King Kong (The One From 2005)

King Kong (2005)

Runtime: I saw the 200 minute extended version

Directed by: Peter Jackson

Starring: Jack Black, Naomi Watts, Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Andy Serkis

From: Universal

This is not as good as the original from 1933, which doesn't mean I don't think it's good. I try to explain it all below: 

As Kong: Skull Island will come out a month from today, this was the perfect time for me to see this motion picture for the first time since I saw it theatrically with a friend back in late 2005; I saw the extended 200 minute version. I did not think the movie needed to be even longer, but I was able to watch this in one sitting and not feel like I needed to take extended breaks, which is a compliment.

The plot: it's a remake of the original 1933 movie-which everyone knows-but it also has some elements from the '76 remake, the biggest being the relationship between Kong and Ann Darrow. I know it is a little wacky but it was still a nice relationship, and it goes with the whole “it was beauty killed the beast” thing. As this is over 3 hours long, plenty of time is spent getting to know the main players (and some of the supporting cast also) & there's a lot of time spent on Skull Island... maybe too much time, and maybe the action setpieces are too ridiculous, and maybe some of the characters should have been at the very least crippled for like with the way they are thrown about... that's modern blockbusters these days, and this movie is fun to watch, even if it falls into the trap of modern blockbusters of the characters not being as rich or in-depth as they probably should be.

All that said, this is still an entertaining movie; at least I thought so despite its epic length. I know this was the first movie that Peter Jackson fell in love with and it's been his favorite since he was a little kid; it being a passion project is obvious. While some of the CG did not look so hot at the time and it still doesn't look so great in 2017, a lot of it I can't carp about. There's a lot to see and a lot of it sure is pretty. While Skull Island is an obvious stunner, I personally would love to be in early 1930's New York City, at least based on how it was portrayed here... well, without the whole “Great Depression” thing, which the movie did show was a big deal. In addition, Andy Serkis does a swell job as both a minor character and the motion capture work he did as Kong. As others have stated, hopefully one day he gets recognized for his contributions by entities such as the Academy Awards.

While not a classic like the original, I'd rather watch this than plenty of modern blockbusters, whether a first time viewing or not.