King Kong (2005)

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

Writers:

Fran Walsh (screenplay), Philippa Boyens (screenplay),

Stars:

Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody

Won 3 Oscars. Another 24 wins & 48 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Naomi Watts	...	Ann Darrow
Jack Black	...	Carl Denham
Adrien Brody	...	Jack Driscoll
Thomas Kretschmann	...	Captain Englehorn
Colin Hanks	...	Preston
Andy Serkis	...	Kong / Lumpy
Evan Parke	...	Hayes
Jamie Bell	...	Jimmy
Lobo Chan	...	Choy
John Sumner	...	Herb
Craig Hall	...	Mike
Kyle Chandler	...	Bruce Baxter
William Johnson	...	Manny
Mark Hadlow	...	Harry
Geraldine Brophy	...	Maude

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.

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Plot Keywords:

island | jungle | gorilla | 1930s | film director | 

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Taglines:

The eighth wonder of the world.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for frightening adventure violence and some disturbing images

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [uk]

Country:

New Zealand USA Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 December 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Peter Jackson's King Kong

Filming Locations:

Beach Road, Parnell, Auckland, New Zealand

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

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, WingNut Films, Big Primate Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

187 min 201 min (extended edition)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX SDDS DTS-ES

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Howard Shore had written and recorded much of the score for this film, but shortly before release, he departed from the project. Peter Jackson stated that because of "differing creative aspirations" between the two of them, they both thought it best for Shore to be replaced by James Newton Howard, who was given less than two months to write and record a new score for the entire film.

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Goofs

During the brontosaur jostling scene in the canyon, Bruce Baxter's character is threatened by a velociraptor standing just above his head. Seen from above, Baxter's reaction is to turn to his right, yet on the next shot we see him turning to his left.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Manny: [practicing sneezes] That's a funny one. Isn't that funnier?

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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".

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Connections

Referenced in Andy Barker, P.I.: The Big No Sleep (2007)

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Soundtracks

"I'm Sitting on Top of the World"
Written by Ray Henderson, Joe Young, Sam Lewis (as Sam M. Lewis)
Performed by Al Jolson
Courtesy of Geffen Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Truly A Masterpiece!

Let me just say that with all of the remakes that have been coming out, King Kong may have been the most deserving and the most in need of being remade. I could not think of a better director for this type of film than Peter Jackson.

King Kong stays pretty true to the original. Naomi Watts plays Fay Wray's Ann Darrow perfectly. Right down to her emotional connection with Kong, which is helped by the fact that Kong is pretty darn lovable when he is not ripping apart dinosaurs.

Adrien Brody plays a great Jack Driscoll as well. Brody is truly a gifted actor and plays a good hero.

Even Jack Black did a good job as the rebellious director Carl Denham. Usually I am annoyed by Black's performances, even though they are mostly in comedies. Surprisingly, Black kept his character serious and the movie is better for it. I though for sure he would be the one to ruin this movie for me but, again, I stand corrected. The comedy seemed to be reserved for Kong, himself, and did a wonderful job.

I can not express how much more I enjoyed this movie without the "guy in the suit" special effects. Kong was very appealing visually, as well as the other dinosaurs. I do not say this too much in reviews. In fact, I doubt I have ever said it but King Kong has turned out to be a masterpiece which will raise the bar for many years to come. 10/10