King Kong (2005)

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⭐7.5/10

This is Peter Jackson's King Kong, essentially a remake of the original 30s version, and also his first movie following Lord of the Rings. I reeeeally wanted to come in hot and call this an underrated epic masterpiece, but unfortunately I just can't quite get there. I think this is a good movie, but it certainly has its flaws. 

First off, this movie is over 3 hours long, but truthfully it feels a lot longer. It covers a ton of ground and never rushes anything. This feels like 3 movies: the journey, the jungle, and then back in New York. It truly is an epic, each of these moments feeling developed and beautifully realized. However, there are sequences in each case that feel super drawn out and unnecessary, like scenes you would see only in LOTR extended editions. There is a dinosaur chase sequence that is silly and meaningless, and SO long I couldn't believe it. I'm sure it took a ton of money and effort, but it really shouldn't have existed. 

But I couldn't help but be impressed with a lot of the grandeur in this movie. Especially compared to the new Kong movies, which have the benefit of 20 years of advancement in effects, Jackson's Kong feels much more authentic and smart. The jungle and the natives are truly terrifying (similar to scary scenes in LOTR), and Kong himself moves and acts like an actual monkey! I've also watched a lot of movies about cities being destroyed by monsters, but this Kong in this New York seems like what would actually happen if a giant monkey was let lose in a city. Just the way things break under him, you can tell lots of thought went into this. 

But in the end, this is a movie about a monkey falling in love with Naomi Watts, and this is far too serious a movie for such a silly premise. I think it's a cute idea, and gives humans meaning in a monster movie, but to quote that one classic tweet, did Kong really think he was going to date that lady? Also... Why did she act like she actually would? Pretty bizarre, but I will admit that it made the tragedy of Kong that much more effective, and I felt things as he fell from the Empire State building. He didn't want any of this! He just wanted to fight dinosaurs in his forest and watch Naomi Watts dance. 

That's about it. A mixed bag for sure, and definitely more of a classic for a monster movie than the modern silly ones.  It's a little melodramatic at times, and Jack Black utters the absolute corniest final line in any movie. But the movie is good! They go for some interesting themes and there's a ton of grand flourishes. I love movies like this. But I'm not sure I actually loved this movie. 

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