"King Kong (2005)" Talkback (Spoilers)

[Lord Dalek]

"The Eighth Wonder of the World"

​

Release Date: December 14, 2005
Studio: Universal/Wingnut
Director: Peter Jackson
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 (Digital Intermidiate)
Starring: Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Andy Serkis

Plot Summary: Set in the 1930s, this is the story of a group of explorers and documentary filmmakers who travel to the mysterious Skull Island (near Sumatra) to investigate legends of a giant gorilla named Kong. Once there, they discover that King Kong is a real creature, living in a massive jungle where creatures from prehistoric times have been protected and hidden for millions of years. As the explorers search for the great ape, their quest puts them up against both Kong and his dinosaur enemies. Ultimately, it is the attention of a beautiful human woman that soothes Kong long enough for him to be subdued by the explorers and shipped back to New York, where his bleak future involves being put on display in front of humans... but how long can even the mightiest shackles of man hold back an ape 25 feet tall?

COMMENTS?

LOTR director Peter Jackson's long awaited adaptation of the film that made him want to make films opens today after recieving some of the best reviews of the year.​

 

[Sharklady]

I'm planning to see this one.

And I'm already feeling sorry for poor ol' Kong.

 

[nowlight]

I liked it, wants the best movie that Ive seen before but it was ok. I think its more of a couples movie more then anything else.

 

[Strollymonster]

I was going to go see it tonight, but my car busted a tire on a turn on me...so the three hours I had reserved for Kong consisted of getting a tow truck to pick it up and drive it forty miles.

Yeah, so...seeing it tomorrow, I guess.

 

[Tapout]

Pretty good overall. The action sequences with Kong and the T-Rexes are freaking amazing. Everything else was well done, but dragged at points. I really don't think it needed to be three hours.

My one big gripe was with how they actually got Kong back to New York. I have no clue how they got him on the boat, or kept him secured and fed for the entire journey back to America. As long as the movie was, you'd think they could devote some time to that.

 

[Terminatah]

Pretty good overall. The action sequences with Kong and the T-Rexes are freaking amazing. Everything else was well done, but dragged at points. I really don't think it needed to be three hours.

My one big gripe was with how they actually got Kong back to New York. I have no clue how they got him on the boat, or kept him secured and fed for the entire journey back to America. As long as the movie was, you'd think they could devote some time to that.

Actually, that would have been quite irrelevant to the story and its significance. As long as they get him off the island, it really doesn't matter how. The story is about the characters.

I thought it was an amazing movie, worth every second of its running time.

-Terminatah

 

[Silly McGooses]

It only made $9 million for OD. Don't give me any of that "It's wednesday, of course it's not going to be huge" crap. Most people thought it would be at LEAST twice that, and major fan turnout was expected for midnight showings. The weekend should be impressive, but there's no way this isn't dissapointing to the execs.

 

[mookie75]

It only made $9 million for OD. Don't give me any of that "It's wednesday, of course it's not going to be huge" crap. Most people thought it would be at LEAST twice that, and major fan turnout was expected for midnight showings. The weekend should be impressive, but there's no way this isn't dissapointing to the execs.

Well, I know a major winter storm kept me from going on opening day. I probably wouldn't have anyway, but I'm sure that kept many people in my region out of the theaters. (Not that I'm making excuses for the poor opening day numbers.)

 

[Robin2099]

