King Kong (2005)

During the release of “The Lord of the Rings”, I remember learning that one of director Peter Jackson’s favorite movies was “King Kong” from 1933. Later, when I heard that he was doing a remake, I was quite interested and I wasn’t let down. As a fan of the original film, Jackson wanted to replicate the power it had on the audiences of the 1930’s for the audiences of today. When I saw the remake for the first time, I could tell by the island’s design and other cinematic elements that this was definitely a Peter Jackson film. On the other hand, I could also sense a love for the source material that made cinematic history back in the 30’s.

The opening and closing credits of the film are proof of this respect for the original material. I also like opening shots of apes and monkeys in a zoo. It contrasts what we will see later in the film. Other great choices cinematically are images of New York City and the song “I’m Sitting on Top of the World”. They also contrast later scenes but more importantly, they provide an important setting that the classic story belongs in. I have seen parts of the 1976 version and the classic feeling that should accompany this story is gone. Having this remake set in the 1930’s creates a stronger connection to the original source which is all to the good. Another good component that Peter Jackson has at the start of this film is character development. Adventure, danger and action are worth nothing unless you care and relate to those you are watching on screen. We understand that for Ann, the bottom of the barrel in her career is the burlesque theater. We are grateful she doesn’t go into the theater as we watch a great depiction of when Carl meets Ann. The opening of the film has a lot of anxiety thanks to Jackson. We really feel restless as Carl is trying to get out of New York to make his movie and Ann is having second thoughts. In addition, Carl is trying to get the captain to leave and keep Jack on the boat. We feel genuine fear that the adventure may not even happen thanks to the acting and directing. I really love Carl’s line to Jack, “If you really loved it, you would have jumped.” Another thing I noticed about Peter Jackson’s direction is that he is quite good with plot points such as Ann getting on the ship and the first mention of Skull Island. Some might feel these moments are too drawn out but I say it helps those watching the movie, like myself, who have not seen the original film appreciate the importance of these particular plot points. The romance between Jack and Ann is also well portrayed. The line “You don’t have to be nervous” is perfect in that particular scene. Jack can tell that she put her foot in her mouth earlier because of Ann’s nervousness. He likes Ann because of her acting and he finds the idea of being in love with a fan quite enticing. They must be in love before they get to the island so that Jack’s foolish quest to save Ann will have justification in the minds of the audience. Also, Captain Englehorn must be portrayed as unsympathetic so that his appearances on the island in salvation to our main characters will be a surprise. Once on the island, we see the fish and we as the audience know that the island is not deserted. After their escape from the natives, Carl says he wants to dedicate the film to Mike but we get a hint that Carl is in truth just obsessed with finishing the film. I also like the wide-angle lens joke once Carl sees Kong. The dinosaurs in this film act not as animals but more like monsters. This is a good choice because they must be different than the dinosaurs from “Jurassic Park”, a film also distributed by Universal. Skull Island must not be an appealing place. One story motif that is depicted multiple times is Jack fighting off the attacking dinosaurs and braving danger while Bruce runs away. Bruce redeems himself by coming back to save the day but we are still aware of the fact that he is a lot more phony when compared to Jack. I will admit however that with how dangerous the island is, I would have expected more men to die. The stampede for example seemed impossible to come out alive and yet many did.

After Kong saves Ann from the T-rexes, Ann feels she has a better chance of survival by staying with him. This allows her later to see that he is not a soulless animal. Once the camera is destroyed, Carl has to find some other goal to achieve. It becomes apparent at that point that he is an obsession junky. When he has a goal, he goes whole hog. Without a goal to achieve success with, he is nothing. The insect pit is very well done because the insects hardly make any noise at all and yet are a deadly threat to our heroes. The use of sound here is perfect. I kind of like the humor of Jimmy having to shoot the bugs off Jack. Once Kong is captured, it seems like we enter a whole new movie. The establishing shots of Times Square really contrast the sights we have been watching on Skull Island. The visual exchange between Carl and Preston is important because Preston now fully understands what is in Carl’s heart. Carl’s promises are a cover for his own selfish desires. I also love the irony of Jack understanding from his own play that he lost Ann by not telling her in words that he loved her. Jack doesn’t want recognition for capturing Kong but once Bruce steps on stage, Jack chuckles because Bruce is the obvious person that would come forth and steal that recognition. As Kong climbs the Empire State Building and with the sudden appearance of the airplanes, there is a definite sense of nostalgia. The climax of “King Kong” really sells how high up in the sky the characters are. When I saw the movie in theaters, I got vertigo. It is fitting that Carl has the famous last line that is on the American Film Institute's list of the top 100 movie quotes at #84. Fay Wray was going to be the one to say it by way of a cameo. Even though she refused at first, she was considering the option when she passed away. The film has many references to the original film that contribute to the classic atmosphere of the remake. I love the Fay Wray joke at the start of the movie. You can hear the theme of the original 1933 film during this moment by the way. Another interesting homage is the recreated scene from the original King Kong that Carl films between Bruce and Anne. The final fight between the T-rex and Kong is very reminiscent of the counterpart scene from 1933 and Carl’s “savage ritual” on stage pays homage to the 1933 film, even musically.

The casting and acting of “King Kong” is pretty impressive. As Carl pitches the story of his film in the diner, we see a great change in Ann’s expression thanks to Naomi Watts’ performance. That is a great scene between both Jack Black and Watts. I subconsciously knew that Jack Black could handle a serious role because of his work on “Enemy of the State” but still; he seems like an unlikely choice for the role of Carl. His initial pitch of Skull Island is so good however that we are on board as an audience for the adventure. I can see the Orson Wells parallels. Adrien Brody played his character straightforward and that worked well for me. “King Kong” was my introduction to Jamie Bell and I have come to see him as a great actor because the performances in his movies are always quite different from one another. I like when Jamie Bell and Andy Serkis have scenes together such as when Jimmy, Lumpy & Hayes confront Denham and when Lumpy pulls Jimmy from the water in the extended edition. There are also multiple moments when a shot of Bell and is followed by a shot of Serkis. They would later become the lead actors in “The Adventures of Tintin” (also produced by Jackson) and I quite enjoy moments like this when movies from the past take on a new subtext because of films that would happen later. I can always hear Gollum’s voice whenever Serkis yells or screams such as when Lumpy tries to get the bug off. I like the ironic moment when Lumpy is only person able to shoot at Kong. By way of motion capture, Kong becomes a character instead of a beast. No matter what kind of motion capture character that Andy Serkis plays, I can still sense his work in the facial performance even if it is just slightly. Although it is at the bottom of my list, James Newton Howard’s musical score for this movie is one of my favorites. It is my second favorite piece of solo work from Howard after “Atlantis: The Lost Empire”. When Carl sees Ann for the first time, the music makes it a very noteworthy plot point. Sometimes a lack of music can be powerful and such is the case during the insect pit scene. The music that reintroduces New York City is perfect so as to create the aforementioned contrast. The sense of nostalgia we feel as Kong climbs the Empire State Building exists in large part thanks to the music.

Peter Jackson was going to make this film back in the mid-90’s but Universal gave up on the project. This ended up being a good thing because Jackson was able to rework the script into something better and he was also able to use the experience & resources gained from “The Lord of the Rings”. Jackson has thought about converting this film to 3D and I won’t mind seeing that. “King Kong” deserved its three Oscar wins in my opinion for visual effects, sound mixing and sound editing. The film has a good story, well done characters, fine music and it also contains a sense of nostalgia. At the same time, this movie appeals to today’s audiences in a similar way that the original 1933 version did to audiences back then.

4 Stars