From the all monster movies made in Hollywood - Nosferatu, Dracula, Frankenstein, Wolf man, Godzilla, and many more- 1933's King Kong was most thrilling, captivating, and easily identifiable creature in American culture. It had everything to attract viewers to theater – landmark vision, great story, monstrous beast, and luminous beauty. It was one of the top moneymakers of the 1930's and instantly became American iconic film, later sprung sequels - Son of Kong, King Kong Vs. Godzilla, and 1978 remake - King Kong.
In 2005, Lord of the Ring’s filmmaker Peter Jackson set out to fulfill his lifelong dream - to remake 1933's King Kong. According to him, 1933's King Kong is a masterpiece but outdated and 1978's King Kong is not what original was all about. Being big fan of King Kong, having written his own script, he persuaded many Hollywood studios unsuccessfully in mid 90s. After Lord of the rings worldwide success and basking in popularity as a visionary filmmaker, he fulfilled his dream to resurrect King Kong and final product is nothing but most complete King Kong saga ever landed on silver screen.
Story
In 1933, depression era New York, filmmaker Carl Denham (Jack Black) is looking for new leading lady for his latest epic to be filmed on remote Skull Island. He hires services of young and beautiful lady, Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts), a struggling actress who is looking for work and badly needs money to survive. They set out for mysterious Skull Island to do principal shooting for a new picture. On board she meets leading actor Bruce Baxter (Kyle Chandler) – Ann’s onscreen love interest, screenwriter Jack Driscoll (Adrian Brody) - Ann’s off screen love interest.
Once they reach destination, however, native warriors kidnap Ann as an offering to their god, Kong. However, instead of killing Ann, Kong initially intrigued by his blonde-haired captive, later falls in love with her, and becomes sole possessor and protector of her in island’s prehistoric tropical jungle. Meanwhile Jack, Carl, and a search party set off in pursuit for Ann. They encounter series of prehistoric creatures. Eventually, Jack rescues Ann away from Kong; Carl traps and captures Kong with chloroform, and brings him to the New York as 8th wonder of the world.
Weeks later, a live show opens in Manhattan with a chained Kong as the main attraction. Despite Carl's best precautions, Kong escapes, grabs Ann, wreaks havoc in the city, and climbs to the top of the empire state building. There, high atop New York’s tallest building, Kong fights a duel with a group of biplanes and meets his tragic death.
Analysis
Peter Jackson's King Kong is all about combining the best elements of the 1933 (basic story line) and 1976 (two way tender relationship between the girl and ape) with new heart-pounding computerized special effects and heart-wrenched emotional scenes. King Kong movies are always divided into three acts – Manhattan and basic story setup, Enchanted Skull Island, and Kong in Manhattan. Both movies allocated its running time roughly into three equal parts - Original King Kong was 100 minutes long, new version is whopping 187 minutes.
2005’s King Kong has a visionary screenplay. It takes around an hour to set up basic story line in the depression era of Manhattan. In fact, for many people, this is only part they might don’t like being slow but, first hour is all about a setup of basic story, characters development, and traveling on steamer. At the end of first hour, we have our first of many scary action sequences - streamer crashing into jagged rock of Island through the fog. Once we reach to enchanted skull island, real fun starts.
From now on next two hours, its one of the most jaw-dropping, eye-popping, and hair-curling ride you might ever witnessed. Skull Island itself is scary – foggy shoreline, jungle edge to the seaside, massive retaining wall around island, and hell like living place of the native tribe. Natives in the island covered in dirt, skulls, blood, and are scarier than devils. Once Ann sacrificed to Kong and search party leaves to setout to search Ann in interior of Skull Island of high mountains, haunting dark valleys, tall waterfalls, high-flooded rivers, tropical lush trees, you are in the middle of giant creatures endlessly perusing the humans. Most memorable from them are - dinosaurs stampede, showdown between three T-rexes and Kong, Kong throws search party into deep ravines, scary giant insects attacking on search party, Kong battling with giant bats, and Kong attempting to reclaim Ann. All of these sequences last for more than an hour and keeps you glued on seat. Last half an hour returns to Manhattan. Roller coaster ride continues into Manhattan when Kong breaks out from theater, chases Jack through narrow streets of downtown, ransacks the city, and climax scene on empire state building - battle between Kong and airplanes.
But, King Kong is not all about action sequences; there are more touching quite moments like Ann accepts Kong as her protector when she is trapped between Kong and dinosaur, Kong and Ann resting high on mountain and bonding together while watching sunset in Skull Island, and there is a movie’s most magical moment in Manhattan when innocent Kong slides on central park’s frozen pond along with Ann.
There are two things can go against this movie. First one is movie is too slow in first hour and will test viewer’s patience. Personally I think it was worth time setting up basic story. Second one is background music. Movies like King Kong needs thunderous background score. Instead of we get slow, haunting, low-key background score. Personally I wish there was evocative background score to match great special effects.
Peter Jackson's King Kong is brought alive by motion picture technology that was used for Gollum in Lord of the Rings, further played by same actor - Andy Serkis who played Gollum. Since 1933, King Kong came long way to the clay puppet to the man in monkey suit to computerized animated CGI creature. As King Kong's incarnation evolved over the period, its range of emotions, facial expressions, and body movements has improved a lot. 2005's King Kong looks as real as you can imagine and displays range of emotions almost like real ape, perhaps more.
Australian actress Naomi Watts as legendary film character Ann Darrow is mesmerizing beauty and perfect foil for giant gorilla. Her role requires not only physical stunts on blue screens but vast range of emotional expressions like horror, fear, love, and sympathy and she does it perfectly. Naomi Watts is one of the most stunningly beautiful actresses I have seen in recent times and no wonder - she is my current favorite.
As far as comparing 2005's King Kong with 1933's King Kong, 2005's film expands 1933's blueprint and turns its primitive dwelling into luxurious bungalow. Original King Kong had a tighter script with much more realistic story. But, Original king Kong’s stop-motion animation technology with Kong as clay puppet and tropical jungle as paintings looks outdated. Also, I personally liked 2005’s two-way relationship between Kong and Ann where Ann cares about Kong. 1933’s Ann was scared of Kong and only thing she does in last hour is scream.
Conclusion
Peter Jackson’s King Kong is a glorious action adventure and the most definitive King Kong movie ever made. It has best special effects to date, plus it points out to the man’s unappeasable approach to nature and cries out great message that mankind shouldn’t exploit nature, its inhabitants, and turn them into a product. It’s a modern classic and one shouldn’t miss.
