 | |
List Price: $5.98 | | Label: Universal
Salesrank: 19047
Released: March 28, 2006 |
| Our Price: $2.09 |
| Used Price: $0.01 |
|
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD |
|
Editorial Review:
Flamboyant foolhardy documentary filmmaker carl denham sails off to remote skull island to kilm his latest epic with leading lady ann darrow. Native warriors kidnap ann to use as a sacrifice as they summon kong. But instead of devouring ann kong saves her. Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 05/13/2008 Starring: Naomi Watts Jack Black Run time: 188 minutes Rating: Pg13 Director: Peter Jackson
Description of King Kong (Full Screen Edition):
Movies don't come any bigger than Peter Jackson's King Kong, a three-hour remake of the 1933 classic that marries breathtaking visual prowess with a surprising emotional depth. Expanding on the original story of the blonde beauty and the beast who falls for her, Jackson creates a movie spectacle that matches his Lord of the Rings films and even at times evokes their fantasy world while celebrating the glory of '30s Hollywood. Naomi Watts stars as Ann Darrow, a vaudeville actress down on her luck in Depression-era New York until manic filmmaker Carl Denham (a game but miscast Jack Black) entices her with a lead role. Dazzled by the genius of screenwriter Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody), Ann boards the tramp steamer S.S. Venture, which she--and most of the wary crew--believes is headed for Singapore. Denham, however, is in search of the mythic Skull Island, hoping to capture its wonders on film and make a fortune. What he didn't count on were some scary natives who find that the comely Darrow looks like prime sacrifice material for a mysterious giant creature....
There's no point in rehashing the entire plot, as every movie aficionado is more than familiar with the trajectory of King Kong; the challenge facing Jackson, his screenwriters, and the phenomenal visual-effects team was to breathe new life into an old, familiar story. To that degree, they achieve what could be best called a qualified success. Though they've assembled a crackerjack supporting cast, including Thomas Kretschmann as the Venture's hard-bitten captain and young Jamie Bell as a plucky crewman, the first third of the movie is rather labored, with too much minute detail given over to sumptuous re-creations of '30s New York and the unexciting initial leg of the Venture's sea voyage. However, once the film finds its way to Skull Island (which bears more than a passing resemblance to LOTR's Mordor), Kong turns into a dazzling movie triumph, by turns terrifying and awe-inspiring. The choreography and execution of the action set pieces--including one involving Kong and a trio of Tyrannosaurus Rexes, as well as another that could be charitably described as a bug-phobic's nightmare--is nothing short of landmark filmmaking, and a certain Mr. Spielberg should watch his back, as Kong trumps most anything that has come before it.
Despite the visual challenges of King Kong, the movie's most difficult hurdle is the budding romance between Ann and her simian soulmate. Happily, this is where Jackson unqualifiedly triumphs, as this unorthodox love story is tenderly and humorously drawn, by turns sympathetic and wondrous. Watts, whose accessibility balances out her almost otherworldly loveliness, works wonders with mere glances, and Andy Serkis, who digitally embodies Kong here much as he did Gollum in the LOTR films, breathes vibrant life into the giant star of the film without ever overplaying any emotions. The final, tragic act of the film, set mostly atop the Empire State Building, is where Kong earns its place in movie history as a work that celebrates both the technical and emotional heights that film can reach. --Mark Englehart
King Kong (Full Screen Edition) Reviews:
I lost 3 hours and 8 minutes that I want back. 
2009-12-17 - **SOME SPOILERS**
Wow, this movie was really, really bad. The plot is pretty darn close to the original one. A group of people go to an "uncharted" island and then they find some things, and of course, Kong. Kong falls in love with Ann, climbs the Empire State Building, then dies. That's pretty much it.
This movie has a lot of problems. We get to know Ann and how she's can out of work actress. It's kind of important to the story, but I felt that dragged the story on a bit, but I can let all of that go. That being said, there was so much that I can't let go. I grew tired of the group that went on the island and how they were chased by dinosaurs, and other monsters in every single place they went to on the island. It grew tiresome, and slowed the plot to a screeching hault and didn't advance the story at all. They had it in there, "because it would look good." That's the only reason. It was just a waste of time. A great example is when Kong had to fight 3 T-Rex's, it was just silly and didn't add anything to the story. At times, the special effects looked kind of cheesy and very over the top.