Well, I got back from seeing it opening night and thought that it was good, but not great.
Pros
-The cast was good, Naomi Watts is one of the pretiest women alive and she was great as Ann Darrow. Adrian Brody was good to, fitting the more realistic not a stud role, and Jack Black, once you get used to him not being Jack Black was fine.
-Kong was AMAZING! The work that went into the him was very impressive, and it looked very realisitc to the point that you almost expected him to burst out of the screen.
-The action scenes with Kong on Skull Island were handled very well and were easily the best use of CGI action that I've ever seen. The scene with the T-Rex's was fast and furious and kept you on the edge, as did the Brontosauraus stampede.
Cons:
-The movie was just way too long. The story is not really something which can be strecthed out to epic status. The original took 20 minutes to get to Skull Island and this one took an hour.
-I know that they were trying to humanize the crew of the ship but certain things could of been easily gotten rid of, like all the exchanges with Jimmy and lectures about him. It just seemed like it was a lame way to humanize everyone and I could of done without it.
-The love story part between Kong and Ann was played up almost to the point of being comical. Certain scenes should of been cut(like the ice skating one) and yes you feel bad for Kong, but eventually you almost half expect Naomi to kiss Kong. The entire time they were focusing on the love story, I had visions of the Simpsons Kong parody flashing in my head which was basically what that become.
Overall, Peter Jackson overstepped what he was capable of this time, and while he made a very good movie, it was nowhere near as great as it could of been. ***1/2

 

[Artimus Gigan]

I'd just like to point out a technicality:

Those are not Tyrannosaurus(T-Rex) on skull island but Venatosaurus Rex(V-Rex), they are decended from T-Rex according to the movie.

They are made specificly for this movie and are not a real therapod specie

 

[Strollymonster]

Was able to make it to the theater this time...

I've got to say, it's freakin' terrific. Peter Jackson pulled off another classic.

I'll edit in a few details later, but I didn't even notice the length...I was entranced every second. A definite must-see this year.

 

[Hatter]

Just got back from seeing it with my younger brother.

Wow... just... wow.

I finally understand why the original was so iconic... and this new film merely cements those images, instead of rewriting them. I will always carry the image of Kong perched triumphantly atop Empire State.

It took me a little while to get into it, as I tried to reconcile LOTR Jackson with '30s breadline Jackson, but I found the first act perfectly intruiging - not boring or slow at all. Hell, they could've made the entire film about Denham's Hollywood follies and I would've still paid to watch it. That said, it set up the rest of the film nicely.

The entire Skull Island portion makes this KING KONG one of the greatest screen adventures of recent memory. Just daring, bravura action with plenty of B-movie charm. Is there anything more fun than seeing a rugged fella punch a giant mosquito? That entire "Spider Pit" sequence was vintage Jackson, and you just know he loved making a huge flesh-worm eat Andy Serkis' brain.
One of my few complaints was that the various dinosaurs just didn't look real. It's more than a decade after JURASSIC PARK, and yet we haven't seen more photorealistic dinos since. I guess most of their effort went towards Kong himself, who was about 99 1/2 % pefect. I've never seen such amazing CG work. He never once looked out of place, or artificial. His fur, scars, eyes - all perfectly realistic.
The Kong vs. V-Rex fight is one of the two best action sequences in the film... or any film, for that matter. I thought he was just going to fight one, but a three-way match?! Badass. It was just brutal, but Kong definitely owned those dinos. You get the feeling that he does that a lot. And when they fell into the vines... well, that was some classic unexpected creativity.
What else? The islanders were creepy as all hell. I'm glad Jackson had the balls to portray them as savages, and not capitulate to political correctness and make them "misunderstood".
I liked most of the Venture crew... the captain was pretty much the classic pulp antihero.

I took a little while to get used to Kong himself... it was only when he protected Ann from the V-Rexes that we really got a sense of his character. It was so interesting watching him, because Serkis really integrated so many gorilla traits into his performance. He's somewhat mysterious, we don't always know what he's thinking. I also liked how Kong could switch between being the protagonist and antagonist very quickly - he'd have a tender scene with Ann, but then we'd remember that he is a 25-foot-tall wild, unpredictable gorilla who can break rocks with his bare hands. He wasn't totally docile. The soulfulness in his face and eyes... breathtaking. I felt that she was like a magical little sprite to him - he's used to the grunge of the jungle, but then this perfect white creature comes out of nowhere. He doesn't quite understand her, but she really does steal his heart.

