King Kong! (2005)

daveblackeye15 · December 14, 2005, 09:19:45 PM

What a blast that was!

Sure it's three hours but it went by quickly!

I'm not good with reviews so I'll keep it short. I loved the dinosaurs, I loved Kong, I love the Ann-Kong relationship. Anything I didn't really like I got use to it. Jackson put in many lovely homages to the original. Great island sites, greaty action, a good chunk of humor, plenty of drama and tragedy.

At long last we finally have another genuinely great Kong movie!

I still like the original more but this movie does some things better.

The eighteth wonder of the world!

Alan Smithee · December 15, 2005, 01:16:15 AM

I thought the movie was pretty good. I agree, the 3 hours went by pretty fast. Good acting, especially by Naomi Watts (she didn't seem like your run-of-the-mill Hollywood bimbo, here).

Some of the effects were stunning.

But all in all, the movie ain't the 8th Wonder of the World. The noisy action on Skull Island got tiring after awhile (as with the last 45 minutes of the movie).

One element of the movie that they skipped over that would've been interesting to see: getting Kong on the boat. How did he fit on that barge?

daveblackeye15 · December 15, 2005, 02:00:07 AM

I wasn't saying the movie alone was the 8th wonder, like saying that.

However if you watch several of the crappier Kong movies through out the week then this would feel like the 8th wonder.

It think it's excellent or at least very good.

Alan Smithee · December 15, 2005, 02:54:32 AM

It's definately a very good movie. Some of the humor was annoying, some of it was more subtle and witty.

But after things got going on Skull Island, the action never let up. The last 100 minutes of the movie was action packed.

On the downside, that native village looked too much like Mordor.

Anyone worried about this being a long movie, it's the fastest 3 hours you'll spend in a movie theatre.

daveblackeye15 · December 15, 2005, 03:54:09 AM

Oh yeah I thought the natives were pretty realistic. I mean they looked dirty! No hair dryers or make at that island that's for sure. Too bad we didn't see Kong rampage their villiage. Actually I don't think they had a villiage just rocks and caves to hide in.

The on thing I was worried about Alan, with the whole three hour thing is this: Bathroom breaks. Thankfully I had no problems there.

Deej · December 17, 2005, 02:30:50 AM

Yeah Dave, I dug it too! Speaking of homages, did you catch the bit about Fay and Cooper in the Taxi? How about the Sumatran Rat Monkey gag? I really, really love this flick...definitely for geeks like me!!

daveblackeye15 · December 17, 2005, 03:10:26 AM

*spoilers perhaps*

Deej, taxi part? I'm not sure. I do remember Dernham and his assistant mentioning that RKO with Cooper had already gotten an actriz that Dernham had wanted. I was surprised that my brother laughed at that since I didn't think he knew the name of the company that made the original.

Yes I caught the rat monkey and I pointed that out to my brother and we both laughed.

akiratubo · December 18, 2005, 03:26:07 AM

Very good movie overall.

Parts of it could have been excised or trimmed, particularly in the first segement in New York and the voyage.

The one thing totally bungled was the natives. They were more like the zombies in 28 Days Later than the natives from the original Kong. I see what Jackson was going for with them but I didn't like it at all. Like someone above said, it was too much like Mordor and the Orcs.

Skull Island and its monsters are, simply, first rate. Except for the bats, I could have done without them.

NOTE: There is a sequence where some characters fall into a canyon and encounter giant worms and insects that may be too intense for young or sensitive children, like that one poor kid in the theater I was in. But, that's why the movie is rated PG-13, I suppose.

Kong's rampage through New York is mostly good, except for the car chase. (Yo, Driscoll, try leading him AWAY from the crowds, ya schmuck.)

POSSIBLE SPOILER below

When Kong sat down near the top of the Empire State Building to watch the sunrise, I realized that he knew he was going to die. I cried.

Alan Smithee · December 18, 2005, 12:12:36 PM

Interesting that the movie hasn't been making a killing at the box office as many people predicted.

ulthar · December 18, 2005, 01:19:39 PM

It may never be a box office blockbuster, but who cares? Long term affection from loyal and new fans define a movie's greatness.

dean · December 18, 2005, 09:16:53 PM

Great film. I think because of it's running time many people may be put off initially. That King Kong, whilst popular, isn't exactly spine-tingling famous, is also perhaps a problem.

Though methinks once the ball gets rolling via word of mouth, many more people will go see it.

Anyway, I really enjoyed it. I posted before, but that got deleted, so I'll just go again!

Definitely a quicker three hours than Return of the King.

Special Effects, whilst not perfect, were pretty darn good for the most part. Kong looked great, and the way his face looked when changing emotions was great too.

Um, some slight spoilers:

Sure, there was perhaps one too many monster-moments, but I for one appreciated them, as it really built up the excitement. [the bats, whilst a little over the top, provided a good way for Ann and Jack to get the hell down a huge mountain in a short amount of time, thus avoiding all the bad creepy-crawlies in the jungle, and occupied Kong long enough to give them a good lead]

I still can hear the gasps and people squirming in the cinemas for the bug scenes, and whilst I can't be sure, I could swear that I heard someone gag.

And it was pretty sad: one of our group also cried twice in the film, and I can understand why.

Overall, a fantastic film. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and whilst some characters were a bit odd [Andy Serkis as a wierd chef was funny but also kind of silly really] overall everyone did a good job.

Go see it, if not for the fact that it has a giant monkey in it, and he beats on a heap of different monsters/objects.

daveblackeye15 · December 18, 2005, 10:37:31 PM

*slight spoiler*

A question concerning one of the creatures in the pit. Can any one tell what those odd worm/leech like creatures were? They had long suckers with sharp teeths and they ate the cook who was fighting them off the dead body of his friend Charlie with a machete.

Or were these made up?

I kind of liked the bats but I miss the pterandon even though I felt sorry for the original since it was so outclassed by Kong. Not much of a fair fight but that was one more dino to the mix.

dean · December 18, 2005, 10:44:17 PM

I just thought those bugs were leeches. And I must say that scene was fantastic!

akiratubo · December 20, 2005, 07:40:55 AM

Actually, I think they were supposed to be big worms. Not sure what kind they were based on but that "mouth" and teeth formation is shared by a number of carnivorous worms.

I tried to find some pictures on GIS and, just let me tell you, NEVER look up "worm mouth", "worm head", and especially not "worm face".

Amanda · December 20, 2005, 10:06:44 PM

I have to admit....I was thinking the same thing....how DID they fit him on that barge?

Overall, I loved this movie. I loved the original, hated the 70's (76?) remake, but was really looking forward to this one. I wasn't disappointed.

I have to also admit, I liked Jack Black in this. Most of the time, I can take him or leave him, but he was excellent as a slimy, money grubbing, gotta get his at any cost, movie man.