"King Kong" finally proves that Peter Jackson is a brilliant filmmaker. That little Rings trilogy had its moments, but far too often felt a little soulless and mechanical, as if he was just going through the motions. With Kong, however, you immediately get the sense that he loves and respects the material far more than he did Tolkien, and there is a vibrant heart beating throughout. The special effects - and general look of the film - are terrific. The team at Weta absolutely nailed Kong, and Andy Serkis gives another brilliant performance captured entirely in CG (look for Serkis also as Lumpy the Cook). Another long effects sequence, a stampede of dinosaurs, is saved from being a pedestrian thrill by smart, character-driven flashes of humor. And the battle against the T-rex is a never-ending thrill-ride, an orgy of joyful effects and spectacular violence.
The performances are universally effective. Jack Black is a bit distracting at first, but he makes sense as rogue filmmaker Carl Denham. Adrien Brody gives another performance where his eyes do most of the work for him. Naomi Watts is fantastic, proving once again she can stare at something offscreen better than any other actress alive. A solid supporting cast - Colin Hanks, Jamie Bell, Thomas Kretschmann, the aforementioned Serkis - round out a good ensemble. There are surprisingly funny moments and in-joke references to the original film ("Fay's doing a picture for RKO. Damn Cooper.").
The star here is, of course, Kong, and Jackson has a lot of fun with him. The beast is touching, romantic, overwhelming with a more expressive face than on most actors today. The cinematography captures the ape in some of the most beautiful shots I've seen, and creates rare visual poetry with the epic Empire State Building sequence. James Newton Howard's score is powerful, epic and tragic at the same time being a rousing adventure. It is very easy to tell how much Jackson and his team love this material, how much he loves his job. He's as excited as a kid on Christmas telling this story, and I was right there with him.
The performances are universally effective. Jack Black is a bit distracting at first, but he makes sense as rogue filmmaker Carl Denham. Adrien Brody gives another performance where his eyes do most of the work for him. Naomi Watts is fantastic, proving once again she can stare at something offscreen better than any other actress alive. A solid supporting cast - Colin Hanks, Jamie Bell, Thomas Kretschmann, the aforementioned Serkis - round out a good ensemble. There are surprisingly funny moments and in-joke references to the original film ("Fay's doing a picture for RKO. Damn Cooper.").
The star here is, of course, Kong, and Jackson has a lot of fun with him. The beast is touching, romantic, overwhelming with a more expressive face than on most actors today. The cinematography captures the ape in some of the most beautiful shots I've seen, and creates rare visual poetry with the epic Empire State Building sequence. James Newton Howard's score is powerful, epic and tragic at the same time being a rousing adventure. It is very easy to tell how much Jackson and his team love this material, how much he loves his job. He's as excited as a kid on Christmas telling this story, and I was right there with him.