The characters were so flat, dry and had no personality. There were boring. I felt they were doing impossible things. The character of Jack Driscoll really annoyed me to no end. At one point he was at the bottom of a lake out running a monster (again, a monster had to be there) and he was underwater for such a long time. I just couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was just so far fetched. As for Jack Black, he's always annoying. Even the character of Ann was getting on my nerves. At one point, she was climbing up the Empire State Building in high heels!! That part was just so over the top, I was actually laughing at it.
Also, how did the people get Kong of the island and to New York? They couldn't have brought Kong back on the ship they came to the island on because it was pretty much destroyed. The movie never addressed that issue. For me, it was a major, major plot hole.
The Blu Ray: The picture was clear and very sharp! I mean it was crystal clear. When Kong was on the Empire State Building, it was so clear, that I felt uneasy watching it because it looked so real. I actually felt like I was on the Empire State Building. I did like that. I know it sounds strange, but it was pretty interesting experience. The sound was fantastic. It actually felt like I was in the jungle with the group. I did like that part of it. There are lot of extra's with the blu ray, but I didn't really care about them.
If you like Blu Rays that have great sounds, great images, this is a very good transfer-very good! However, as for the movie itself.... it's a clunker. There is just to much special effects, cheesy effects, and has a slow plot, that doesn't move along, then this is for you.
Very good blu ray transfer, very bad movie.
I Obsessed Over King Kong 
2009-12-08 - I love this movie a lot! The classic tale of the huge gorilla who terrorizes New York. The suspense, drama, screenplay, and music keep me on the edge of my seat the whole movie. its great for slumber parties and just hanging out. I was actually obsessed about this movie for a while it was so good!
Awesome in Bluray! 
2009-12-03 - The ultimate HD movie, fantactic picture and sound. Great family movie for those with older (over 13?) kids. Only objection is that it's a bit L O N G, and that's the theatrical version--not the extended one which is 14 minutes L O N G E R. Better viewed in 2 sittings for this household.
King Kong... Yankee Doodle Kong
2009-11-22 - King Kong: 8 out of 10: Peter Jackson's Kong is a long love letter to the original movie that surprisingly turns into that rarest of crowd pleasers. A movie that both men and their gals will like. Like Titanic, Kong has enough action to keep boys of all ages happy and a romance (complete with tragic ending) to get the ladies crying.
And what a romance. Kong and Naomi Watts light up the screen with that most famous of dysfunctional cross species parings. And while you may be mumbling Stockholm Syndrome at the beginning (Not to mention whiplash, jeez Jackson turn down the rag doll physics on the Naomi Watts CGI effect. The way Kong flings her around she should end the film in a body cast) the romance seems to win even the cynics (yours truly) at the end.
The rest of the cast is also top notch with Jack Black playing an Orson Wells style director so well it is almost freighting. Speaking of frightening many people wondered aloud how Jackson would handle the racist caricature (by today standards) of the island natives especially considering the whole disturbing white wizard versus the "dark forces" subtext of the LOTR films. Not to worry the embarrassing stereotypes of happy dancing black people are mocked in the Kong stage show putting that embarrassing Hollywood episode to rest.
Instead the residents of Skull Island are some of the scariest people ever put on film. Pushing the PG-13 rating to the limit they put the can back in cannibal. Its nice to see natives bashing skulls, going into voodoo trances and kidnapping white woman they invoke the much happier stereotype of the true island savage. Hell they are scarier than the ape.
Possible racial insensitivity aside Kong is far from perfect. While the special effects are overall top notch there are seams. For example when people run with the dinosaurs the limit of the green screen seems to show through (And could we get a moratorium on velociraptors in movies. They are really getting cliché and being a relatively new paleontological find really don't fit in a thirties era Kong movie. Yes I know that isn't logical but they kind of seem modern as if a character had a cell phone).
The other real problem is length. This feels like the directors cut. With an easy 30 minutes of film that could (and probably should) end up on the cutting room floor. We spend so much time in various Kong free Broadway theaters one might mistake this for a Yankee Doodle Dandy remake. All that said great action scary islanders and tragic romance make King Kong a winner.
KING KONG
2009-11-20 - If you like monster movies with a plot, this is the King of Monster movies. The digital effect and realisim is as good as it can be! Blu Ray makes this huge!!!!!
