Paradise Reel

King Kong

In the year of films that were either “based on a true story”, literary adaptations and contemporary re-envisions of classics, Universal’s latest remake of the film “King Kong” has stood out solely for the reason that it was Peter Jackson’s follow up to his Oscar winning “Lord of the Rings” trilogy and also the fact that it was on his pot boiler ever since he first saw the 1933 version. Originally planned to be produced after his stint on “The Frighteners” (a totally underrated film starring Michael J. Fox about a con artist who enlists the help of ghosts to cheat folks out of their hard earned cash. Go rent it!), the rights to the film were not available and then LOTR came along to divert his attention. After the success of the ‘One Ring’ trilogy, he is now able to devote the time and technology to finally realize his vision of the once and future Kong.

As with all film icons, we should have at least encountered a rendition of this tale at least once in our lives but for those who are not as fortunate, “King Kong” is a classic retelling of the age old concept of the “Beauty and the Beast” just that this time the ‘beast’ lives on a remote island (presumably near Sumatra) and is a 25ft silver back gorilla that could rampage a city into a smoldering mess faster than Tokyo’s Godzilla on a good day. Peter Jackson has taken that very premise and expanded upon the relationship between the monkey and the maiden; to almost an extreme point where the rest of the characters are relegated to being merely cursory pawns in Peter’s grand scheme. There seem to be an imbalanced amount of attention devoted to Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts of “Mulholland Dr.” and “Tank Girl”) and “The 8th Wonder of the World”. Given that the title to the film is attributed to that giant ape, it still serves to remind us that the ultimate enjoyment of a film does not rest solely on the shoulders of a 20 ton gorilla, even if those shoulders can lift a bloody building.

And that is not to say I did not enjoy the movie at all but I honestly felt that it could have been a better, not a lot, but better. The first hour was rather uneventful as we traipse through the introductions of the different players of this lavish screen piece. We encounter Ann Darrow, struggling vaudeville performer in need of new work, Carl Denham (Jack Black in his most miscast role) renegade filmmaker in search of his ultimate vision and Jack Drescol (Adrien Brody of “The Piano Player” and “The Jacket”) budding playwright and potential love interest of Ann. There is an exceptional amount of screen time allocated to the setup which gives us an extended opportunity to attach ourselves to the characters.

It is only after they crash onto the fabled Skull Island that things start to get intriguing. And boy does Peter Jackson really pick up the pace there. From here is the start of the veritable roller coaster ride that he painstakingly setup in first hour. The ascension may have been long and tedious to the top but the fall is everything you would expect it to be.

A mainstay of Jackson’s films, which he brilliantly illustrated in “Heavenly Creatures” and “LOTR”, is the detailed characterization of his players. You can observe his master touch as he engages us in the interaction of Ms. Darrow and her feral friend. Although initial of a primal nature, Kong and Ann develop a humanistic bond that goes beyond the simplistic mistress and pet routine. There are some very tender moments between the two that would even make one tear. And that is the triumph of this film, which is not only being able to ensnare the audience into this woman-ape-man love triangle, but that the character of Kong is completely computer generated. Here we are, investing our emotions and heart into a character that speaks no words, is not entirely human and communicates mainly in grunts and huffs which results in one of the most touching ending of any of the previous Kong incarnations.

Naomi Watts indeed shines in this film as a lot of the film hinges on her ability to create a relationship with an invisible character (most of her scenes required her acting to thin air) and still make it look believable. And she pulls it off remarkably as we feel for her character, Ann Darrow, as much as we do for Kong. Adrien Brody is non-assuming as Jack Drescol and he tries his best to provide the third wheel in this love triage. Granted that the role is not at meaty as some of his other ones, he is still unable to provide a stronger opposition to Kong, emotional or otherwise. Andy Serkis (”LOTR: The Two Towers” and “The Return of the King”) provided the live action movement and mannerism of King Kong for the animators to mimic in the creation of the gorilla and he manages to capture all the little idiosyncrasies that made the ape so endearing. The one gripe I had was Jack Black as maverick film producer, Carl Denham. His character is supposed to be single minded in his pursuit of the ultimate movie but he comes off more comical than convincing.

It has been a tradition of sorts for the “Kong” films to push the boundaries of technical advancements in film. The 1933 original had arcane stop motion animation and some ingenious film trickery. The ‘76 Jessica Lange version had huge animatronics and some stop motion combined with blue screen to make it work. This time round they employed the award winning computer-animation house, WETA, who were responsible for suspending our disbelief in “LOTR”. The CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) is seamless as it is breathtaking. Very few films have utilized CGI as effectively as they have in King Kong. The emphasis was made for the effects to serve the story rather than the other way round (i.e. “Stealth”) and it shows in the final screens.

Peter Jackson has crafted a mammoth of a film with this year’s “King Kong” that is filled with grand visuals and cunning adventure. There may have been some weak characterization on the token cast members but somehow I have the suspicion that it was done on the deliberate. My initial reaction to the film was quite mixed, on one hand I enjoyed it but the film was littered with stereotypical characters and cheap caveats. It could be very well that Mr. Jackson wanted to create a film that took place in the 1930’s and was actually filmed DURING that era, without the notion of political correctness nor a need to explain everything that transpires the film. If that is the actual case then it would be sheer brilliance on Peter Jackson’s part. If not, then another great artist goes misunderstood. For those who are a little thrifty on the financial side, this is definitely a film for you to stretch your money’s worth. Three full hours of some of the best filmmaking Hollywood and New Zealand has to offer, all for the price you would normally pay for a regular 90 minute film. Go watch Kong and feel like a King.