Saw King Kong Today...

[Defshep]

I gotta let it soak in before I give a full review. It was long when it didn't need to be. Some of the effects were quite cheesy and, well, phony looking. Some of Kong, though, was absolutely breathtaking. I'll tell you more tomorrow, but right now my feeling is...disappointment. Gotta hit the hay for now. 3am comes awfully early!

[L.J.]

I gotta let it soak in before I give a full review. It was long when it didn't need to be. Some of the effects were quite cheesy and, well, phony looking. Some of Kong, though, was absolutely breathtaking. I'll tell you more tomorrow, but right now my feeling is...disappointment. Gotta hit the hay for now. 3am comes awfully early!

That doesn't sound good.

[Defshep]

Alright, after viewing Peter Jackson's King Kong yesterday, I can only put it into two categories - what works, and what doesn't. I'm not a reviewer, and this is just a movie lover (and Peter Jackson fan) giving you an honest opinion.

What Works:

NAOMI WATTS- First of all, this is a visually stunning film at times. Jackson's meticulous depiction of Great Depression-era New York is filled with sadness, angst, and hopelessness. Never did I feel like I was seeing a re-creation of 1930s NYC on a studio backlot. You are there. Naomi Watts is particularly convincing as a down on her luck, jobless Vaudeville performer. Her big, blue doe eyes make you wanna wrap your arms around her and say "it's gonna be okay", even though you know it really won't be. I really got into the story with Ann Darrow and her motivation to join Jack Black's Carl Denham on his mysterious cruise to seemingly nowhere. Watts' innocent portrayal of the actress completely sucks you in.
SKULL ISLAND- When we (finally) get to Kong's island home, it truly is fantastic. One non-stop action sequence after another for what seems like an hour. Giant bugs, a raptor / brontosaurus stampede (which goes on too long, but I'll get to that later), Kong's spectacularly paced battle with three t-rexes, even vampire bats. And, oh yes, the worms! Jackson tries to make sure you know how wonderful and dangerous Skull Island really is, and for the most part, he succeeds. It's also filled with homages to the 1933 original, including one scene where Kong makes sure the last of his tyrannosaur attackers is completely immobilized.
KONG IN THE BIG APPLE- Most of the effects work very well here. There is a particular sequence with Kong and Darrow playing on a frozen lake together - well, I got a lump in my throat. The climactic battle atop the Empire State Building is awe-inspiring, even beautiful at times.
THE APE AND ANN- You do feel a connection between the two, more so than either of the two previous incarnations of the story. There's plenty of motivation for Darrow's eventual attachment to Kong, and it's done with a sweetness that doesn't feel manipulated or forced.

What Doesn't Work:

JACK BLACK- I love this guy, but I can't decide if there's too much or not enough of him here. He seems...neutered.
ADRIEN BRODY- It seems like anybody could've been in this role. His character's relationship with Ann never seems to spark any interest. Of course, it's not supposed to. After all, it's about beauty and the beast, right? Even the '76 remake allowed for more chemistry between Driscoll and Darrow.
THE SUBPLOTS- Alot of time is spent on the ship, where we learn about the crew - maybe too much. We don't need to know a backstory on people who won't make it off Skull Island alive! Not much we learn in this looong sea journey comes in handy later on. Should've been a 20 minute boat ride.
CG!- Peter Jackson's Weta effects company shows it's still not quite in the league of Lucas' ILM or Cameron's Digital Domain. Where most of it works, some of the seams show in a very bad, B movie way. The first half of the raptor/bronto segment is very well done. When the interaction between the digitally created monsters and live actors intensifies, it just looks like the performers are acting against a green screen. This is what really took me out of the experience. Had the sequence been cut by a couple of minutes, it would have been great. Like much of the movie, though, it just turns into what seems to be a bunch of ideas constantly being added on just to try and up the ante. King Kong himself looks great, but it's not really much of an improvement over the beautifully digitized Mighty Joe Young a few years back. Some scenes between Ann & Kong just don't convince you that they're at the same place together.

