King Kong - 2005, Directed by Peter Jackson
Rated PG-13 for frightening adventure violence and some disturbing images.

For months now, we've been teased ad nauseam with Peter Jackson's (Lord of the Rings) new pet project. You'd have to be living under some kind of rock to have not seen at least one trailer for the hyped-up remake of King Kong. The buzz is as big as the ape, with all kinds of analysts predicting explosive box office numbers. Well, the wait is finally over. So does Jackson's labor of love meet the brouhaha? Yeah. It does.

In King Kong, an ambitious but down on his luck director (Jack Black), a reluctant playwright (Adrian Brody), and a crew of hardened sailors hit the seas in search of mysterious ground known only as Skull Island. Looking for the perfect location for a film, the group soon finds more than they bargained for. Before long (about an hour into the film), the beautiful young actress Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) is captured by natives and offered as a sacrifice to a 25-foot ape known only as Kong. Long story short, you all know the rest (hint: it involves the Empire State Building).

My concerns going into Kong were twofold. If it were to fail, it would be in either the pacing or the special effects.

First of all, the tempo. Peter Jackson isn't afraid to make a long movie (Return of the King, for example). I like long movies, so long as the story and atmosphere is appealing. There's nothing more frustrating than a stylish film that ends too fast, or a piece of trash that drags on without end. Clocked at a little over 3 hours, Kong managed to fly by. Apparently having honed the skill with the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Jackson brilliantly paced this movie. The story splits up into three pretty even segments: there's the introduction/character drama, the hardcore action/adventure, then a bit of a mixture of both to end it. And despite a few action scenes that may have run a bit long, each segment is pushed along at a fittingly brisk pace to the inevitable conclusion.

Ok, so the runtime works fine, but what about the special effects? Being opposed to the widespread use of computer generated images, I was initially disconcerted about the fully CGI Kong. First off, what little is shown of the special effects in the trailers barely scratches the surface of this phenomenally beautiful film. Everything from steamy jungles inhabited by dinosaurs to 1930's New York with its bustling city streets, the CGI is so believable and so well done that it rarely pulled me away from the film's high-adventure setting.

Quite the contrary, the special effects, more so than any movie in recent history, actually succeeded to draw me into the story. By far the most technically accomplished film to date, Jackson did a great job making things exciting and visually stunning, while keeping it based in reality.

Andy Serkis (of Gollum fame) returns to act out Kong for motion capture. Word is that he studied apes for a long while in preparation for the role, and it shows. Kong moves and acts in a very fluent, ape-like manner. As hard as it may seem to believe, there were times I actually forgot Kong was computer generated--a great feat, indeed. I don't mind CGI done right. And boy, oh boy, this is CGI done right.

As far as the real actors are concerned, King Kong gets no complaints from me. Watts and Brody are both exemplary in their leading roles, Jack Black is competent enough in his first semi-serious role, and the strong supporting cast rounds out the list of fine performances. Special props go to Adrian Brody, whom I've doubted on many occasions as an actor capable of playing an action role. I'm pretty sure I saw him punch out a velociraptor, so for that alone I will give him just dues.

If I had to find fault with Kong (nothing's perfect), I would have to say it is in the scope of the story. In some places, it seemed like it was trying to be too many things to too many people. Intertwined are quite a few characters, sub-plots, and genres. One minute its a love story, then you get a big shoot-out, then a bit of dialogue--it can get a bit hectic at times, but the transitions are such that nothing is terribly detracting.

I could probably continue to ramble on here for a while, so I will just spare you and give you one final piece of advice. See this movie, I highly doubt you will be disappointed.

Memorable Scene: A ridiculous 12 dinosaur pile-up that seemed to last longer than it should have. Something about seeing velociraptors being crushed by a herd of toppling long-necks tickled my funny bone.