King Kong [2005]
The latest remake of the 1933 classic was directed by none other than Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings). Stars of the movie are Naomi Watts (The Ring) as Ann Darrow, Jack Black (The School of Rock) as Carl Denham, and Adrien Brody (The Pianist) as Jack Driscoll.
King Kong is, of course, an outrageous story set in the 1930s in which director Carl Denham tries to save his career by making a movie on an uncharted island. The uncharted island ends up being home to a giant gorilla dubbed King Kong who rules over natives, dinosaurs, and giant insects. The natives capture Ann Darrow and sacrifice her to the mighty Kong, who falls in love with her. Meanwhile, the crew of the ship sets out looking for Ann, especially Jack Driscoll, who has a love interest.
Peter Jackson managed to add an hour and a half to the original running time in 1933 (for a grand total of 187 minutes). Those of you looking for an in-your-face thriller might want to look elsewhere, or at least be absent for the first hour of the movie–you won’t see Kong anywhere! The thriller and drama aspects of the movie pick up in the 2nd hour upon the arrival on the island. Imagery and special effects on the island are very well done. In fact, the only thing that seemed too modern in the movie was the acting of Jack Black. But, I have no idea who else I would have cast in his roll. He does a pretty good job as the greedy, motivated Carl Denham.
The movie ends true-to-form in New York City with Denham’s classic line “it was beauty killed the beast.” Peter Jackson originally invited actress Fay Wray (from the original 1933 picture), to utter the lines (before she passed away).
My Rating: 4.25 out of 5
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