King Kong

Review by Michael Jaffe

Peter Jackson has been one of my film idols since I saw Dead Alive in 5th grade. Then I saw The Frighteners and loved his work even more, but then those Ring movies came out and my boy PJ went main stream and now everybody loves him. And after viewing King Kong, I think PJ loves himself too much as well. The light-handed approach that came with The Frighteners is all but completely lost in the 500 ton gorilla that is King Kong. While it is true that the previous versions of Kong, the 1930’s version and the 1970’s version with Jessica Lange, the films weren’t happy or funny, but they weren’t boring either and in this Kong the moments that took place before Skull Island, almost 45 minutes, were so boring that I was more focused on the jackasses in the row ahead of me and their conversation. While the film was boring for the first act, I couldn’t help but admit how glorious the film looked and the acting and the writing and everything was superbly done, but I couldn’t help but feel if it was necessary? Maybe it was all my anticipation to see Kong in action, but nevertheless I couldn’t help but wish that they would just get to the damn island.
Once they get on the island though, hot damn, the barrage of action never lets up and actually gets so intense that people, my mother for one, left the theatre during a massive and horrifically disturbing bug fight in a dark pit. The scenes with Kong are absolutely dazzling and so incredible that even if you wanted to, you can’t look away from the smooth, yet powerful beast. Since Kong is on screen for most of the second and third acts, the film after they get to the island is unbelievable. As for the humans in this film, Jack Black is appealingly sleazy as Carl Denham, the film director. Adrien Brody, academy award winner, is somewhat bland and run of the mill as the hero of the film. Naomi Watts, in the role immortalized by Fay Wray, is the blonde haired beauty who draws the affection of the beast and eventually his destruction. Ms. (Mrs.?) Watts delivers a performance that doesn’t move, but doesn’t disturb and distress either; it is a perfectly acceptable performance that doesn’t distract from the heart of the film: KONG!!!
Since this film is flawless visually and in almost every other aspect other than its pacing, I cant help but give it a good rating, but I also cant help but fell that it could’ve been so much more, not literally though as it is three and a half hours.
9/10