In 7 words or less: A gigantic ape fancies a lady human.
What's it all About? What? King Kong? Oh, if I must Slumpy, you really are a cruel mistress. The story starts in 1930s New York with a struggling actress (Naomi Watts) trying to break into Manhattan's vibrant theatre scene. Feeling a little depressed, she decides to cheer herself up by dallying in some apple thievery, poor thing was hungry is all. Enter Carl Denham (Jack Black), a highly ambitious film maker who's stumbled upon a secret map explaining the whereabouts of a certain 'Skull Island'. "I'll buy that apple" he says, "now get on this bloody great boat, we're going to Skull Island to make a movie, chop chop!" So everybody sails off into the night, on their way to what sounds like, a fabulous holiday destination, boasting excellent facilities, breathtaking vistas and not a whiff of any grumpy gorillas. Everything seems fine at first, the natives get a bit restless and do some nasty murders but on the whole 'Skull Island' ticks all the boxes. Say what?!?! A giant bloody Gorilla kidnaps Naomi Watts and falls madly in love with her? Dinosaurs? A stampede? Well I never! As long as everyone makes it back to New York for a big old Gorilla hunt and a dash of iceskating, I'm fine with all of that. They do? Fantastic.
Best bits? Let's just make this clear, you don't just whack on Peter Jackson's King Kong willy nilly, you can't say 'it's getting late, shall we put this on?' This is a real 'Right, get the bloody duvet down, we're going to watch King Kong.' If you're like me, you'll get so cozy that you'll probably fall asleep before they make it to the island and have to finish watching it the following evening! But that in itself is one of my favourite things about this movie, an endearing quality if you like, it's a throw back to yesteryear, a vast sprawling epic that takes you on an grand journey to strange, distant lands.
The first hour of this movie is really exciting, Peter Jackson is patient when exploring the exposition of his characters, you know where the film is going but the 'how' and the journey is really interesting. The recreation of 1930s New York is remarkably vivid in the opening scenes, a touch on the 'CG pastelly' side but still really convincing. I think Jack Black's performance in this film is fantastic and demonstrates a seriously shrewd piece of casting on Jackson's part. It's really refreshing to see him reigned in and attempting something different, rather than the usual 'Jack Black Experience' we're all accustomed to. At times, he is really sinister and dark, never wavering or faltering from his mad obsession to finish his picture, and not caring if it comes at the expense of the lives of those around him.
As far as Kong goes, he's pretty awesome, not a photo real creation but I don't think that was ever the intention. The whole film is graded to give it a certain 'reminiscent' feel, a byproduct of that is that nothing looks particularly 'real worldy', however, everything does look like it belongs from the same realm within the parameters set by the film. They do a great job of making everything feel familiar, and what could have been cumbersome transitions between cities, skull islands, giant apes, dinosaurs and crazy killer natives, remarkably, end up not feeling clunky in the slightest.
One scene really sticks in my mind, it's the bit where 'Large Nose' (Adrian Brody) and the gang are held up in a ravine being attacked by giant insects without an ape in sight. The booming score get's reduced to a single, ominous tone, it acts as a dramatic backdrop to this brilliant, terrifying scene. You really feel like everyones going to slowly die and that the film might just end on this really odd note. It's very unnerving.
Did it make you think thoughts? I think, on the whole, this is a really good film that requires specific conditions to get the most out of it. I remember seeing it at the cinema around Christmas time and thinking 'wow, what a great ride that was.' It's very long, and yes, there's a massive gorilla in it, but I think it does enough to keep you invested until the final scene. You could criticise some of the set pieces for being a little over thought and perhaps a touch audacious at times, but they are what they are and if nothing, they're always interesting to watch. I reckon the best way to look at this film is by imagining how bad it could have been. Lets face it, the process of making a film like this is a seriously tough task and one that most people would make a total mess of. I think Peter Jackson really nailed the subject matter and made me enjoy a character (King Kong) that previously I had absolutely zero interest in.
Would you watch it again? Oh yes! When winter sets in, when the wind and rain are howling at your window, when you have 3 hours to kill, snuggle up under a blanket and go on an 'old time' adventure!
Rating (out of 100%): I give King Kong a whopping great 89% Now let's all watch a massive gorilla take a young lady iceskating in Central Park.
