REVIEW: King Kong (2005)

God, I love monster movies.  I know that as a critic, that might sound a little silly since a lot of monster movies tend to end up in B-level cheesy movies, but man, when it's done right, it's done right! And lately, I've had giant monsters on my mind because....they're awesome.  I don't know.  All I know is that I've been wanting to review a big monster movie, and I had a lot of votes in a poll for Godzilla, and Jurassic Park.  They're on the way.  I promise.  But I'm kinda unsure how to start those reviews, so for a little inspiration, I went to King Kong.

Everyone knows the name King Kong, he's undoubtedly one of the most famous giant monsters out there in the film world.  He's big, he's strong, and he's one of America's most famous movie characters, his 1933 film rightfully preserved in the AFI's Hall of Fame.  And he was the first giant monster that I was introduced to outside the realms of dinosaurs, and rancors of Star Wars.  He easily became one of my favorite monsters I've ever had the pleasure of watching.  But as I grew up, I began to realize just how weak his franchise was.  I'm not kidding either, for such a strong film to come out of 1933, the other Kong films can be terrible.  The sequel to King Kong fell flat, the 1976 remake failed to capture any of the majesty of the creature, and its sequel was atrocious!  Even Toho didn't fully capture what made King Kong so great, when it pitted the iconic monster up against the legendary Godzilla.  Then Peter Jackson entered the picture.  So what was the result?

His remake of King Kong in 2005 was just...beautiful.  I fully mean that too.  It's about time that we got another quality movie in the Kong franchise.  Now that isn't to say it is without flaws, because there are flaws, but as far as overall quality, it not only matches the legendary status of the 1933 classic, in some ways...it can surpass it.  And I recently saw the original 1933 classic again.  Despite being outdated for the times, it still holds up, it still works, and it still has the ability to make your heart race.  A film from 1933 able to do that has earned it's place among history.  But despite this 2005 remake being just as good, it needs to be said that this remake is a very different movie than the 1933 film.

Where the 1933 film was mainly meant as a fun horror survival story, this movie digs deeper.  We all know that King Kong develops feelings of affection for the pretty Ann Darrow, but in 1933, that's about it.  Ann never looked at Kong as anything more than a monster.  Constantly screaming for her life.  Here, Ann's character is further developed, and the emotional bonds that are shared between both beast and beauty are seen.  Heck, there are times in the movie that you can pretty much understand what Kong is saying, or implying through body language, or the sounds he makes.  But Ann's character isn't the only one who's strengthened.  Nearly every character from the original story has been given a bigger backstory, or changed in some way shape or form.  Jack Driscoll is not longer the first mate as he was in 1933, he's been downplayed to a more normal guy role as a play writer.  Unfortunately, this can lead to some rather dull moments from him, but I see what they were going for. Carl Denham, played strangely, yet near flawlessly by Jack Black, is much more anxious about getting his film done, and has a bit of an extremist personality, wanting to finish his film, no matter the price.  It can be said that this kinda leads his character to have a bit of a Jurassic Park antagonist look (where he believes he's in full control until nature runs out of his control), but it's still very well done.  But the character development ironically leads to the first fault of this film.

The characters are developed wonderfully, but it ultimately leads to many subplots, and many relationships and backgrounds that go nowhere.  There are two characters on the ship, the first mate Benjamin and a younger member of the crew named Jimmy who share a bond, almost like father and son.  Benjamin shows legit concern and care for Jimmy, who is rebellious, and headstrong.  Eager for adventure.  They get into this background for Jimmy but the thing is, the subplot is not really present in the film, and though you can see the pain Jimmy goes through after Benjamin is brutally killed, there's not much that is discovered about Jimmy as a person, yet the film can focus a lot on him.  But once Kong is captured, he and the rest of the surviving crew are never seen or mentioned again.  

This also leads to the second fault of the film, and the biggest complaint the film receives, the length.  At three hours and twenty minutes (extended), King Kong's running time is no joke, and there is a lot of material I feel that could have easily been cut.  Nearly an hour into the film, we are still watching the boat crossing the seas towards Skull Island.  And even after the action has been going or is picking up, there are so many awkward camera shots and whatnot that just didn't need to be there.  Awkward and unnecessary slow motion shots, choppy editing, particularly during the scenes with the Skull Island Natives.  And another scene that was lovely to watch, but just didn't need to be there was a sequence in New York, where Kong and Ann reunite, and share a little moment on a frozen lake.  I'm sure it's very fun for Kong who has never been on ice before, but it was a decently drawn out scene, that could have at the very least been cut down (and I can also say that it is one of the few scenes where the CGI does stand out in the wrong way).

