"It wasn't the airplanes. It was beauty killed the beast."

Before the Lord of the Rings films, I had no idea who Peter Jackson was. This was probably true for most people. After grossing more than $1 billion worldwide, I think it’s now safe to say that there are few people who have not heard of Peter Jackson. The Lord of the Rings trilogy blew me away and I was excited to hear that Peter’s next project was a remake of the classic monster flick, King Kong.

When Kong made its debut in the theatres, the critic’s response was less than stellar. The main criticism seemed to be the film’s 3 hour-plus length, though I’m sure many critics couldn’t resist comparing Kong to The Lord of the Ring’s success. Six months later I knew I would see the film on DVD, but was unsure if I would end up adding it to my collection permanently. A few friends, who know me well, advised that the movie was right up my alley and that I would not regret blind-buying the 2-disc Special Edition.

So that’s what I did. And about a week ago I hosted a movie night where myself and several good friends got to watch King Kong for the first time.

Peter Jackson, you’re my hero.

Ironically, although most people know what King Kong is essentially about I would wager that few of them have actually seen the 1933 original. I haven’t. We’ve all seen clips here and there, usually showing Kong high atop the Empire State Building or fighting prehistoric dinosaurs on Skull Island. But considering that few of us have ever watched the original from beginning to end, it’s a testament to Kong’s popularity that we all know who King Kong is. I was excited to finally have a chance to see Kong’s story in its entirety.

Peter Jackson’s King Kong tells the story of Carl Denham (Jack Black), failing filmmaker, who charters a voyage to the mysterious Skull Island to finish his masterpiece. Joining him, whether willingly or not, are Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts), a struggling actress, and Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody), Carl’s scriptwriter. Together they set out to explore Skull Island, where they discover a lost world filled with savage tribes people and terrible monsters. The most fearsome of them all, a 25 foot giant ape called Kong becomes obsessed with Ann Darrow, while Carl becomes obsessed with capturing Kong.

I don’t think I’m giving anything away by telling you what the crew find on Skull Island, or that Carl manages to bring Kong back to New York, where all hell breaks loose. Ultimately this is a story that most of us are familiar with and know exactly how it all ends. The joy of watching King Kong is not in discovering what happens, but rather how it all happens. Peter Jackson stays true to the story of King Kong while showing it to you in a way you’ve never seen before. It’s a wonderful tribute to the original film. It does not attempt to replace the 1933 classic. On the contrary, it made me want to watch the first King Kong. That’s about the best praise a remake film can achieve.

King Kong is a terrific story filled with interesting characters and intriguing circumstances. It’s a good hour before we finally get to see Kong himself, but trust me, it’s well worth the wait. Once on Skull Island, King Kong becomes a thrill ride the likes of which I haven’t seen in a long while. Even though there were only seven of us watching, the room was filled with gasps of surprise, moans of empathy and whatever you call those sounds people make when they get the heebie-jeebies really, really bad. I can’t recall the last movie I saw that produced so much vocal expression from its audience. Peter Jackson definitely knows how to involve you in the action and make it real enough to almost feel.

And talk about action. The roller coaster ride of Skull Island is relentless in its thrilling, terrifying and awe-inducing pace. One minute you’ll be chased by herds of rampaging brontosaurs, crying out as each thunderous footstep narrowly misses (or doesn’t) the fleeing crew. The next minute you’ll be catching your breath as the characters find some haven of relative safety and without warning you’ll be plunged head-first into the fast-paced action once again as the crew realize they are never truly safe on Skull Island. I was amazed at how many different scenarios unfolded before my eyes. It seemed almost too much, and yet Peter Jackson manages to keep you not only interested, but filled with excitement at every turn. Storytelling and characters aside, King Kong is a terrific ride.

King Kong is also filled with some incredible performances, not the least of which is Kong himself. Andy Serkis provides the motion capture and facial expression for the giant ape. That’s the same fellow who gave us Gollum’s performance in Lord of the Rings. While Kong may not have as many lines as Gollum did, the physical performance and emotional expression is on par with Serkis’ incredible ability to give CG characters a life of their own. Jack Black (Carl Denham) also gives his best performance to date. That may not be saying much, considering his somewhat typecast roles. However, I believe his acting ability has certainly gone up a notch. While there are still typical ‘Jack Black’ moments, we do get to see another side of this obviously versatile actor. Adrien Brody (Jack Driscoll) and Naomi Watts (Ann Darrow) do a fine job, though they are easily overshadowed by Kong and Denham.

The special effects alone are worth the purchase price of King Kong. WETA Workshops have raised the bar in the CG department, bringing an entire island of creatures to life. Creating creatures that are believable and realistic gives the film its ability to draw the audience in and achieve those ‘ooh-aah’ moments. I found I could easily ‘buy into’ the creatures – they looked right, they moved right and they sounded right. There was only one moment, during a brontosaur stampede, where the lighting seemed a bit off, giving away the CG illusion. Other than that the only thing convincing you that what you’re seeing isn’t real is the fact that your mind knows it isn’t real.

The DVD is presented in 2.35:1 Anamorphic widescreen and looks fantastic. The colors are crisp and clear. I didn’t notice any blurring or graininess anywhere. From the depression-era streets of New York city to the lush green jungles of Skull Island, everything looks vibrant and alive. The picture quality is just stunning. The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track is equally impressive. This is a film that really benefits from a surround sound system and mine was put through its paces and then some. A DTS track is always preferred but I guess there’s only so much room on one disc for a 3-hour film like this one. Extended edition, Mr. Jackson?

The second disc of the 2-disc Special Edition contains an entire collection of Peter Jackson’s post-production diaries. If you have any interest in film making then you’ll absolutely love these featurettes. Shauna and I watched all 3 ½ hours of them in one sitting and were ready for more. The diaries take you through virtually every aspect of the film’s post-production, from scoring and effects to motion capture and editing. There is a completely separate DVD for sale that contains the production diaries (principle photography) which I will almost certainly be picking up. These are some of the best special features I’ve seen since Lord of the Rings. Here’s hoping other directors and studios decide to follow Peter Jackson’s example.

I was completely blown away by King Kong. It was so much more than I was expecting. In all fairness, it was probably more than a lot of other people wanted. The 3+ hour running time is probably frowned upon by most movie go-ers. But then, I’m not most movie go-ers. The longer, the better, as far as I’m concerned. Of course, I wouldn’t say the same thing if I had to sit it out in a public theatre. I’ll take the comfort of my own couch any day of the week (and three or four times on Sundays). If you’re looking for a thrilling adventure movie and are willing to suspend your disbelief (which is the point of most movies) then you cannot go wrong with Kong.

It’s been a while since I’ve given away a 10...but…

King Kong (2005) gets 10 enormous bananas (out of 10)!

Beat your chest proudly and click here for ‘King Kong’ trivia.