And lo, we look upon greatness...
King Kong
by Shawn Snead / December 14th, 2005
I tried to think of one of those opening "King Kong is..." lines, but I just couldn't find myself capable of summing up how I felt about this film in a simple opening sentence. I could say that King Kong is one of the best pictures of the year. I could say that King Kong, like Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, is one of the greatest epics of all-time. I could say that Peter Jackson is one of the best, most admirable directors working today. I could say that King Kong reminds us why we love going to the movies.
All of which would be true.
Peter Jackson loved the 1933 King Kong. The movie that made him want to make movies, he says. Now, I think that Peter has crafted a film that will inspire other future filmmakers down the road.
The heart and soul of this film lies in Naomi Watts. The film doesn't rest upon the shoulders of a 25-foot gorilla, but a strikingly beautiful and talented woman from down under. This isn't just an Academy Award worthy performance, but a career-changing performance. Lucky enough to play one of the most classic characters ever created, with this performance, Naomi is launched into the upper-tier of actresses today. In most scenes, she's acting alone. No one to look to or play off of. he's flawless. Jack Black, contrary to what some may say, gives a well-suited performance as the obsessive, manical film director Jack Denham. I don't understand some of the criticism of his performance or his rendition of the infamous last lines.
The film's running length clocks in at over three hours. Not a problem for me, the time flew by. Then again, it was the great Gene Siskel who said that no good movie is too long, but every bad movie is. I expected the film's first hour to be the slowest, building up to the fateful encounter on Skull Island. However, every single minute of the film's 187 minute running time is completely engrossing. Complete, from top to bottom.
Every single is frame is absolutely enthralling. The spectacle, some of the greatest visual effects in film history. In Kong, a character is created able to display emotional subtlety. A character is created more than just a special effect. This special effect has heart, has depth, a mind of its own. A lot of the credit for the character of Kong goes to Andy Serkis, who gives, dare I say it, a remarkable performance as the computer-generated star.
The story of King Kong has always worked as a metaphor, a notion for several things. Most all of which boil down to us. Civilization. Jackson's film enlightens more of these interpretations all the while enveloping the film in nuance.
While a fan of Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, I was always disappointed by the lack of an emotional response that the films conjured up in me. I admire the work, I respect the work. Both Fellowship and Return of the King made my top ten list for their respective years. However, it could never charge me on that one extra level. I could not invest my heart and soul completely into the films. A much different story with Kong. Jackson's creation has the ability to inspire passion and affection, even in the smallest of things. A sunrise shared between Ann and Kong, a rapturous moment between the two alone on the ice in New York City. A final moment atop the world, crafted so delicately. Jackson's love, and admiration, and nostalgia soaks every frame of the film.
Peter Jackson's masterpiece is an epic beyond all other epics. It doesn't approach greatness as much as knocking it down and soaring past it. It's beautiful.
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Directed by Peter Jackson; written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson - based on the story by Merian C. Cooper and Edgar Wallace; produced by Jan Blenkin, Carolynne Cunningham, Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh; original score by James Newton Howard, additional music by Mel Wesson; cinematography by Andrew Lesnie, editing by Jamie Selkirk; released by Universal Pictures. Running time 187 minutes. Rated PG-13 for frightening adventure violence and some disturbing images. Released Wednesday, December 14th, 2005.
Starring Naomi Watts (Ann Darrow), Jack Black (Carl Denham), Adrien Brody (Jack Driscoll), Thomas Kretschmann (Captain Englehorn), Colin Hanks (Preston), Andy Serkis (Kong/Lumpy), Evan Parke (Hayes), Jamie Bell (Jimmy), Lobo Chan (Choy), John Summer (Herb), Craig Hall (Mike), Kyle Chandler (Bruce Baxter).
posted by Shawn Snead @ 12/19/2005 01:55:00 AM
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