King Kong (Widescreen Edition)
by Peter Jackson
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Adrien Brody, Colin Hanks, Jack Black, Naomi Watts, Thomas KretschmannDirector: Peter Jackson
Brand: UNI DIST CORP. (MCA)
Writer: Peter Jackson
Producer: Annette Wullems
Producer: Carolynne Cunningham
Writer: Edgar Wallace
Writer: Fran Walsh
Writer: Merian C. Cooper
Writer: Philippa Boyens
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 187 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-03-28
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Universal
Movie Reviews of King Kong (Widescreen Edition)
Movie Review: 'King Kong', Another Masterpiece From Jackson
Summary: 5 Stars
Well, I saw 'King Kong' tonight and it was brilliant. From the start the audience is kind of rushed into the roaring twenties with depictions of every stereotype one can imagine from that fascinating and influential era. Everything from the tolerance movement smashing booze bottles in the street, construction workers walking steel beams high atop sky scrapers to poor immigrants in New York City living in shanty towns scrounging for any morsel of food, no stone was left unturned in this aspect.
These are desperate times indeed and Peter Jackson the director makes sure that the viewers are fully conscious of this, which helps set up future plot elements of the film. Shortly after this, the audience is introduced to Ann Darrow, brought to life by in an extraordinary yet subtle performance by the enchanting actress Naomi Watts. Ann Darrow is throwing a Vaudevillesque show on Broadway in New York, stunning the patrons with fantastic feats of showmanship such as juggling, dancing, singing and most importantly a passion for her work. As most of her peers and fellow New Yorkers, despite her talent and love of the show, she's not getting paid and it's not easy to perform on an empty stomach. She receives some comfort from a fellow thespian, an older gentleman, who appears as somewhat of a mentor and provider of moral support. Merrily they go off to dinner, but their happiness is short lived. The very next day they are informed that they've been laid off, and their paychecks are as empty as their pockets. Grumbling and dissatisfaction aside, they quickly accept their downtrodden status and go about their lives, except for Ann who refuses to entirely give up her dreams. She pursues a few dead end roads, but it won't be long before she gets more than she bargained for.
In the mean time the film introduces Jack Black's excellent portrayal of Carl Denham, moving pictures director-extraordinaire, who is struggling with convincing Hollywood big shots of the merit of his animal footage depicting monkeys picking lice off each other. Perhaps needless to say, the producers are less than impressed with Denham's presentation and so a defensive backlash ensues against the funders of his endeavors. It doesn't go all too well, and so Carl and his assistant Preston, effectively portrayed by his former 'Orange County' co-star Colin Hanks, aka Tom Hanks' son, rush out of the building with all their movie reels and hastily plan what sounds like a ludicrous scheme to save whatever remains of their seemingly ill-fated movie dream.
Things are not as bad as they might seem, however, as Carl goes on his search for a fair maiden to portray the damsel in distress that he has in mind for his fantastical film which at this point is not much more than a twinkle in his crazy eyes. At first his search is fruitless, but before his feeling of futility sets in, he lays his wild-eyed gaze upon an angel of no lesser description, a beauty that illuminates her surroundings. His eyes are fixed and her aura captures his imagination, and he knows he has found the perfect woman for the part he has in mind for the biggest project of his life. He introduces himself in a charming way that only Jack Black can pull off, and invites her to a dinner, something which she would like to but simply cannot refuse. Luckily for Carl Denham she's starving, and so he convinces her, reluctantly, to join his voyage of uncertainty that's full of promise. The clincher for Ann is to work with a screen writer by the name of Jack Driscoll, who she happens to be a big admirer of.
What follows is a maddening journey that is foreshadowed by Ann's light step onto the boarding plank and her gentle touch of the bannister of the ship by the name of 'Venturer'. There are a couple of other foreshadowing elements as well that hint of impending doom, such as one of the shipmates reading the classic novel entitled 'Heart of Darkness'. Aboard the ship which Carl had essentially conned its captain into lending for his services, we meet another unfortunate soul who was fooled by the conniving Carl, and he is none other than the famous playwright Jack Driscoll. Without giving too much away, there's a romance that develops which continues throughout the film, along with some minor character development until they reach the island which Carl believes has all the answers to his woes. Carl basically shanghaied this ship so he could take his film crew and cast to an infamous, uncharted destination by the ominous name of 'Skull Island', which is another foreboding element of disasters to come.