I have to say that the last act, the return to Manhattan, started out as a little too rushed for my taste. I wanted to see Kong transported on the ship, some behind-the-scenes stuff with putting him on display. That said, everything about his ascent of the Empire State Building was simply perfect. The scene with Kong and Ann on the icy pond was one of the saddest, most bittersweet things I've ever seen. I haven't seen a movie that made me feel so strongly since... RETURN OF THE KING. It'll probably be even more affecting on the second viewing. the final action set piece is just about tied with the V-Rex fight, but also one of the best I've ever seen. Comparing it to the 1933 original is like comparing the NES Legend of Zelda to Ocarina of Time - the same, but remade in a truly definitive fashion. I really have no idea how they managed to do those flying shots of '33 New York. I was expecting one, maybe two money shots from that sequence, but almost every shot in that sequence was stunning! The lighting, the fly-by shots, the sense of balancing precariously at height... everything. Even if this never happened in real life, I still consider it a seminal part of the Empire State Building's history.

As for the actors... Adrien Brody transitioned pretty well from bookish writer to reluctant man-of-action, although his character felt rather useless after they returned to New York. Naomi Watts' role was rather understated, since a big part of it just consisted of silent interaction with Kong. She did a good job of conveying Ann's changing feelings towards the ape. Jack Black wasn't bad, although I'm not sure he's cut out for dramatic work. He did a good job with what he had, though.

I don't think I need to mention again that WETA's work has yet again raised the bar for the effects industry.

I thought James Newton Howard's score was quite good considering how little time he had to compose it, but it didn't mesh perfectly with the film as well as Shore's did with LOTR. There was a disconnect in many scenes between the score and what we were seeing on screen, and it was somewhat distracting.

Man... I have to see this again. I need to see the original again too, for tha matter. I hope this film has a nice long burn in theatres, while word-of-mouth spreads.
Peter Jackson and his crew have outdone themselves yet again. I thought this would just be a self-indulgent vanity picture on PJ's part, but he really poured everything into it. Any flaws are overshadowed by the sheer amount of breathtaking moments. There's nothing better than ending the year with another great Jackson film.

 

[Beyond Batman]

Walked in with no expectations and was pleasantly surprised. Two thumbs up from me.

 

[Scythemantis]

Oooh...there's a "spider pit scene!?" You guys all know that a pit of giant spiders was a sequence cut from the FIRST Kong movie, right? At the time, it was considered too horrific (how cute).

 

[Strollymonster]

Oooh...there's a "spider pit scene!?" You guys all know that a pit of giant spiders was a sequence cut from the FIRST Kong movie, right? At the time, it was considered too horrific (how cute).

It was by far the most "squirm-inducing" scene I've seen this year...heck, this millenium.

 

[RayChuang]

It only made $9 million for OD. Don't give me any of that "It's wednesday, of course it's not going to be huge" crap. Most people thought it would be at LEAST twice that, and major fan turnout was expected for midnight showings. The weekend should be impressive, but there's no way this isn't dissapointing to the execs.

In my humble opinion, I think these three factors are depressing revenues for King Kong:

1. This week is finals week for most colleges across the USA, so the 18-34 audience expected to see this film are too busy cramming for finals tests.

2. This week is also the week that most companies try to their their calendar-year work finished, mostly because the next two weeks end with Christmas and New Year's Day, which means a lot of employees are on vacation. That means most workers don't have time to watch King Kong on a weekday this week.

3. The huge wintry blast east of the Rocky Mountains is depressing movie box office revenues for all movies.

I expect a huge increase in revenues for King Kong this coming weekend and right through the end of 2005.

 

[DR.MID-NITE]

I can deal with a lot of gross things...But, that bug scene killed me.

Also, got that fear of heights feeling when he was on top of th Empire State Building.

 

[Brainiac]

I saw it opening day and overall, I really enjoyed myself.

PROS:
-The special effects were amazing (although the dinosaurs left a lot to be desired)
-Kong was wonderfully expressive
-I thought the acting was great across the boards--I really liked Naomi Watts and Jack Black in particular
-Every little homage to the original made me smile, from the original lines of dialogue to the theatrical piece shown in New York before Kong escapes
-The score was grand, epic, and everything the movie needed to be--and the fact that it was composed so quickly is pretty impressive
-Kong vs. V-Rex's! That scene alone had me on the edge of my seat the entire time.

