 Movie
Reviews
with Evelyn Gough
King Kong (M)
Directed by Peter Jackson
Naomi Watts realises too late why it was such a cheap Contiki mystery flight....
You know summer's here when huge blockbusters hit cinema screens. And you couldn't get anything bigger than Peter Jackson's remake of King Kong.
We have the 1933 original, starring Fay Wray, to thank for inspiring a young Peter Jackson to become a director. So it's not surprising to discover that his dream has been to recreate the classic tale of the gigantic ape and his tragic fate at the hands of man.
And what a fantastic job Jackson has done! Through the magic of CGI we are transported back in time to New York during the Great Depression where struggling vaudeville actress Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) is approached by filmmaker Carl Denham (Jack Black) to star in his latest adventure epic. She's reluctant at first until she discovers that her favourite playwright Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody) is involved and will be travelling with them to the mysterious Skull Island. This is the place time forgot. Death and danger lurk around every corner along with a terrifying beast known by the natives as Kong. And no one who sets foot on that island will ever be the same again!
The multi-Oscar winning director of The Lord of the Rings trilogy doesn't disappoint with this three hour, 17-minute epic. Forget Jurassic Park - you haven't seen a dinosaur stampede until you've seen King Kong. And if the creepy-crawlies in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom made your skin crawl then you're going to need a valium to cope with the bugs that call Skull Island home.
Thankfully, King Kong is far more than just a monster movie. Peter Jackson has put his heart and soul into this project and it shows. He had given real depth to the relationship between Ann and Kong (played by Jackson favourite Andy Serkis). The romance between the blonde bombshell and Driscoll is irrelevant. It's the bond that develops between girl and ape that touches your heart.
Jackson is a passionate and imaginative director and this movie proves to be the perfect outlet for his genius. The stellar cast also includes Colin Hanks, Jamie Bell, Kyle Chandler, Evan Parke and Thomas Kretschmann.
It's must see on the big screen. Aren't you glad summer is here?!
|
