In the early 1930's (or so), filmmaker Carl Denham (Jack Black) hears about a mysterious island, and thinks it would be absolutely perfect for an epic. Unfortunately, the studio is tired of his bombs, so he has to quickly sneak out of California before his writer, Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody), newly-found actress Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts), and the crew of the ship he hasn't completely paid for the rent on realize that he's literally stealing away to the island. When he gets there, though, he and the others find not only a beautiful shooting location, but also a few tremendously big animals, not the least of which is a 25-foot gorilla, who just happens to take a liking to Ann a liking that Driscoll has already taken. Commence gigantic, $200,000,000 action scenes and an odd semi-romantic triangle.
Okay, you've just made one of the three most impressive trilogies in the history of film (in this case, the Lord of the Rings, the other two being the Godfather and the original Star Wars series). So, what do you do next? Well, in Peter Jackson's case, he chose to remake a classic. Typical Hollywood logic. But, hey, it's Peter Jackson.
And you get exactly what you expect from Jackson: not only stunning special effects, gargantuan (and extended) action sequences, and all the spectacle and adventure you could ever want, but also a well-written script, all of which are additions to a very compelling story.
And great performances. Watts is superb, especially considering she is barely given any dialogue. Brody is surprisingly good as an old-fashioned hero. Black shows that he can actually act in a more or less serious role, which is a little unexpected if you're used to his comic roles.
The film is basically divided into thirds, each of which lasts an hour. The first third, where the characters are developed and the story is set it, is wonderful. We get great characters and a charming (if underdeveloped) romance between Ann and Jack. In fact, I honestly wish this part had been longer.
The middle third is basically just non-stop action. Extremely intense action. Almost unbearably intense. In fact, to be completely honest, it's a little bit too much. This could have been a little bit shorter. (especially the giant bug scene, which is really close to too much) Jackson really walks a fine line, going right over the edge to being just a little too much. Those with weak stomachs will find it to be too much. I didn't, but the again, after the original Dawn of the Dead, there really isn't much that overdoes it for me. Seriously, if you can sit through the first twenty minutes of that film, you can sit through anything.
However, on the whole, that part's great, too.
And then there's the last third, which is almost an absolute knockout. Kong's escape from the theater is absolutely riveting. The scene on the ice is incredibly moving. And, of course, the climax is pretty classic. And yet, somehow, it doesn't have quite the dramatic, emotional, or adventurous punch it should have. It goes right on the verge of being an absolute knockout, and misses for some reason.
But, hey, honestly, how many movies even get this close? And how many adventure movies are this well written? Heck, how many dramas are this well written? Of course, the Academy doesn't care how frickin' well-written the movie is. It's not a boring, dialogue-driven, highly liberal drama, so it wasn't nominated for Best Picture, Director, Actress, or Screenplay. I mean, I honestly expected it to get at least one of those four. But, no, the academy would rather give the awards to Steven Spielburg making a "serious" movie that doesn't have half the power of this film (not that Munich isn't and exceptional film, but comparatively ). They'd rather give it to a biography that doesn't have even the slightest emotional involvement or entertainment value (Capote). They'd rather give it to the gay cowboy movie.
In fact, this didn't even get nominated for the major tech awards like editing and music. Not that it especially deserved the latter, but I expected it to get something.
However, the movie did manage the at least get a few of the technical nominations it deserved --- Art Direction, Sound, Sound Editing, and Visual Effects.
And that's it.
Not the stunning cinematography, or the costume design, or the makeup.
No, the academy actually manages to put their heads even further up their butts than they already had them.
Ah well. The Oscars aren't everything. It doesn't matter what they give this. It's still an excellent adventure and an equally drama. And in comparison to the 70's version --- heck, I actually liked that version, but compared to this, I really can't defend it. This movie absolutely rocks on just about every level that a film should.
Okay, you've just made one of the three most impressive trilogies in the history of film (in this case, the Lord of the Rings, the other two being the Godfather and the original Star Wars series). So, what do you do next? Well, in Peter Jackson's case, he chose to remake a classic. Typical Hollywood logic. But, hey, it's Peter Jackson.
And you get exactly what you expect from Jackson: not only stunning special effects, gargantuan (and extended) action sequences, and all the spectacle and adventure you could ever want, but also a well-written script, all of which are additions to a very compelling story.
And great performances. Watts is superb, especially considering she is barely given any dialogue. Brody is surprisingly good as an old-fashioned hero. Black shows that he can actually act in a more or less serious role, which is a little unexpected if you're used to his comic roles.
The film is basically divided into thirds, each of which lasts an hour. The first third, where the characters are developed and the story is set it, is wonderful. We get great characters and a charming (if underdeveloped) romance between Ann and Jack. In fact, I honestly wish this part had been longer.
The middle third is basically just non-stop action. Extremely intense action. Almost unbearably intense. In fact, to be completely honest, it's a little bit too much. This could have been a little bit shorter. (especially the giant bug scene, which is really close to too much) Jackson really walks a fine line, going right over the edge to being just a little too much. Those with weak stomachs will find it to be too much. I didn't, but the again, after the original Dawn of the Dead, there really isn't much that overdoes it for me. Seriously, if you can sit through the first twenty minutes of that film, you can sit through anything.
However, on the whole, that part's great, too.
And then there's the last third, which is almost an absolute knockout. Kong's escape from the theater is absolutely riveting. The scene on the ice is incredibly moving. And, of course, the climax is pretty classic. And yet, somehow, it doesn't have quite the dramatic, emotional, or adventurous punch it should have. It goes right on the verge of being an absolute knockout, and misses for some reason.
But, hey, honestly, how many movies even get this close? And how many adventure movies are this well written? Heck, how many dramas are this well written? Of course, the Academy doesn't care how frickin' well-written the movie is. It's not a boring, dialogue-driven, highly liberal drama, so it wasn't nominated for Best Picture, Director, Actress, or Screenplay. I mean, I honestly expected it to get at least one of those four. But, no, the academy would rather give the awards to Steven Spielburg making a "serious" movie that doesn't have half the power of this film (not that Munich isn't and exceptional film, but comparatively ). They'd rather give it to a biography that doesn't have even the slightest emotional involvement or entertainment value (Capote). They'd rather give it to the gay cowboy movie.
In fact, this didn't even get nominated for the major tech awards like editing and music. Not that it especially deserved the latter, but I expected it to get something.
However, the movie did manage the at least get a few of the technical nominations it deserved --- Art Direction, Sound, Sound Editing, and Visual Effects.
And that's it.
Not the stunning cinematography, or the costume design, or the makeup.
No, the academy actually manages to put their heads even further up their butts than they already had them.
Ah well. The Oscars aren't everything. It doesn't matter what they give this. It's still an excellent adventure and an equally drama. And in comparison to the 70's version --- heck, I actually liked that version, but compared to this, I really can't defend it. This movie absolutely rocks on just about every level that a film should.