From the moment the film begins to the moment it ends, "King Kong" takes the audience on a imaginative journey through lands based in both reality and fantasy. Set in the 1930s, this remake pays tribute to the classic version in both its style and subtle allusions. In fact, the director, "Lord of the Rings" master Peter Jackson, fills the movie with detailed symbolism in almost every shot. But it is not the throwback to the original film that makes this movie so great; it is the emotion and feeling of the movie that makes it another Jackson success.
"King Kong" tells the story of Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts), a starving actress of the depression whose goal is to act on stage. After the unfortunate closing of the theater that employs her, Darrow turns in despair to a burlesque show. As she stands outside contemplating her morals versus her need to eat, insane filmmaker Carl Denham (Jack Black) sees the perfect fit for the role in his latest movie. Thus begins Darrow's involvement in the project that will bring her close to death several times as well as bring her close to a beast she never could have imagined.
Although the name of the movie is King Kong, the real star of the film is Watts, whose breathtaking beauty shines throughout the film. As Black's character Denham says, "And lo, the beast looked upon the face of beauty. And it stayed its hand from killing. And from that day, it was as one dead." Kong becomes enthralled with Darrow, and in return, she becomes fascinated with her kidnapper/protector. Their relationship is the one aspect of the film that I was displeased with. While it was obvious that Kong loved her, it was unclear what her feelings were. True, she is afraid of him at their first meeting, but she grows to love him later in the film. What kind of love is this supposed to be? If it is romantic love, that leaves the romantic male lead of the film, Adrien Brody's Jack Driscoll, with little to do other than scramble for Darrow's affection. If it is a familial love, why is the scene with Kong and Darrow's date on the ice even in the film? I was thouroughly confused about their love, but not about the existence of it.
As I've mentioned before, Adrien Brody played the romantic male lead of the movie, Jack Driscoll, a playwright who "coincidentally" is Darrow's hero. Although I was sceptical of Brody's ability to be strong and handsome (due to his homely features), I was impressed by his ability to fill the role. Brody deftly slips from his masculine side to his sensitive side, tearing across the island one minute and consoling a boy over the loss of his friend the next. Black surprised me with his performance, as well. He explored new depths of his talent while maintaining the element of eccentricity that he is known and loved for. Pairing up with Black again is Colin Hanks, Tom Hanks' son, playing the nervous but loyal assistant to Denham. The duo works for the same reason it did in "Orange County;" Hanks subdued personality plays well off of Black's outrageous energy.
As always, Jackson's vision for the movie is clearly seen and expressed in the production design. Grant Major, who has been with Jackson since "Heavenly Creatures," beautifully executes the contrast between the grimy New York City and the untamed Skull Island. Although beautiful and noticeable at first, costumes, special effects, sound and set design fade away as the movie goes on. This may sound like an insult but really is a compliment; if I'm not focused on how bad something looks or how it doesn't fit in, I can enjoy the movie that much more. I feel it is necessary for me to give praise to how believable the dinosaurs loooked. They were so terrifyingly realistic, it made me say "Jurassic what?" Last in the list of mentionable production elements, despite a last-minute change during production, the music in the movie was quite moving thanks to the work of James Newton Howard. (Howard Shore, who was originally supposed to score the movie, parted ways because of creative differences with Jackson.)
Although the movie is a little over three hours long, it is enjoyable in every aspect, except for the need to stretch legs not being fulfilled. Jackson is a master of his craft, and with the support group he has built around himself, it feels as though he has claimed the title of King of Fantasy Films. For anyone who enjoys a love story, for anyone who enjoys action, for anyone who enjoy groundbreaking technology, or really for anyone who enjoys movies, I recommend this film.
