With Godzilla Vs. Kong crashing into theatres next month, it seems like a pretty good time to take a step back from the franchise to take a look at the often forgotten stand-alone remake of the 1933 original, King Kong (2005), co-written, produced, and directed by the one and only Peter Jackson.
Following the massive success of The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, and shortly before Jackson wrapped post-production on Return of the King, Universal Pictures approached him about reviving his vision for a remake of the Hollywood classic, having tried and failed to convince studios to support the project due to the surprising over-abundance of monkey-related movies being released in the late 1990s (Planet of the Apes, Mighty Joe Young), not to mention the much-maligned Godzilla in 1998.
It so turns out that the original King Kong is Jackson’s favorite movie of all time, and has been since he was a kid, and this love and appreciation for the source material is clearly poured into every shot of this incredibly detailed and visually staggering epic. It is also quite clear that, after the success of LOTR, the studio gave Jackson carte blanche, with its total running time clocking in over 3 hours, and possibly even a blank check, as the budget soared from $150 million to $207 million during production.
From people escaping an avalanche of Brontosauruses, to gigantic man-eating bats, to Kong fighting not one, not two, but three T-Rexes, Jackson holds nothing back in terms of pure spectacle and adventure. He’s like a boy with his toys and, for the most part, it totally works.
After establishing our main characters (Naomi Watt’s Ann Darrow, Jack Black’s Carl Denham, and Adrian Brody’s Jack Driscoll) the movie heads to the infamous Skull Island, and this where things really go bananas (get it?). For anyone who thought Kong: Skull Island was nuts, Jackson’s vision of Skull Island makes any other rendition look like a trip to Busch Gardens.
Jackson spends roughly half of his runtime on the island, with mere glimpses of calm and respite from the prehistoric chaos that is unleashed upon the cast of filmmakers and actors, not to mention the seemingly endless supply of sailors (i.e. body count). The movie doesn’t waste any time providing the first look at Kong either, unlike some monster movies which spend most of the movie setting up the idea that there even is a monster in the first place. Watts’s Darrow is offered up in sacrifice to the giant ape by some of the most terrifying natives ever to be put to a PG-13 movie, and it happens immediately upon their arrival to the island.
The movie then becomes one big, bonkers rescue mission with Denham, Driscoll, and the rest of the crew tackling dinosaurs, giant carnivorous bugs, and of course, Kong himself. But as ridiculous as the movie gets, Jackson keeps the audience engaged by treating his characters (Kong included) with respect, while also allowing some camp and humor to slip through from time to time. He’s respectful of the source material without taking anything too seriously. Until they get to New York.
Once Denham and company capture Kong, it feels like the movie could end there. It’s been nearly two and a half hours with lots of satisfying action and a pretty thrilling climax…but wait. Kong hasn’t climbed the Empire State Building yet. That’s right, there’s still another 50 minutes left, and they’re the weakest of the movie.
Unfortunately, this is where Jackson should have reined in his enthusiasm for his passion project as the law of diminishing returns is in full effect here. While we do get to see Kong toss some cars around a beautiful, wintery, prohibition-era New York, and eventually fend off fighter planes atop the Empire State, none of this action ever reaches the same heights of spectacle as it did on Skull Island. Things get especially unbearable as the relationship between Kong and Darrow grows more and more heavy-handed and implausible. While some may find it an effective way to garner empathy for Kong and Darrow, the same results could have been achieved in less time and with less melodrama.
Godzilla vs. Kong director Adam Wingard isn’t known for making overly long movies, with Blair Witch, The Guest, and You’re Next all clocking in at around the 90-minute mark. His movies cut to the chase, without sacrificing character development, and word of mouth is that Godzilla vs. Kong is going to come in under two hours as well. Hopefully, Wingard takes a page from Jackson’s book and provides the same sense of awe and wonder to this much-anticipated face-off, but still leaves room for all the fun, over-the-top action that one comes to expect from a giant monster movie.
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