Upon the arrival on the island after narrowly escaping a harrowing battle against the islands cliffs and the ocean's surf, the crew of the 'Venturer' quickly learn that there is nothing ordinary about this island, something most of them already suspected throughout their journey across the sea. The trials suffered by all on this remote and most hopeless of places are exhausting, not only by them but by the film's audience. Event after event, the pace is unrelenting, adreline rush inducing, only slowing down long enough to give the audience pause to catch their breath.
It's safe to assume at this point that everyone knows by the trailers that the special effects are truly stunning, well after watching the 3 hour movie it's even more amazing than most are led to believe by the short clips provided by the teasers. King Kong himself is as believable as any of the real life cast members. While the cast is magnificent, like Adrien Brody who does a convincing job as a geeky yet brave playwright/screenwriter, King Kong elicits a great deal of emotion but at the same time he commands respect with an awe-inspiring presence. The interaction between him and Ann Darrow have moments of magic and brilliance, such tenderness to melt even the most hardened of hearts, not to mention enough action and fighting to excite the most jaded of movie goers.
If there is one word that can sum up this film it would be passion. There's passion abound in this film, off and on screen. Peter Jackson clearly delivered a labor of love with 'King Kong', pouring his heart and soul into it. Jack Black portrayed Carl Denham with a zealousness that made a believer out of me. Carl became a real, greedy, seedy, yet in an ironic way a likeable film maker whose lofty goal of making the greatest film ever eventually led to his obsession that would manifest itself in success at no matter what cost to human life or other sacrifice. Naomi Watts, where to begin. She gave a very understated yet poignant performance as Ann Darrow, the demure, unassuming, starry-eyed beauty that captivated the heart of a beast. Her performance was very giving, and really helped to bring to life King Kong. King Kong himself is an artistic achievement the likes which have never been seen before. He moves, breathes, feels, falls, bleeds and suffers just as much as the rest of us, yet he's just made of digital bits of 0's and 1's. If the special effects team doesn't win an Oscar for this film, I will be shocked. Much like Jackson's LOTR trilogy, there was an obvious passion on the part of the entire film crew, everything from the massive, elaborate sets, a living, breathing environment from the roaring twenties to an island of doom to the blitz of New York City's broadway. I can't forget the score which richly complimented the moving movements of compassion, sorrow, heroism and comradery. All around and in between there was deep felt passion in this film.
If it hasn't been covered enough, the character development is well conceived, and I'm glad that Jackson took the time to flesh out the characters, not to mention build up the story to the climax that makes the film oh so satisfying. This movie has it all. This IS why I go to the movies, period. It has literally something for everyone, and for those with patience this movie has plenty to offer, because at 3 hours it might be a little too long for some, but it is well worth the down time.
One last thing to add about the film, the irony behind the story of King Kong and humanity is worthy for food for thought. King Kong is a beast, but his humanity far surpasses that of most of the people depicted in the film. Ann's outer beauty is matched by her inner beauty, and that is something which resonates within Kong's gargantuan heart. Hopefully it will make people think about that for a moment, how such a living paradox in the form of a giant gorilla can have so much meaning that goes beyond the silver screen.
I was genuinely moved several times during this film, and I don't say that about very many films, not at all. Without a doubt this is the best movie that I've seen this year. You owe it to yourself to see this film if you're just a fan of movies in general, I can almost guarantee you will not be disappointed. I'm sure I missed something in my review, but I don't want to spoil too much of it, although hopefully I provided enough info for people to judge whether they want to see it or not.
Summary of King Kong (Widescreen Edition)
Academy Award-winning director Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy) brings his sweeping cinematic vision to King Kong. Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody star in this spectacular film filled with heart-pounding action, terrifying creatures and groundbreaking special effects unlike anything you?ve seen before! Get ready for breathtaking action in this thrilling epic adventure about a legendary gorilla captured on a treacherous island and brought to civilization, where he faces the ultimate fight for survival. Experience the movie that critics are hailing as a "rousing, exciting cinematic adventure!" (Scott Mantz, Access Hollywood)Similar DVD Movies
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