King Kong Movie Review 2005

In this remake of the 1933 classic, Depression-era filmmaker Carl Denham (Black) lures starving ingenue Ann Darrow (Watts) and screenwriter Jack Driscoll (Brody) to the uncharted Skull Island to shoot his masterpiece. However, once they arrive, the crew meets angry natives, rampaging dinosaurs, and a massive, menacing monkey named Kong. We all know where the story goes from there, but Jackson enlivens the familiar with thrilling action sequences (Kong vs. T. Rexes equals awesome) and the most expressive simian ever put to film (WETA deserves an acting Oscar for Kong's face alone). Regrettably, the three-hour flick drags whenever Kong isn't on-screen, and Jackson spends way too much time with his so-so supporting cast. But, as always, Kong remains king.

Distribution

Not Yet Released

Running time 187 minutes.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Fantasy, Sci Fi, Action-Drama, Killer Apes and Monkeys, Period Piece: 1930s, Great Depression, New York, New York, Showbiz Dramas, Action-Thriller, Island Fare, Romantic Drama, Dinosaurs, Top Grossing Films of 2005

Screenplay

Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens

Cast

Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Colin Hanks, Jamie Bell, Evan Dexter Parke, Kyle Chandler, Andy Serkis, Lobo Chan

Cinematography

Andrew Lesnie

Director

Peter Jackson

Music

James Newton Howard

Other

Hammond Peek, Jamie Selkirk, Jabez Olssen, Simon Bright, Joseph Bleakley, Terry Ryan, Grant Major

Producer

Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson, Jan Blenkin, Carolynne Cunningham, Wingnut Films, Universal

Awards

Oscars 2005: Sound, Visual FX; British Acad. 2005: Visual FX.