peter jackson's king kong....

saltysam · Post by **saltysam** » 16 Dec 2005, 19:56

what sort of membership do we have here when a thread on american pie band camp has 16 replies and yet no-one has started a thread on this blockbuster

:shock:i know it's being talked about in the anticipated theatrical one but i reckon it deserves it's own. anyone going to see it this weekend.? i hear it's over 3 hours long.. : :

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 16 Dec 2005, 20:49

I'd love to see it

Its got some very good reviews - I have reservations about the 3 hour runtime, mind you that never stopped TGTBATU, Seven Samurai or LOTR

saltysam · Post by **saltysam** » 16 Dec 2005, 21:11

i'm just curious how they fill that running time, the original around 100 minutes long worked just great for me.

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 16 Dec 2005, 21:55

I havent seen the original yet

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 16 Dec 2005, 22:40

saltysam wrote:i'm just curious how they fill that running time, the original around 100 minutes long worked just great for me.

Well, after 80 minutes in the original, you are almost at the finale, while the remake starts just after 80 minutes.

I watched the film on Wednesday and even though you have to wait more than an hour for King Kong to appear, the first third is made quite well and interesting enough to justify the long waiting period.

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 27 Dec 2005, 04:59

It's fantastic.

The 50 minute build up really works IMO, the action then kicks in and that's great too (it does get a little silly though).

BiscLimpkit · Post by **BiscLimpkit** » 27 Dec 2005, 17:42

I've seen the 1933 and 2005 versions. Here are my thoughts:

King Kong (2005) - 5/5

Way to go Mr Jackson. I'll admit, I was very spectical of PJ wanting to do King Kong after the LOTR trilogy. Judging by the average Hollywood remake, I wasn't exactly hopeful and felt that this move would be a step down for the director.

How wrong was I? In all honesty, this is the best remake in the world. The filmmakers have taken a 1933 classic and revamped it to suit today's audiences. There is a lot more emotion, the underlying themes and messages about man vs nature are more apparant, and of course the visuals are absolutely stunning. It is a chapter by chapter remake of the 1933 version but has been extended to cater for character development and some fantastic battle segments. Even the deleted scene from the 1933 version (spider pit) has been included here with unappologetic greusomenes. There are lovely homages to the original Kong as well. All in all, this is exactly how a remake should be.

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 29 Jan 2006, 10:23

My thoughts:

King Kong (2005) - 5/5

Absoloutely brilliant.
Even though you have to wait more than an hour for Kong to appear (as LD said), its' more than worth the wait, it keeps you interested and the film never gets boring - even though it may be too long (does that make sense?) - and delivers some stunning set pieces, starting with the attack by the hostile natives of Skull Island and continuing with a dinosaur rampage. I also liked seeing Kong taking on dinosaurs (when he does appear, he is a true wonder to behold) and a terrifying tribute to the lost Spider Pit sequence from the 1933 original. I also loved the beautifully designed set of 1930's New York.
Andy Serkis really brings Kong to life IMO, I felt really sorry for him
He does a job of potraying a tortured soul, a la the Beast in Beauty and The Beast, or Gollum in LOTR, wonderfully. Naomi Watts is appealing and I liked the humor in the film brought by Jack Black's movie producer, and Lumpy the Cook (Andy Serkis again).
Fantastic movie

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 30 Jan 2006, 18:19

Anyone else seen Kong apart from me, Bisc and Brad?

Yi-Long · Post by **Yi-Long** » 30 Jan 2006, 21:49

grim_tales wrote:Anyone else seen Kong apart from me, Bisc and Brad?

Like I mentioned in the Happy Chinese New year thread, right before all the swearing started

, I watched it yesterday.
Really impressed by it. Jackson is a brilliant director. Good cast, Nice story, some good effects... sweet popcorn movie

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 31 Jan 2006, 10:26

I agree it was a really great movie

I think it could have been shorter though (but as I said, when I was watching it I didnt notice the time once)