I went to see King Kong because there was such a love hate response to the film that I had to experience it for myself. Coming in at 3 hours, this movie may have turned off moviegoers with its sheer length. Director Peter Jackson's plan was to take the original Kong and create an epic with the savage beast. The giant gorilla called Kong does not make an appearance until about 45 minutes in. Beforehand, we get to see the sights in New York, but the city is living in tough times.

We sweep over the prohibition busts, sad ghettos and desperate people to learn about Ann Darrow, a comedic stage performer who wants to expand her stage career. The object of her affection is Jack Driscoll (Adrian Brody), or rather, his plays.

The theater company she works for goes under, and Ann is once again left alone to fend for herself, like she has her whole life. She tries to find work with Jack Driscoll, but she can't get close enough to him to make an impression. By fate (which is overtly pointed out to us), Ann meets Carl Denham (comedic actor/ 1/2 of the band Tenacious D, Jack Black), a man who squeaks by as a director by scheming and staying a step ahead of everyone he influences to help him.

Denham's vision is to go into the heart of an uncharted island and film an action love story, staring leading man Bruce Baxter (Kyle Chandler). Denham meets Ann at her most desperate, and tricks her into taking the vacant role of the leading lady. Denham hires a ship, the Venture, and narrowly avoids being arrested for stealing the funds to finance his trip. There we meet the manly crew of the ship and Jack Driscoll. This is probably the least interesting part of the film, with its big hands forcing you to focus on what will become the love story. Subtlety is not something that Peter Jackson does effectively in the first hour or so of the movie.

Carl Denham's scheme to get the ship's captain (Thomas Kretschmann) is discovered, but supernatural events still drive the ship towards the fog-enshrouded Skull Island. This is where we get the real meat of the story, which is an amazing set of incredible visuals. Denham and all of his film crew go to shoot scenes on the island, and they find trouble in the form of ultra-savage, self-mutilating inhabitants. The brutality that Peter Jackson frames is quite terrifying, but the crazed close-ups of some of the natives may be giggle-inducing.

More events lead Ann Darrow to her second "love interest," the mighty Kong. King Kong may be made of CGI on-screen, but he is played in a scene-stealing role by Andy Serkis, who also did the motion capture and voiced the wicked Gollum in Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. The eventual DVD extras will reveal exactly how much of the physical actions Serkis was involved in, but Kong moves so naturally and so effectively that when Kong is in action, you can believe that a 20-foot gorilla could actually exist. Great computer synthesis of the beast also helps this performance, and Kong is the most beautiful computer generated feature of the film, and he has as wide a range of emotions over the course of his adventure.

If you have seen or even heard of the original King Kong you know what happens next, but there are so many thrills left in the film before Kong makes it to the bright lights of New York City. On the savage island, there are creatures that time forgot and blown-up versions of creepy crawlies that we all recognize. Again, the suspenseful battle scenes will have moviegoers on the edge of their seat and there are unexpected moments that are frightening. This movie is also graphic and gross, especially when Kong fights the Prehistoric giants, the tyrannosaurus Rexes.

Many people die and are killed in gruesome ways. This is what is worth the price of admission. Whenever Kong is on-screen, he is incredibly exciting to watch. You feel for him, even though he is morally ambiguous, killing anyone who opposes him. In the climax, Kong is a savage in a civilized world, and Kong is no longer the villain, but a tragic figure and Jack Black's Carl Denham is the real villain.

While King Kong is undoubtedly unparalleled in its beauty and visual scope, there is a problem with the focus on so many of the periphery characters, and the camera forces the viewer to pay attention to whatever character its focused on, and for a bit too long.

While it can absolutely be argued that this movie could have cut a few minutes here and there, it should not be said that this was not a worthwhile remake. Peter Jackson's plusses outweigh his slip-ups in Kong and it is a faithful recreation of all of the sights and sounds the original Kong contained. This movie also resurrects issues about the conflict between civilized society and a "savage, " reclusive culture, which are timeless. One person to the next will get different meaning from the movie, but most will enjoy Kong and his beautiful brutality.

Recommended:
Yes

Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older