I feel like I just ripped this movie to shreds. I honestly am not trying to. As a matter of fact, I'll see it again just to make sure I'm not misjudging it. Of course, opinions are subjective, and maybe I just expected too much. I would say see it, then share your thoughts. I hope I'm wrong. It's wierd, but i'm just sad now.

[Defshep]

Just saw on CNN where movie-goers were giving Kong almost unanimous thumbs up. So, there you go, don't take my word for it. I will be happy if it's a success for Jackson, because he is such a gifted filmmaker. I'm just upset that Kong didn't thrill me like I thought it would.

[GMichael]

Just saw on CNN where movie-goers were giving Kong almost unanimous thumbs up. So, there you go, don't take my word for it. I will be happy if it's a success for Jackson, because he is such a gifted filmmaker. I'm just upset that Kong didn't thrill me like I thought it would.

I have found over the years that, any movie the critics hate, I end up liking. Ditto for the reverse.

Thanks for the review. Sounds like it's worth seeing even though it may drag in a few places.
I look forward to this weekend when I'll have a chance to see it.

[L.J.]

I should be seeing it this weekend. Thanks for the heads up Def.

[Woochifer]

Wow, it seems like Kong did not fare as well as projected at the box office ("only" $50 million over the weekend, and $66 million to date), and the obituaries are already getting written. Kong seems like a very well done piece of filmmaking, but for whatever reason, I never really eagerly anticipated the movie. Not sure if I'm going to see it at the theaters, but it does seem to have decent word of mouth in its favor. And Batman Begins also performed below expectations on its first weekend, but wound up benefiting from very strong word of mouth and ended up taking in over $200 million at the box office.

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=1966&p=.htm

[Defshep]

[QUOTE=Woochifer] I never really eagerly anticipated the movie. Not sure if I'm going to see it at the theaters, but it does seem to have decent word of mouth in its favor. And Batman Begins also performed below expectations on its first weekend, but wound up benefiting from very strong word of mouth and ended up taking in over $200 million at the box office.

Same with Titanic, you know, the highest grossing film of all-time? I'm still gonna see it again while it's in theaters to give it another chance. I would like to see Kong beat Titanic, as it's a zillion times better than that piece of overblown garbage.

[robert393]

Saw it, loved it! Sure it had it's faults, i.e. some wasted character development of people that never make it off Shull Island, and some CG snafoo's, but all-in-all, it was well worth the "trip". Some pretty incredible CG too!

Tragic love story, and visually awe inspiring. Kong has never looked more breathtaking & spectacular..............

For all it's shortcomings (very few actually!), this is a movie I will be adding to the "A" list video library!

Robert

[eisforelectronic]

I enjoyed it. A well done movie, kinda took me back to when movies were more events than everyday entertainment. It was a bit long, but I think it felt shorter than it was, which is a good thing. I was most impressed with 2 things, Kong's fur and the well defined movement through the surround, mains, and center speakers. Thumbs up for Kong.

[Worf101]

It was a good film. Not a great film. I loved Kong, but the criticisms of the film written here are all valid. Jack Black is the miscasting of the Decade. The Carl Denham I know was a MAN, Black comes off as more of a shyster, Beltway lawyer than an adventurer. As for the writer, sheesh, their romance had all the heat of 3 day old Cheese Whiz. "Spark", not even a tingle of chemistry. When he was on the screen all I could think of was his huge, crooked schnozola. Man what a snot-locker on that dude. Makes Babs look like Jessica Alba...

Kong and his lady lover were magnificent and I enjoyed every second they were on the screen together. Their on-ice pas de deux in Cental Park was some of the most joyus celluloid I ever watched. It was great film making. Everyone else in this film we could have done without. I did enjoy all the sly references to the original film. From Jack Blacks cursing of Cooper stealing Fay Wray from him to the Kong Stage show that was lifted right from the original film. Those moments were amazing. All in all I give it a solid B.

Da "9.5 Wonder of the World" Worfster