Back in Summer 2004, a friend of mine and I were having a discussion on the state of film. He was really worried about the state of movies in the post-Star Wars era and whether we’d really have films to look forward. I concieved that he did have a point. After nearly a decade of plenty, with Star Wars and Lord of the Rings films aplenty, what would we have to really look forward to? I was trying to be confident, and yet still he had a point. The Summers of 2003 and 2004 had not yielded films that had caught the imagination that smae way Lucas and Spielberg had in their glory days. Were we in trouble? Well, after December 14th, I don’t believe he had anything to worry about.
Despite stories of low attendance and quality being down, 2005 has been a strong year for Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Adventure films. War of the Worlds and Narnia were great experiences. Some films have even stepped up to try and become the next Star Wars in terms of being the next great franchise including Batman Begins, Serenity, as well as Harry Potter giving us another solid entry.
After an already strong year, the end of 2005 gives us yet another homerun. Peter Jackson has followed up his Oscar trifecta of Lord of the Rings films with an amazing achievement technically and emotionally in King Kong. Jackson’s attachment to Merian C. Cooper 1933 masterpiece shines through here with a movie that builds upon the original’s brilliance to make a film that will be remembered in much the same light as its predecessor.
King Kong Starring Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Andy Serkis, and Evan Parke. Directed by Peter Jackson.
From its opening shots, Jackson tries desperately to immerse his viewers in the world of King Kong. It is 1933, and the World is in the midst of the worst portion of The Depression. This was the world in which the original Kong premiered. That film hinted at this turmoil, but did not go into detail because people did not need it. That world of strife was just outside the theater doors. People went to see King Kong to get away from that world. Jackson does what he can to make you feel how hard those times were.
It is in this setting of economic disaster that we meet the heart of this picture, Naomi Watts’ Anne Darrow. Many have complained that the first hour of Kong goes too far into detail and is torpid compared to the high action of the film’s second act, but this period in the film is imperative to really establishing main characters. Anne Darrow isn’t the paper thin “damsel in distress” that Fay Wray made her into. Watts’ Darrow is a vaudeville actress, down on her luck, but too proud to give up her principles, even if it means she starves.
Also in this early section, Jack Black’s Carl Denham comes into focus. He’s a movie producer/director that’s about to lose his most important picture. Not only that, he’s got to stay one step ahead of the law to get this picture done. While the original Denham was mostly based on Merian C. Cooper, Black’s obsessive, impish Denham seems to take more inspiration from Orson Welles. Black seems to relish these early scenes as he gets to play the prima-donna film maker. Jackson and his writing team have also given the actor some choice lines and funny inside jokes.
When he learns his actress has dropped out of the picture, he goes through his list of substitutes with his assistant Preston (Colin Hanks). A truly funny moment happens when he gets to Fay Wray, who can’t appear in Denham’s film, because she’s on a picture at RKO. Its funny little “wink wink” moments like this that put the film on another level.
Most people’s problems with the film arise once the S.S. Venture leaves port for Skull Island. Jackson devoted much time to developing members of the ship’s crew such as First Mate Hayes (Evan Parke), Jimmy (Jamie Bell), and Lumpy the Cook (Andy Serkis). Unfortunately, some of the criticism is quite founded. None of the characters’ storyline pays off like they should or do to the same degree supporting characters do in Lord of the Rings for example. Jackson wants you to really try and get attached to these characters so that when they’re in danger, it’s more important to you. Unfortunately, the effort just doesn’t go far enough to where you really care. At most the crew comes off as a group of hardened bad asses, like the team in Predator or Katanga and his crew from Raiders of the Lost Ark.
A funny addition to this story is Bruce Baxter (Kyle Chandler), the actor that is supposed to appear in Denham’s film. Baxter is a complete coward, but Chandler’s performance is quite humorous. When Jackson actually injects some character work into the character later on, the moment is actually one of the funniest of the film. Another great moment happens when Baxter shoots a scene with Anne that is a recreation of one of the awful love scenes from the original with Darrow and Jack Driscoll. The moment is funny anyway, but for students of Kong, the scene is very inspired.
Jackson’s best character work during this portion is Adrien Brody’s version of Jack Driscoll. The character is vastly different from the original Kong. In the original, Driscoll was the ship’s first mate and was your typical 30’s style hero, played by “wooden style” actor Bruce Cabot. Here, Brody is a screenwriter and playwright. Instead of the hammy love story of the original, here Jackson gives you a wonderfully subtle romantic subplot. Unfortunately for Brody, the real love story doesn’t start until they reach the island.
Once there, Anne is of course stolen away by the natives of Skull Island. Where before the islanders looked particularly benign to modern audiences. These natives are scary as all get out. There’s something about their look that Jackson has given them that makes them absolutely terrifying. But then again, they’re nothing next to Kong himself.
