‘Kong’ has a right to beat his chest
Screenplay written by: Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh
Actors: Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Andy Serkis,
Thomas Kretschmann, Jamie Bell
Directed by: Peter Jackson (Also,
”
Lord of the Rings
”
trilogy)
Rated: PG-13 (Frightening adventure violence and some disturbing
images)
‘Kong’ has a right to beat his chest
Screenplay written by: Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh
Actors: Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Andy Serkis, Thomas Kretschmann, Jamie Bell
Directed by: Peter Jackson (Also, “Lord of the Rings” trilogy)
Rated: PG-13 (Frightening adventure violence and some disturbing images)
Flamboyant film producer/director Carl Denham (Jack Black) is desperate to leave depression ravaged New York for a far-eastern filming location just ahead of the studio’s hot pursuit of him for taking their script and actors after they have already pulled the plug on his movie. Denham has the rusty freighter pull quickly out of port with only a partially completed movie script, a questionable crew, a newly recruited size-six actress (Naomi Watts), and a famous scriptwriter stuck onboard (Adrien Brody). Only ego-driven Carl knows that their destination is actually to find the mysterious Skull Island that he has heard rumors about to film the adventure he hopes will bring back his film-making reputation. But when the ship crashes against the rocks of the strange island and they all go inland, they find themselves in a tropical Paleolithic jungle inhabited by dinosaurs and a cannibalistic tribe who barrier themselves from a monstrous gorilla that they worship and appease by performing sacrificial ceremonies.
He Said:
This is not your father’s or grandfather’s “King Kong” that haunted their boyhood dreams! The powerful soundtrack and state-of-the-art special effects alone would have been worth the price of admission even if the acting hadn’t been so good. Naomi Watts re-set the bar for all the femme-fatales of every King Kong movie that has been made or ever will be made, and her surrounding cast was so 30’s-era appropriate, from mannerisms off-set to overacting while the camera cranked. My main criticism of this film would be that Carl Denham’s back-story along with his narrow escape from the cops that his disgruntled studio sent after him took way too long. While the Skull Island scenery was magnificent and the tribe’s antics had my rapt attention, there was a lot of it before we actually saw the monstrous image of Kong. It made the movie a tad too long for me and I sure wouldn’t take kids to see it as the PG-13 rating is right-on for the nightmare factor. But all and all, I enjoyed this blockbuster, and I do mean blockbuster. The line was down the sidewalk and around the building the second time we tried to see it at the sold-out theater. It was worth the wait.
On the R&R Scale (1-10):
7 for script (Length of back-story made a good script less for it)
9 for direction (Monumental task done very well)
8 for acting (Naomi Watts was especially good)
8 for plot (Enriched the classic with more sensitivity)
8 for entertainment value
8.0 overall
She Said:
Wow! Not being a particular fan of hideous monsters and the angst of escalating dread for entertainment, I wasn’t looking so forward to “King Kong” despite all the pre-release publicity. To my surprise, I was completely enthralled by the direction that layered depression-era authenticity and Skull Island special effects with such consistent quality. The cinematography and computer enhanced scenes were as wonderful as Naomi’s acting, making this update of the film classic an incredible experience. It pulled off a “Jurassic Park”-like impact that managed to pay homage to the original while giving us a state-of-the-art film that had me feeling the desperation of the 1930s, recoiling in my seat often, and tearing compassionately for a writhing, wounded monster in the end. That was a tough combination to deliver and it was done so well.
On the R&R Scale (1-10)
9 for script (I liked the build up and enriching back-stories)
9 for direction (Great layering and cinematography)
8 for acting (Watts 9, others 7)
8 for plot (Re-crafted beautifully)
9 for entertainment value
8.6 overall
