I think that Peter Jackson must be contractually obliged to make swirling epics. To see his name at the top of the bill is to guarantee a parched throat, throbbing head and cripplingly numb buttocks it is as if he has been told that if any of his movies rock in at under three hours he will be immediately dumped by the Hollywood studios, deported back to New Zealand and forced to make art-house flicks on a shoe-string for the rest of his life.
Still, it's been sixty-odd years, so King Kong is probably due a face-lift and Jackson's eye for intricacy and respect for the original material amid his customary cinematic extravagance ensures it doesn't disappoint.
Fame-hungry movie director Carl Denham (Jack Black) is determined to get his epic picture made despite the studio pulling their financing. So he hoodwinks unknown actress Annie Darrow (Naomi Watts) and ace writer Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody) into joining his film crew on a boat trip to Singapore. En route he bribes the creaking vessel's shifty captain (Thomas Kretschmann) into detouring to the mysterious Skull Island where a giant beast is rumoured to roam.
After fending off some nefarious natives, they decide to scarper, only to discover that Annie has been kidnapped and offered up as a sacrifice to the hairy monster. Jack (who has by this stage fallen in love with Annie) resolves to rescue her, and the rest of the party escort him into the terrifying, prehistoric undergrowth with varying degrees of enthusiasm. King Kong himself, meanwhile, develops something of a fixation on his tiny captive and thus the key conflict of the movie is introduced a mere hour and a half into the film which, for Jackson at least, must be a record.
But we shouldn't grumble, for the build-up is hardly pedestrian and the action sequences on the island are simply mesmerising. I guess Jackson figured that if a 25-foot ape with "feelings" was plausible, he might as well eke out the animatronics budget out a bit further. Other residents include giant centipedes, veloceraptors, T-Rexes and various hulking behemoths that make Jurassic Park look like a petting zoo in Tunbridge Wells.
But the highlight for me was the scene where our plucky heroes are chased down a narrow ravine by a rampaging herd of Diplodocuses (diplodoci?) A truly ingenious use of technology that perfectly sums up the Jackson philosophy of set-piece envelope-pushing.
To Kong though, the dinosaurs are little more than petty annoyances and he sets about their destruction in ultra-violent fashion. Indeed, there is one incident where he fractures an enemy's fearsome jaw with a venom I can only equate to the gruesome pavement kerb scene in American History X. Evidently graphic bone-crunching brutality is acceptable among CGI characters. Either way, despite the 12A certificate, there are some moments in this film that are certainly not for kids.
If I were being pernickety, I would respectfully suggest that there are a few too many crazy animals impeding the rescue mission the T-Rexes-falling-off-the-cliff-and-getting-tangled-up-in-the-creepers scene was audacious but just a mite indulgent, and any cuts to the running time could have occurred while Jackson was introducing yet another murderous arachnid/stegosaurus/swamp monster. But this is a minor quibble.
The film hits top gear in the climactic return to New York where Jackson has fashioned an awesome 30s skyline to backdrop Kong's battle with a squadron of vintage bi-planes, and this unusual love story reaches its bitter conclusion.
Jackson has easily enough time to draw empathetic performances from all directions and Watts and Brody are perfectly cast as earnest, courageous leads. Black has drawn criticism for his bullish film director, but I thought he was terrific just enough subtlety, just enough heart a glimmer of dignity behind his crass, self-serving exterior. The crew of the good ship "Venture", despite an ongoing, clunking Heart of Darkness analogy, contain just the right mix of benevolence and villainy leaving you guessing as to their motivation throughout. Watch out for Jamie Bell (of Billy Elliot fame) as a perky Jim Hawkins style deck hand.
Andy Serkis lends his grizzled features to one of the earthier sea dogs, but will collect more plaudits for his work bringing the mighty Kong to life. It seems he is destined to spend the rest of his professional life rigged up to a computer and prancing around in front of a blue screen like some kind of loon. Still, I bet the money's good.
9/10
Still, it's been sixty-odd years, so King Kong is probably due a face-lift and Jackson's eye for intricacy and respect for the original material amid his customary cinematic extravagance ensures it doesn't disappoint.
Fame-hungry movie director Carl Denham (Jack Black) is determined to get his epic picture made despite the studio pulling their financing. So he hoodwinks unknown actress Annie Darrow (Naomi Watts) and ace writer Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody) into joining his film crew on a boat trip to Singapore. En route he bribes the creaking vessel's shifty captain (Thomas Kretschmann) into detouring to the mysterious Skull Island where a giant beast is rumoured to roam.
After fending off some nefarious natives, they decide to scarper, only to discover that Annie has been kidnapped and offered up as a sacrifice to the hairy monster. Jack (who has by this stage fallen in love with Annie) resolves to rescue her, and the rest of the party escort him into the terrifying, prehistoric undergrowth with varying degrees of enthusiasm. King Kong himself, meanwhile, develops something of a fixation on his tiny captive and thus the key conflict of the movie is introduced a mere hour and a half into the film which, for Jackson at least, must be a record.
But we shouldn't grumble, for the build-up is hardly pedestrian and the action sequences on the island are simply mesmerising. I guess Jackson figured that if a 25-foot ape with "feelings" was plausible, he might as well eke out the animatronics budget out a bit further. Other residents include giant centipedes, veloceraptors, T-Rexes and various hulking behemoths that make Jurassic Park look like a petting zoo in Tunbridge Wells.
But the highlight for me was the scene where our plucky heroes are chased down a narrow ravine by a rampaging herd of Diplodocuses (diplodoci?) A truly ingenious use of technology that perfectly sums up the Jackson philosophy of set-piece envelope-pushing.
To Kong though, the dinosaurs are little more than petty annoyances and he sets about their destruction in ultra-violent fashion. Indeed, there is one incident where he fractures an enemy's fearsome jaw with a venom I can only equate to the gruesome pavement kerb scene in American History X. Evidently graphic bone-crunching brutality is acceptable among CGI characters. Either way, despite the 12A certificate, there are some moments in this film that are certainly not for kids.
If I were being pernickety, I would respectfully suggest that there are a few too many crazy animals impeding the rescue mission the T-Rexes-falling-off-the-cliff-and-getting-tangled-up-in-the-creepers scene was audacious but just a mite indulgent, and any cuts to the running time could have occurred while Jackson was introducing yet another murderous arachnid/stegosaurus/swamp monster. But this is a minor quibble.
The film hits top gear in the climactic return to New York where Jackson has fashioned an awesome 30s skyline to backdrop Kong's battle with a squadron of vintage bi-planes, and this unusual love story reaches its bitter conclusion.
Jackson has easily enough time to draw empathetic performances from all directions and Watts and Brody are perfectly cast as earnest, courageous leads. Black has drawn criticism for his bullish film director, but I thought he was terrific just enough subtlety, just enough heart a glimmer of dignity behind his crass, self-serving exterior. The crew of the good ship "Venture", despite an ongoing, clunking Heart of Darkness analogy, contain just the right mix of benevolence and villainy leaving you guessing as to their motivation throughout. Watch out for Jamie Bell (of Billy Elliot fame) as a perky Jim Hawkins style deck hand.
Andy Serkis lends his grizzled features to one of the earthier sea dogs, but will collect more plaudits for his work bringing the mighty Kong to life. It seems he is destined to spend the rest of his professional life rigged up to a computer and prancing around in front of a blue screen like some kind of loon. Still, I bet the money's good.
9/10