But honestly, these are just minor gripings from me.  Because the film easily makes up for such shortcomings. Despite it being long, we are given a gorgeous, and very well played out visual of Skull Island, which is crawling with life, from the large majesty of Kong himself, to the stunning and well played evolved survivors of the Dinosaur ages, to a breathtaking and well done recreation of the infamous Spider Pit sequence, which was taken from the original film.  Skull Island hasn't looked so great on screen since 1933, and back then it was an impressive place to show.  The stop motion of the dinosaurs by WIlllis O'Brien is flawless, and at times even scary!  Jackson's well executed CGI visuals give the place a new life.  The iconic fight between Kong and the T-Rex has been revamped immensely, now a fight between what is called a Vastatosaurus Rex, which is basically the Tyrannosaurus Rex, after about 65 million years of evolution.  And he doesn't just fight one, he takes on three of them!  But what's awesome about this is the fact that it's not just trying to outdo the original.  In fact, many movements, and lines of dialogue in this movie are mirrored or echoed from the 1933 film.  This fight may add more, but it doesn't take away anything from the original.  It just does its own thing, while paying homage to the original as Kong kills the third V-Rex, snapping the jaw like the original, and letting out that roar of victory, as he did back in 1933.  

And of course, we gotta talk about the climax.  Kong's final fight atop the Empire State Building is a scene that is legendary all on its own.  And why wouldn't it be?  Back in 33, the Empire State Building had only been open about two years, so with Kong fighting on top of back then, the world's tallest building, the suspense must have been beyond dramatic.  The thing is, I feel that the climax of 1933 was a bit rushed, again probably due to the fact that it was a horror movie in its day.  Here, the climax bides its time, and it's actually quite emotional to watch.  When Kong reaches the top, he has this look of despair, as if he knows what's coming.  You can tell him possibly thinking of home, possibly thinking of how he has no clue where he is, and how Ann is the only one who might understand what he's going through as he watches his final sunrise.  And as all this is going on, it's interrupted by the sound of the engines of war planes...and you just get chills down your spine at the sight of them.

What follows is some of the most well played monster against human combat I've ever seen.  Some might call it a bit over the top, but you can just see it happening in such a way, that it's not at all bothersome.  In fact, you cannot look away. And with the bonds that both Ann and Kong share, you feel a legitimate pain as Kong is killed right before your eyes.  It's not you rooting for the planes to save Ann, you'll find yourself cheering each time Kong is successful in downing a plane.  And it makes the scene all the more sad to watch, because you know how the story ends. Beauty kills the beast.

With all this being said, I'm honestly surprised it gets the dirt that it gets.  Do I wish it were shorter?  In some places...yes.  But there are scenes even in the extended edition that I feel shouldn't have been removed, and as I said...as long as it is, when the action picks up, it really picks up, and has you hooked.  Any frustration that I personally feel when watching this film is just erased.  The casting is great, the environments, from Skull Island to a poverty stricken New York City, are beautiful.  And the story, as good as I remember, and about as good as it gets.  It goes to show that the legacy of King Kong is far from dead, and that good things can still come from this franchise.

All this brings me to my final conclusion.  I am pleased to give Jackson's rendition of King Kong, a full four out of four stars.  Despite a few nitpickings, this film was successful in capturing Kong's former glory, and even adding glory of it's own.  It's not just a rehashing of the same story you know.  It can stand out on it's own at times, and just blow your mind with it's execution.  It's a monster movie I will enjoy time and time again.  But I won't lie, with a prequel now in the works, I am unsure if that glory can be matched, or captured again.  Especially since sequels have failed inthe past.  I won't jump to any conclusions, but until we see what this prequel, which is set on Skull Island (stoked about that) has in store for us, I will continue to watchi this and it's 1933 predecessor with high hopes.

Please feel free to request any movie for me to review down below.  Leave a comment on what your thoughts are of the film.  And as always, thanks for reading.

Final Verdict: 4/4