Peter Jackson's KING KONG

[hedwig]

man, i LOVE it.

this is amazing and intense and incredibly beautiful, and certainly the best movie this year by a zillion.

the scenes shaftr described as being ridiculous, "...like the Brontasaursus roling down the hill...or.....three t-Rexes...," boy get off the crack pipe. the rolling dinos were breathtaking -- it didn't seem like it was ever going to stop, and not in the sense of tedium, but in the sense of absolute chaos whose end cannot be predicted, and so when you think it's going to stop, it gets worse.

the three t-rexes were astonishing. PJ took that fight scene to a higher, more electrifying level than i'd ever imagined it could be. and please, how can you deny the power of that final, painful jaw-snap?

i had a strong emotional response to this movie. there are five specific instances worth mentioning:

i can't stop thinking about the scene when Kong turns away from Darrow after the t-rex battle and starts moving away until Darrow calls out "wait!" and he turns around to pull her up onto his shoulder.. i think it might be my favorite scene in the movie. those eyes.. this is CGI at a frighteningly powerful peak, where the expression conveyed in the eyes of a CGi beast can strike such a powerful chord.

i didn't cry when me own father was hung for stealing a pig, but at the end of Kong, i was shooook. this is where the awesome preceding 2/3rds are elevated into something truly powerful and beautiful.

the Broadway show is heartbreaking - especially enraging when they show the audience members knee-slappin' away..(also, note the strong resemblance between the stage Natives and the Natives from the original film.)

the scene where Kong and Darrow slide across the ice. fuck that Jerry Maguire comparison. the scene epitomizes the gentle aspect of Kong so beautifully, with such tenderness. and then, there's the Empire State Building.

Kong and Darrow at the top of the Empire State together, against that gorgeous sky. the audience knows what's coming. the beast ascends, and pounds his mighty chest, roaring what just might be his last roar. Darrow's eyes are filled with fright, struck with horror as this graceful giant inches closer to his death.. and then it happens. the beast falls. the man at the end echoes what the more cynical audience members are probably thinking: who cares, it was just a dumb animal, a savage monster! like frankenstein's creation, mistreated by so-called 'civilized' people while just seeking companionship -- against all odds.

All Hail Peter Jackson for making the best film of 2005.

and no, i'm not jane goodall.

[matt35mm]

oh good.  this was starting to be a downer page, but you picked it back up.

and good simpsons reference you worked in.

[Ultrahip]

i didn't cry when me own father was hung for stealing a pig, but at the end of Kong, i was shooook.

and no, i'm not jane goodall.

is that the simpsons reference? because i was about to praise hedwig for having written the funniest thing i've ever read on xixax.

[matt35mm]

yeah.  that's a simpsons reference.  i don't know about the jane goodall part.  i think that's just something he said before and he quoted himself.  but the crying thing, yes.

[Kal]

Im surprised. Made a little less than 10 million on the openning day. Very far from any record (like Star Wars 50 Million), so lets see what happens... maybe not so many people were into seeing this right away, and it will pick up afterwords because of the good reviews and the fact that it will get many nominations (I guess it should).

[SHAFTR]

Im surprised. Made a little less than 10 million on the openning day. Very far from any record (like Star Wars 50 Million), so lets see what happens... maybe not so many people were into seeing this right away, and it will pick up afterwords because of the good reviews and the fact that it will get many nominations (I guess it should).

I'm not sure.  I went on Wed at 7:30 and the theatre was only half full.  There was a reaction to the bug scene, but the theatre was pretty silent the rest of the way.  Also, I noticed a lot of cell phone light with people checking the time.  When it was over, it was quiet in the lobby, not much buzz.

[w/o horse]

It was a really good experience.  The movie was okay.

I can't wait to see what Peter Jackson does next, this guy has a lot of talent.

[Sal]

A film like this is easy to respect for its ambition, but I saw this last night and it was just too overdrawn.  It needed a few more passes to clean up special effects and get a better hold on tone and pacing.  "Big and hairy" is a great way to describe this film. 

[killafilm]

It was good and all.  I still don't understand why a King Kong movie has to 3 hours.  Would anyone want to watch a 3 hour movie about the Valley?  Umm wait.  It's my belief that since the uber success of Fellowship of the Ring, Peter Jackson has gotten a little bit more sloppy and self-indulgent in his fimmaking.  FoTR has little to no fat, TTT has a little bit of fat and some uneven pacing due to taking stuff out and adding it to the other films, RoTK is filled to the brim with LOTR joygasms and not in a good way.  All of this leading up to KONG.  I'm all for PJ making his passion project, but why treat it any differently.  Cut an hour out of this movie (and polish ALL of the non-Kong effects) and it's great.