KONGS (CONS--sorry, I couldn't help the pun):
-WAY too long. Seriously, I love King Kong, but Peter Jackson needs to learn to tell a concise story. I understand that Lord of the Rings was long because of the wealth of source material--but seriously, the original movie was less than half the length of this one. Granted, a lot was made up in order to make this more of a character piece, but honestly, so much could've been cut. The first thing that comes to mind is the awful Mr. Hayes/Jimmy subplot that went...nowhere.
-Kong and Ann's relationship felt forced. I felt like the movie tried to have heart and forced it when it wasn't quite there--the ice skating scene was just the final nail in the coffin in that respect.
-Not enough Carl Denhem (Jack Black): I felt like throughout the movie Jackson was painting this picture of a manic and obsessive director, to the point that he cared more about his film than his crew. Once we got to New York, his story was barely touched upon in favor of Kong/Ann 24/7. I wanted to see some closure for him.
-Some REALLY sloppy/expository dialogue, especially in the first half. It just stuck out terribly...and speakig of which...
-Fast motion/blur editing. This just made me cringe. The photography and editing of the movie was otherwise so beautful, that every time I saw this blurry/fast motion-y crap I think I physically shuddered. It just didn't complement the feel of the film. Worst was when Adrien Brody is seen typing the words SKULL ISLAND and it's just blurring like crazy. When I think of that kind of cutting, I think of bad TV re-enactments.

Verdict: I really DID like it. I just think that the length along with some of the dialogue and editing made what could have been a great movie into simply a good movie.

But this was very good movie. And despite its shortcomings, it was a worthy remake of Kong. Kudos to Peter Jackson.

-Brainiac

 

[g_UnIt_GaNsTa]

Wow.

What a great movie.

I loved it. I haven't seen any King Kong (except for the crappy '70's remake and the game) for a while now, and this hit the spot.

 

[Stewie]

We all want a monkee

They could have played the entire T-Rex sequence twice in a row. Just cut from when the last one is defeated right to where Ann sees the first one. It wouldn't have made sense, but it would have been awesome.
I don't care what they really are, they're T-Rexes.

I couldn't sit still during the Spider Pit scene. It'll be much easier to watch this again later when I can fast forward. Insects are not cool. It would have been anachronistic, but I kept hoping for some jets to swoop in and drop lots of Napalm. Lots of it. Kill Jack, kill Carl, even kill Tom Hank's son. Whatever it takes, just make everything burn. Or maybe have everyone armed with lasers. Like that last scene in Congo. Huh, more crazy apes.

It was pretty long, but I didn't think there was anything major that shouldhave been cut out. It wasn't Return of the King.

A number of times, I couldn't decide whether to wince or giggle when Kong threw some poor random blonde chick across Time Square, or when he was flinging sailors about on the island. That search for the right Ann is set for parody.

When Kong and Ann were watching the sunset (the first time), my lady friend remarked, "I want a monkee."

The casting was surprisingly solid. I've liked Jack Black (up until School of Rock), but was unsure of how he would be here. Even with just about every clunky piece of dialogue you could give one actor, he was just fine. Adrien Brody made me forget what a wierdo Adrien Brody is. Kyle Chandler was cool. Andy Serkis as Kong was great. Andy Serkis as half-pirate/half-sailor slug food guy was a joke. Naomi Watts was amazing. I could stare into her eyes all day.

One special effects complaint. Note to Peter Jackson: Putting someone in front of green screen doesn't always work. If you're going to do it that often, get better at it.

Oh yeah, the scene where Kong flips out because Ann hit him and said no. Was there a reference to that famous footage of a gorilla in a cage attacking a piece of luggage? I swear the movements were the same. I need to find that somewhere.

On the drive home I thought the obvious: I need to see the original. But all of a sudden I want to (again) see the 1976 version with Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange. Charles Grodin to the max!