A Masterpiece or a Misstep? King Kong (2004) -- Directed by Peter Jackson
Like a pulp era adventure-fantasy novel came to life, 'King Kong' delivers fast-paced action with a bang — and melodrama by the bucket-full.
'Heart of Darkness' is referenced in the movie, Jimmy is reading it. Successful nod to a literary classic.
Begins with some suspense but quickly course-corrects with silly antics; the hamfisted comedy on-screen harkens back to early era cinema. Is stylistically similar to Disney epics like 'Pirates of the Caribbean' and 'Jungle Cruise' — both a positive and a negative, more on that later!
The homage/tribute to the 1930s version; nice touch, in this movie we are watching the expedition that "filmed" the first King Kong motion picture. The (implied) contrast between the original colourless visuals vs the high-gloss saturated look of the newer film is very pleasing. Breathing new life into iconic imagery isn't just a gimmick; this movie knows that.
Jack Black has to carry the film in the early stages but struggles slightly to fulfill the "feels" required from the lead of a melodrama. Melodramatic acting should be a bit over the top, it makes sense why Black was enlisted for the part, yet I wish a little more direction (or character work) had taken place before shooting, he's a tad "wooden" at times.
Some argue the set-up for 'King Kong' (2004) is a bit excessive, creating disequilibrium in the pacing — in other words, it may have an overwritten beginning — which weighs down the second and third act to some degree. I don't completely agree with the general consensus; that the first act is too slow, and or, too expositional. It's necessary to the plot — and allows for thorough characterization to take place. This helps to build a solid foundation for the "all is lost moment" leading up to the climax.
When crafting a story, creating emotional investment in the characters is not only advisable – it's a clear advantage. But King Kong could be a bit shorter in places, sure, that's a valid criticism.
The look of this movie is awe inducing; meticulous wardrobe and set designs, classical framing, and blocking, applied to a contemporary picture, not to mention – a self referential plot made especially for cinema buffs. The colour grading is vibrant and saturated; fantastical, with lots of purposeful shine from overhead lighting on the actors to evoke a whimsical feeling, almost celestial at times.
Naomi Watts provides an awesome performance – a reservoir of emotional depth that goes a long way towards selling her character's innermost desires. Watts' facial acting is universally expressive; providing a mirror into her character's trepidation. The whole story revolves around her, and being front-and-center is where Watts seems most comfortable. Her acting-style here is naturalistic, contrasting and playing well off of Jack Black's grandiose portrayal and running parallel to Adrian Brody's performance.
Upon the release of Peter Jackson's epic 'King Kong' it stumbled during the first weekend, not hitting the benchmarks set for it.
"In North America, King Kong grossed $9.8 million during its Wednesday opening and $50.1 million over its first weekend for a five-day total of $66.2 million from around 7,500 screens at 3,568 theaters.[43] Some analysts considered these initial numbers disappointing, saying that studio executives had been expecting more." [1][2]
But after that initial falter, 'King Kong' picked up steam, eventually earning a whopping 556.9 million on a budget of 207 million, so, a fair chunk of change. The studios were banking on another box office home run – a là 'Lord of the Rings' – from the New Zealand filmmaker, and now they had it!
In the process of making all that money it also snagged three Oscars at the academy awards: "Best Visual Effects", "Best Sound Mixing", and "Best Sound Editing".
It also received a nomination for "Best Art Direction" but lost to Guillermo del Toro's somber picture, 'Pan's Labyrinth'.
What may have contributed to the difficulty this film had in reaching some of its intended audience: is that it rarely seems to know who that intended audience is…
I mentioned the clashing tones; is this a serious piece of cinema or a fun, silly, adventure that the whole family can enjoy?
This film fails (slightly) to achieve the sensibilities required when balancing deeper themes with lighter subject matter but still manages to be a well-executed, technical masterpiece — so what gives?
"The film garnered positive reviews, and eventually appeared in several top ten lists for 2005; it was praised for the special effects, performances, sense of spectacle and comparison to the 1933 original, though some criticisms were raised over its 3-hour run time." -Wikipedia [3]
I think Peter Jackson was trying to recapture the "whimsy meets serious-melodrama" style of his last three pictures, 'Fellowship of the Ring, Two Towers, and Return of the King', all of which feature lighthearted and melancholic tones, juxtaposed perfectly.
It makes sense to take this approach to 'King Kong', and once the movie's tortoise-paced first act is over, and the characters arrive at Skull Island, we are treated to more visual effects than almost any other "creature feature". A bit of tonal dissonance can be forgiven since it's such an effects driven film overall.
- On a much more positive note: this movie is a smorgasbord of all-you-can-eat baddies; we got giant worms, giant bugs, dinosaurs, angry island-dwellers, the titular "King Kong", as well as the Skull Crawlers, all monsters iconic to the franchise.
So, in the end, if you wait patiently through the set-up… there's a damned good payoff, damn good!
Also, there's a giant monkey.
Ape?
Whatever.
Rating 7.5/10
A beef patty – charbroiled, with caramelized onions and Guinness infused cheese. Fries cost extra.
KONG BURGER
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Sources:
[1]] Strowbridge, C.S. (December 19, 2005). "Kong's King". The Numbers News.
[2], Brandon (December 19, 2005). "'King Kong' Mighty But No Monster".
https://web.archive.org/web/20160305211658/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=1966&p=.htm.
[3]
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Kong_(2005_film)
