pieces that could get a tad overbearing, but worked. The “running of the Brontosauruses” was a great bit goof, the T Rex battle was like a cartoon ballet of peril, and Times Square looked great, all lit up like a candy shop to be smashed. The bug ravine sequence was actually pretty disturbing.
But in the end, it comes down to the quiet moments. All in all I really had a great time and I’m elated that Jackson has been freed up to move past the Lord of the Rings movies. King Kong deserves every penny of the $100+ million it’s going to make come Monday, and I hope they keep throwing as much money at Peter Jackson as he can spend.
No way I’m watching it in the theaters. Still haven’t watched any of the Lord of the Rings movies for that reason. I have to watch a movie in one sitting without being interrupted and three hours is about one hour to long for my ability to stand sitting on my couch. Back and legs start to hurt and I need to get up and move.
I’m with you. What possible justification could there be for a three hour monster movie?[/quote]
Wait until they release the “Extended Edition” on DVD. :shock:
No way I’m watching it in the theaters. Still haven’t watched any of the Lord of the Rings movies for that reason. I have to watch a movie in one sitting without being interrupted and three hours is about one hour to long for my ability to stand sitting on my couch. Back and legs start to hurt and I need to get up and move.[/quote]
Seriously…get over yourself. Pause the movie during a down scene and stretch a bit. Or walk around the room while it is running. It is your house. Or lie down and watch it from bed or a long couch. Are you saying you haven’t seen Gladiator either? Or any movie that is over 2 hours?
No way I’m watching it in the theaters. Still haven’t watched any of the Lord of the Rings movies for that reason. I have to watch a movie in one sitting without being interrupted and three hours is about one hour to long for my ability to stand sitting on my couch. Back and legs start to hurt and I need to get up and move.[/quote]
Seriously…get over yourself. Pause the movie during a down scene and stretch a bit. Or walk around the room while it is running. It is your house. Or lie down and watch it from bed or a long couch. Are you saying you haven’t seen Gladiator either? Or any movie that is over 2 hours?[/quote]
A paused movie is a ruined movie. I haven’t seen Gladiator either but I’m sure I’m not missing anything these.
I have a question about why this movie was made. It might be great, but why another remake of Kong? Obviously, I am a bit biased since I am not a Kong fan, but the same movie three times seems a bit much. Did Jackson just think the 70s remake was bad, and he wanted to recapture the magic of the original film?
Yeah, but you’re missing out on, say, Once Upon A Time In The West, or La Dolce Vita, or The Godfather Part II, to name three movies off the top of my head.
Hah! Wait until your physiology gets to my age. You’ll come to see the ability to pause a movie as one of the great developments of our technological age.
It was a dream of Jackson’s to make King Kong. He says it was the movie that drove him to become a filmmaker. Also, he tried making it a few years ago (8-10 I think) but couldn’t get the funding, which has obviously changed now after LotR made a billion dollars.
What about a movie where you have to change the discs? Do you not watch Lawrence of Arabia on DVD? Ghandi? I’m guessing you’re not a big fan of Shoah, then.
More to the point, which is more disturbing: physiologically being unable to sit down for more than two hours, or psychologically being unable to pause a movie without ruining it? You’re a delicate snowflake there, partner.