[SiliasRuby]

A Great Great Movie.  Just Loved it. Everything about it exceptional and Jack black playing Carl was fantastic.

[Kal]

As I said before... Box Office is NOT looking good for this one...

9 million Wed, 6 million Thursday, and only 15 million yesterday... which means it wont be even close to 100 million for the 5 day openning. Far from any LotR, or Harry Potter, or any comparable blockbuster... considering this was the most hyped movie of the year and it cost over 200 million to make... Studio is going to be pissed!

And the Box Office is ending the year with a 6-8% decline from last year... which is gonna make these fuckers realize something is wrong...

[Pubrick]

... which is gonna make these fuckers realize something is wrong...

yeah that movies should stop being overhyped, it makes ppl sick of em. i don't get why everywhere Kong was spoken of they kept saying "this thing is going to be bigger than titanic" who the fuck knows how it's gonna do? but letterman kept saying it, everyone kept saying it, was it a press release or sumthing? yeah it's crap like that which backfires when ppl are told they're all gonna see it, everyone must feel like they don't need to see it since it's such a sure thing.

[grand theft sparrow]

There is nothing not to love about this movie.  Bottom line: any serious gripes with the length can be chalked up to short attention span.  The last time I remember sitting open-mouthed and amazed at what I was seeing was the first time I saw Crouching Tiger.  Everything I hoped it would be.

[w/o horse]

Bottom line: any serious gripes with the length can be chalked up to short attention span.

That's not even the middle line man.  Unless you think 'well paced' means 'the action scenes come often enough.'  Unless by 'well developed characters' you mean 'the characters, well, they're developed.'

There was a day, back in the day, in which movies were built around characters and not the other way around.  Jackson, in his faithfulness to original, left little room for compelling writing as far as I'm concerned.  I wasn't bored in the beginning, I was drunk, but I wouldn't think less of someone who was bored.  Then again, I wouldn't think less of who was involved emotionally.

I think the difference between someone who loves this movie and someone who thinks this movie is okay is what you're asking from the movie.  It seems like people who love the movie wanted a well made movie with good acting and a good script.  The people who liked this movie, they perhaps interpretated 'go someplace I haven't been before' not as a revamped Skull Island and a girl who still steals apples but this time understands the ape, but as can we stop making fucking movies about archetypal people.

It was a glitzy Hollywood-style movie through and through.  I can understand why people love it, and I can understand why people don't love it.  There wasn't a lot of meat to it.

[Pubrick]

they perhaps interpretated

you're making up words again..

and i guess it's time to defend this beautiful thing.

there can only be two real complaints about the movie, ... : not enuff naomi watts, and getting to the island feels like it takes a while.

I think the only REAL complaint is that it took too long to get to the island.

Really the only complaint I have is that I wanted more scenes with Naomi and Kong.

and these were from positive reviews. i think the negative ones are like hacksparrow said, suffering from short attention spans. the beginning is long but once at the island and onwards, it goes by in a second. but that's all subjective perception of time isn't it? so it's meaningless. i also think the backlash is partly retaliation at the huge spectacle of the whole thing, including what i mentioned on the previous page about the overhype.

i agree with LTH about ppl going in there with expectations, but that's just like any other movie. i DON'T believe anyone who says the original is better. come on, watch it again, there was NO emotional involvement except our own compassion for king kong. which explains why PJ loved it so much when he was a child, we all would've, kids love things. ebert said something great about that, and pardon the quote as i know some of you don't like the guy, he's right about this: "Yes, Kong in 1933 cares for his captive, but she doesn't care so much for him. Kong was always misunderstood, but in the 2005 film, there is someone who knows it."

I can't understand all the praise for all the new romantic plot between Kong and Ann. In the original Ann was both scared AND drawn to Kong.

uh no she wasn't. in the original she was just scared, she was happy when they rescued her at the end, she was happy to see kong die. remember the classic shot where kong pulls her out of the building? she was HIDING from him.

i think this change, the immense beauty of the production, and yes the new depth in characterization (as far as characters can be developed when the focus of the movie is a giant ape), is what makes this the ultimate telling of the classic tale. it's all kong could ever be.  if u don't like it, u don't like the king kong story.