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King Kong (2005)

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A greedy film producer assembles a team of moviemakers and sets out for the infamous Skull Island, where they find more than just cannibalistic natives.

Director:

Peter Jackson

Writers:

Fran Walsh (screenplay), Philippa Boyens (screenplay) | 3 more credits »
Popularity
1,040 ( 42)
Won 3 Oscars. Another 43 wins & 102 nominations. See more awards »

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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 William Johnson ... Manny
Mark Hadlow ... Harry
Geraldine Brophy ... Maude
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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

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

The eighth wonder of the world.


Certificate:

14A | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The non-profit organization with which producer and performer Anthony Begonia volunteers was featured during the New York City depression feeding scenes. See more »

Goofs

Throughout her time on Skull Island, Ann does not sustain any notable injuries despite being manhandled by Kong and running barefooted through a jungle in nothing more than a nightgown. See more »

Quotes

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

Alternate Versions

On November 14, 2006, an extended edition DVD was released with 13 minutes of additional scenes edited back into the film. Denham's party is attacked both by a Ceratops immediately upon entering the jungle to rescue Ann and by a giant fish while on rafts on a river, after which they kill a giant bird while firing blindly into the jungle (the longest addition by far). Baxter's rescue of the party is extended and finishes with Jimmy's farewell to Hayes. Kong's pursuit of the party on Skull Island and his pursuit of Driscoll in NYC are slightly extended, and there are two brief additional encounters between Kong and the military in NYC. A complete breakdown is at http://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=3550. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Kong: Skull Island (2017) See more »

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
See more »

User Reviews

 
Mixed Feelings
1 January 2006 | by ktgcSee all my reviews

King Kong is a well known story to millions of people and director Peter Jackson has brought it back to the big screen with much longer screen time and much bigger budget. Is it worth watching? My answer would be yes. Is it as good as Titanic or any of the Lord of the Rings movies? Definitely no. I have to admire Peter Jackson's courage to lengthen the story to include more human emotions and he succeeded in one area, but failed in another area. The relationship between King Kong and the "beauty" (Naomi Watts) is well defined and actually evoked a lot of emotion from me. The tragedy between King Kong and the "beauty" has connected me with King Kong, a computer generated character and I felt sad to see him die. However, Peter Jackson also created a similar relationship between the "beauty" and male (Adrien Brody). This human relationship of risk-all for a beauty does not work well and it is greatly overshadowed by the relationship of King Kong and the "beauty." The other human characters are just like cardboards that are not really interesting and inconsistent, except Jack Black character who is supposed to be the evil character of the movie. One example of inconsistency of character development is the captain who switches from greedy, practical minded character to bravery and heroic not just once, but actually twice in the movie. King Kong would be a much better movie if it only concentrated on the love story between King Kong (the Beast) and the "Beauty." It can be much shorter and much more entertaining. Overall, King Kong is still a good movie, but it is not as enjoyable as The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe or any of the Lord of the Rings movies.


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Frequently Asked Questions

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Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

New Zealand | USA | Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 December 2005 (Canada) See more »

Also Known As:

King Kong See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

$207,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$50,130,145, 18 December 2005

Gross USA:

$218,080,025

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$562,363,449
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (extended edition)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1
See full technical specs »

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