Movie Review: King Kong
Now, I've never seen the original, so I don't know how faithful this version is. My main impression was that it was too damn long! Anime fans might recognize the "Dragonball Z effect," where there's always some big fight or action going on, but nothing actually happens. There's a lot of stuff to see, but it doesn't advance the plot, and after a while the action isn't enough to sustain inteest under its own power. Until now, I could not have imagined watching a fight between a giant ape and T-Rexes and just finding it BORING. They had a huge special effects budget, and used it all. Should've spent more on writers. Though I did like the idea of the deranged movie producer bashing huge insects with a camera tripod.
It took forever to get Kong to NY, and they glossed over the trip. How do you transport an immense, sedated ape on a ship, especially after you had to throw out everything not nailed down just to get the thing moving before the big guy was taken aboard?
And why doesn't the big, hairy guy ever get the girl? Come on, he saved her life, and fought all those airplanes for her! But he fell off the damn buliding! Didn't even get a good scritching session in. Oh, well, at least she didn't end up with that idiot Denham.
I think it would've been a much better movie, if the plot moved faster. They could've focused more on the relationship between Ann and Kong. They made a cute couple.
That's not as much joking as you'd think. While Kong was big, loud, uncivilized, and violent, he had a tenderness about him, and an appreciation of beauty. It's rare to see a monster movie where you're sad the monster died. Kudos there, and also for casting Jack Black as Denham. He was perfect for the role.