King Kong Review
by Homer Yen (homer_yen AT yahoo DOT com)December 20th, 2005
This "Kong" is King
by Homer Yen
(c) 2005
Of all the films that I've seen so far in 2005,
"King Kong" is not the best film experience this
year, although it is in the Top 5. And, it isn't
even as stirring as director Peter Jackson's
great epic, "The Lord of the Rings" (and really,
what could be more stirring than that?). Yet, it
is the most gorgeous film that I've seen this
year. It's special effects and its stunning cinematography brings an immediate sense of awe
and wonderment to us and, I'm sure, to the Motion Picture Academy when the Oscars will be given
out. The way in which we view this film with astonishment is probably the same way that King
Kong views his captive, Ann Darrow (Noami Watts), whose feminine delicateness gleefully tames the
big beast in return.
"King Kong" strikes an epic feel with its balance
of adventure and romance in much the same way "Titanic" did. The romance component is not
where one would expect it, involving Kong and Ann
who share a tender if unexplainable bond. And
this tie is the nicest accomplishment of the
film. Ann looks into the gorilla's eyes and sees something beautiful there. And the audience sees
it too. I've only envisioned in my own mind that
a giant gorilla would express nothing but
aggression being the Alpha Male that he is. But
here, the film has done something different. In addition to Kong's beastly nature, its eyes on occasion reflect feelings of relief and even
delight. King Kong is not a menacing beast. He
is just a creature that is misunderstood.
The film, however, is also a thrilling adventure.
The main players all assemble on a tramp steamer heading for some unknown area of the South
Pacific. In addition to Ann, they primarily
include Carl Denham (Jack Black), who is a glory-seeking moviemaker that is convinced that
this lost island will be the Holy Grail of his
career. His writer is Jack Driscoll (Adrien
Brody), who unwillingly comes along but discovers
new life living the movie instead of writing it.
And there are a handful of other supporting
players, who surprisingly, are not just cardboard cutouts. There is a good amount of time invested injecting each with various personalities. That
could only mean that there will be a stretch of
film where, in this unexplored and dangerous
terrain, some will emerge as heroes and others
will die heroically.
The island has the look and feel of an island
never meant to be found. It is cleverly
visualized with overgrown brush, intimidating
natives, and creatures that make this look like
the Hellish part of Jurassic Park. While Ann has found shelter with Kong watching over her, the remaining characters are crossing over deep
chasms, trying to fight off giant icky bugs, and generally hoping to get out alive. One crazy
sequence involves them retreating from a stampede
of creatures that you have to just see for
yourself. And another scene puts the crew in
deep peril as they fight off giant bugs and
leech-like creatures. Yuck.
There is no doubt that "King Kong" is an
extremely well-made movie. What it lacks is
brevity. The film is divided into three distinct acts, and they each could possibly stand alone as
its own story. It is weighed down by the large
number of characters, the changing locales, and
the attention that is divided between Kong / Ann
and the search and rescue party. This creates a lengthy film, although you couldn't pinpoint what should've been cut to make the film more
efficient. It is ambitious and yet streamlined.
The movie is touching, exciting, and a marvel
among 2005 films.
Grade: B+
S: 0 out of 3
L: 0 out of 3
V: 2 out of 3
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Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
