King Kong is Most Excellent! It is indeed a faithful, modern interpretation of the 1933 original, set in the same time period, radically unlike the 1976 debacle where Kong was hawking gasoline of all things. UGH.
Director Peter Jackson takes full advantage of Andy Serkis’ three years of experience with Gollum…and transformed it into the Big Ape himself! Serkis also played Lumpy the cook. The sheer length of the movie (over three hours) also lends enough time to develop the characters; Naomi Watts’ poignant portrayal of Ann Darrow is the equal of Fay Wray (who died last year). I didn’t expect to see Jack Black, but there he was as Carl Denham, the core capitalist.
In addition, as great as the original was, Skull Island is transformed into a modern-day Monster Island (but thank goodness Godzilla doesn’t show up!); one has to wonder what civilization existed there to build the wall against the likes of Kong and the dinosaurs, not to mention the various other creatures which existed there.
Hat tips were in evidence; even Fay Wray and RKO Pictures (the original producers) were saluted. Yet the funniest scene of the movies was during Kong’s rampage in New York City: let’s just say he was on ice for a while!
King Kong is rated PG-13 for frightening adventure violence and some disturbing images. Be prepared to make a pit stop before you get seated, and don’t forget afterward. You will not be disappointed at all. My rating: 9.5.
Note to Mr. Jackson: Please get to work on adapting The Hobbit the way it should BE adapted.