Now previously I called Naomi Watts the heart of King Kong. The soul of this picture is Andy Serkis. Even though technically a special effect from WETA Digital, Serkis imbues Kong with of “humanity” for lack of a better word. Bottom line is he feels real. The character itself has always been a marvel and this version of Kong is no different. Kong was the first artificial character to ever grace the screen and make us care. 72 years later, Kong has become a benchmark again.
The bottom line is, do we care about Kong as a character? Thanks to Peter Jackson, Andy Serkis, and WETA the answer is a resounding yes. Jackson does everything he can to make you care about this character. He is sympathetic, playful and by far the most heroic figure of the entire film. He simply wants to love and protect Anne Darrow.
Perhaps the most important scene in the film takes place after Kong has captured his lady love and takes her back to his cave. Dancing to try and amuse Kong and save her life, she wins the affection of the ape. In the two previous versions of this story, Kong and his fondness for blondes has always been kind of creepy. Here, the moment is sweet and genuine. It’s a fine a line Jackson walks with this relationship, but he is the first to ever get it right. For that alone Peter Jackson should be praised.
Of course it doesn’t hurt that the film has tremendous action on a scale that has been seen very few times, if ever. The Kong vs. V-Rex fight will go down as one of the best cinematic monster rumbles of all time. It makes you wonder why the Japanese have had their lumbering fights with Godzilla for years now, when Kong/V-Rex wrestling match is so exciting. A three on one rumble with the combatants fighting on cliffs, vines, and other places with dire consequences, the fight is awe inspiring and by the time Kong plays with the last one’s jaw you’re completely out of breath. Jackson is then determined to try and one-up that fight.
In 1933, test audiences reacted poorly to a gruesome sequence know as “The Spider Pit”, where sailors died at the hand of horrible monsters. Merian C. Cooper said of the scene that “It stopped the picture cold, so the next day back at the studio, I took it out myself.” Peter Jackson did not leave it out. In an absolutely terrifying moment, the crew of the Venture faces off against dozens of giant bugs, crabs, and other ghastly creatures. This sequence is pure Peter Jackson. The director that put made the alien costumes in his mom’s over in Bad Taste is the one that shows up here to torture Jack Driscoll and the others trying to save Anne. If you have a phobia of bugs or snakes, you may not want to see this scene or even the movie itself.
WETA Digital again does some absolutely incredible work in this film. First of all, the look of New York City circa 1933 is like a dream of what the city would’ve looked like. It’s similar to the look of the city of Rome in Gladiator. Unlike the HBO series Rome where the city looks dank and dirty, Gladiator’s Rome looks like a painting. Kong’s New York is in the same light. Broadway in King Kong world looks like it does at the end of Singin’ in the Rain. Skull Island is also epic in scope. The island is like Jurassic Park on steroids. The huge wall on the island dwarfs anything Cecil B. DeMille ever put on screen.
Then there are WETA’s monsters to consider. When Spielberg worked on his dinosaurs, he wanted them as accurate as possible. Jackson and WETA have creatures that come out of myth. King Kong’s V-Rex’s look like they came out of a 1950’s fantasy magazine. The insects and spiders are as creepy as your mind can envision them. Then there is Kong, who is one of the greatest accomplishments of this digital age.
Unfortunately, there are portions where the CGI is not as good. The “pole vaulting” sequence is particularly unbelievable. Also, the Brontosaurus stampede has shots that look particularly bad. It’s too bad the film has these blemishes, as WETA truly does some of their best work.
The final hour of the film of course takes place in New York City, with Kong on display for a paying audience. Everyone knows what will happen, but again Jackson decides to play against our expectations. The original sequence was quite short in comparison to this new one, complete with native dancers that look particularly like the ones from the original film. The director makes a spectacle of the whole situation, and totally builds up the tension further and further until it hits a boiling point and King Kong is unleashed on the streets of New York City.
The final sequence above the Empire State Building plays like the end of Titanic. You know what’s coming, but you still root for the big guy. The Kong/Darrow relationship has some really beautiful moments toward the end with a sequence featuring a frozen pond and their last sunrise together, but then the planes come. Riveting, and expertly choreographed, the end punctuates a beautiful film going experience.
Much like Spielberg and Lucas paid homage to Republic Serials and Flash Gordon with Raiders of the Lost Ark and Star Wars, Peter Jackson gives tribute to the film that inspired him. King Kong is a beautifully made action epic that will inspire the next generation of film makers, much like Lucas and Spielberg had done before him. I had said in last week’s column that Cooper’s King Kong belonged in the same league with Star Wars and Raiders. Jackson has the distinction of achieving the same feat.
Picture Credits: cinempire.com, cinemablend.com
