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King Kong (2005) 7.3
Ratings:
7.3/10 from 222,781 users
Metascore: 81/100
Reviews: 2,579 user | 435 critic | 39 from Metacritic.com In 1933 New York, an overly ambitious movie producer coerces his cast and hired ship crew to travel to mysterious Skull Island, where they encounter Kong, a giant ape who is immediately smitten with leading lady Ann Darrow. Director:Peter Jackson |
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Naomi Watts | ... | ||
| Jack Black | ... | ||
| Adrien Brody | ... | ||
| Thomas Kretschmann | ... | ||
| Colin Hanks | ... | ||
| Andy Serkis | ... | ||
| Evan Parke | ... | ||
| Jamie Bell | ... | ||
| Lobo Chan | ... | ||
| John Sumner | ... | ||
| Craig Hall | ... | ||
| Kyle Chandler | ... | ||
 |
William Johnson | ... | |
| Mark Hadlow | ... | ||
|
|
Geraldine Brophy | ... | |
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Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Storyline
Carl Denham needs to finish his movie and has the perfect location; Skull Island. But he still needs to find a leading lady. This 'soon-to-be-unfortunate' soul is Ann Darrow. No one knows what they will encounter on this island and why it is so mysterious, but once they reach it, they will soon find out. Living on this hidden island is a giant gorilla and this beast now has Ann is its grasps. Carl and Ann's new love, Jack Driscoll must travel through the jungle looking for Kong and Ann, whilst avoiding all sorts of creatures and beasts. But Carl has another plan in mind. Written by Film_Fan
Taglines:
The eighth wonder of the world.Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated PG-13 for frightening adventure violence and some disturbing images | See all certifications »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Language:
EnglishRelease Date:
14 December 2005 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Peter Jackson's King Kong See more »Box Office
Budget:
$207,000,000 (estimated)Opening Weekend:
$213,679 (South Africa) (6 January 2006)Gross:
$218,051,260 (USA) (31 March 2006)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
| (extended edition)Color:
ColorAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
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from the underscore of the King Kong
Written by Max Steiner
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The non-profit organization producer/performer Anthony Begonia volunteers with was featured during the New York depression feeding scenes. See more »Goofs
When Kong is carrying Ann during the fight with the dinosaurs, Ann's legs are facing one direction and her torso (including her head) is facing the opposite direction. See more »Crazy Credits
The end credits are set against an art deco backdrop rather than the traditional black screen. The backdrop is an exact replica, in Technicolor, of the same backdrop that was used for the opening credits in the 1933 version of "King Kong". See more »Soundtracks
"Fanfares Nos. 1, 2 and 3, The Sailors, The Aeroplane, Elevated Sequence, Jungle Dance, The Escape"from the underscore of the King Kong
Written by Max Steiner
See more »
Let me be the first to admit that there's nothing wrong with a long movie, nothing at all. "Titanic" was a long movie that was as exactly as long as it needed to be. "Gone with the Wind" was a really long movie that was exactly as long as it needed to be. "Dances with Wolves" was a long movie that I wish had been even longer when I saw it in the theater. But "King Kong"? Phhewww...this sucker clocks in at least 30-60 minutes longer than it needs to be. While it played, I kept inadvertently thinking to myself, "Boy, we really should be out to sea by now...they haven't reached the island yet?...man, are they EVER gonna find Ann?...jeez, when are we gonna go back to Manhattan already?..." and so on. Hand to God--I actually yawned twice during the last third of this movie. I even closed my eyes for a second before I realized, 'hey...you can't just rewind this when you wake up!'
Sure, many scenes in "King Kong" were thrilling (e.g., LOVED the T-Rex sequence) and, yes, I even teared up a little a couple of times. And I must say, Kong himself was beautifully realized--he looked and acted like a REAL gorilla (albeit a tiny bit anthropomorphized)! But I gotta tell you...I was more relieved than exhilarated when this movie ended. (If I saw one more flyover of the native village, I was gonna scream!) Peter...baby...why spend so much time developing all these extraneous secondary characters if you don't really have much closure with them by the end. For example, the ship's captain and Jimmy...once we leave Skull Island...pfffftttt...we never them again. Why all the backstory scenes about them? As with the original version, Jackson should have concentrated simply on the four main characters throughout: Kong, Ann, Driscoll and Denham. Period.
The problem is Jackson tried to make an epic out of a thriller, when these two approaches are generally exclusive to each other. The original "Kong" MOVED because it was simply a thriller and content to be so, but Jackson's remake starts and stops, and starts and stops, and starts and stops, merely frustrating the thrillseeker in us that wants to keep going every time Jackson establishes some momentum. But instead Jackson pauses to "delve" or "explore" or "elaborate" a la David Lean or something like that. One can excuse Jackson for shooting so much material for the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy--consider the rich source material . But how anyone could have taken the 100-minute original and nearly doubled it for a remake has far too much memory on his Mac. He should have saved all the extra footage (and I'm betting there's a LOT more we didn't see in the theatrical cut) for the DVD release as he did for LOTR. Mr. Jackson's first priority as a filmmaker (well, all filmmakers) is to present the most appropriate cut for THEATRICAL audiences during the film's initial exhibition in theaters. In this case, more WAS less. Much shorter movies in the past have had intermissions!
Honestly, though I certainly enjoyed "King Kong", I really have no desire to see this movie again--I just couldn't bring myself to sit through all the filler just to get to the good parts. How I wish Jackson and/or Universal would consider releasing a 2-hour DVD version. Hey, it's happened before, so what's the harm? Inside of a year there'll be 17 versions out on DVD anyway...what's one more? But having to sit through a 3-4 hour DVD version someday? I'll take a pass.
Do I recommend seeing "King Kong"? Of course. You'll probably enjoy it immensely, despite it's overlength. But if you do go, by all means lay off the Jumbo Coke until at least 90 minutes in! You'll thank me later.