Stephanie's Favourite Movies: King Kong
If anyone can do grandeur, it's Peter Jackson. I mean, it's the mastermind behind the LOTR films. He is the one that can make a true monster epic for our time, and King Kong is definitely that. Great effects, great acting, great story, just general greatness. Some say that it was too long, I say that you need that much time to tell the story. Some say Adrien Brody isn't hero material. I say that he did just fine.
The effects are simply wonderful, but you aren't there to admire the effects, the effects are there to tell the story. It's good that 3-D wasn't around then, so this could remain it's wonderful self without 3-D tainting it. Kong himself looked really realistic and all the creatures on skull island looked incredibly realistic as well. It actually looked like they were real and that the deaths of certain characters looked real.
The acting was pretty good too, especially in its three leads. Naomi Watts, Adrien Brody, and surprisingly Jack Black did quite well. Not that I don't like Jack Black, I would just assume that he wouldn't do well in a slightly more serious role like this. It's a definite welcome change from his normal roles, and I like it. Adrien and Naomi are both great actors unto themselves and had good chemistry and were a believable couple. As for the rest of the crew, I thought they were actually pretty good, especially Jimmy, and the mystery-shrouded Captain Hayes. They are also all good actors and they made for a great supporting cast for a great movie.
The story was really well done, and the "romance" (if that's what you can call it) between Ann and Kong as well as Ann and Jack really incorporates well into the story without overshadowing it or taking it over. The heart of the story is still the monster-epic, and it should definitely stay that way. Some people think that they spent too long on the boat. I disagree, but I can see where they're coming from. They're playing the rule of Jaws, where you wait an hour to show the monster, and I can definitely see how that could leave certain people impatient and waiting to see Kong, but you have to let the story roll in order to show the monster. That, unfortunately, involves spending some more time on the boat.
This is another case of CGI done right. This is a case of everything done right. Not to say that it's a perfect movie, but it's pretty damn close. If Peter Jackson didn't have delusions of grandeur, then some of the greatest fantasy films ever wouldn't exist, and that would be quite a shame.
If you haven't seen this movie, it's definitely worth a rental. Far from perfect, but far from horrible. I haven't seen the original, but after seeing this, i really want to. All in all, an unforgettable movie, one of my favourites of all time.
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