So I finally made it into a screening of King Kong. Yay! Was it worth the wait? Surely! Is it worth the hype? Kinda. Is it a visual feast to amaze and delight? Oh you bet! Is it a bit too long, making your bladder ache? Oh quite, quite.
Well, what is there to say about King Kong that hasn’t already been said? The visual effects are stunning. The imagery is truly a sight to behold. The action sequences are tense and thrilling. The sound mix is loud and immersive. The music is pretty decent, and hits the right spots – but it’s overspotted, and there’s just way too much music in the film. The acting, well… You forget that Kong isn’t real after just a few minutes of seeing him interact with Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts), and as such, you could easily see how well he “acts”. Jack Black and Adrien Brody are miscast. I’m sorry, but I can’t buy Brody as a romantic lead, and Black is acting like the film version of SNL’s Jimmy Fallon – always making faces and waiting for the audience to react.
Other than that, this film rocked. There are some tender and playful moments in the film as well, between Ann and Kong, which worked quite well. Most notably, the sunset on Skull Island, and the Central Park scene. I also liked how director Peter Jackson plays on the universal fear of insects in a way that had much of the audience squealing and stomping their feet. After the Kong vs. T-Rex fight, I loved the way Kong played with the dead body. Lovely!!
Oh – be sure to look for the reference to the 1933 Kong near the beginning when Denham is talking about other actresses, and be sure to giggle when you see the Sumatran Rat Monkey box from Dead Alive in the cargo hold of the ship.
When you leave the theater, you realize that you’ve had sensory overload for three hours – and you might just have a headache! Will I see King Kong again? Hell yes. Just not within the next few weeks – I need to let my brain settle down.