KW's Kong Thoughts

In the immortal words of George Costanza: "I'm back, baby!! I'm back!"

I've been away a while, in Louisville training for my new job--desperately wanted to blog while I was there...since Louisville is part of the L&N connection...but I did not have a computer yet. See, I lost my old computer, and had a few weeks of down time. And I've missed you guys. Now I have a brand new stud of a computer (Dell makes a hell of a powerfull laptop called the Inspirion)...I'm back from my training trip...and I've seen King Kong.

King Kong just rules. Chris wrote a great review, avoiding spoilers and plot details while still sparking the reader's interest. My reviews have a habit of breaking down into stream-of-conciousness highlights and lowlights, so why put that off any longer.

What I Liked:

-King Kong, the character, is AMAZING! There isn't one moment in the entire film where Kong doesn't feel real...doesn't ring true...doesn't look lifelike. The animation work alone is stellar. As Chris said, Kong makes you think he's a Stan Winston creation instead of an animation.

When you add in the expressiveness of the posture and the eyes--thanks to the genius of Andy Serkis--that's when Kong becomes real. As with Gromit from the Wallace & Gromit films, Kong is more human with grunts and facial expressions than most of the speaking characters (who are played by real actors, obviously). It's all in the eyes, man. Sadness, anger, laughter, love...all deftly conveyed through Kong's eyes. He's a series of pixels and bytes...but Kong is a living, breathing character, and the whole film works soley because of this. Gollum ruled, right? Well, Gollum is crap compared to Kong.

-Emotion. Again, as Chris mentioned, this film is Titanic for men....all the action, all the sweeping romance...all the story...but with MUCH more testosterone. But chicks will dig this movie...mark my words. At least...they should. My girlfriend cried her eyes out. She cared for Kong and what Kong felt, and he's a cartoon!

-Everything. This film has it all, baby. Amazing effects. Exotic locales. Great acting. Edge-of-your-seat action sequences. I seriously can't think of a moviegoer who couldn't find something to love in this film.

-Period details. They recreated a full-scale four-block section of Depression-era New York, complete with Woolworth's Drugstore and 1930's automobiles. Costumes, buildings, and even most of the dialogue feel right out of that era.

-Action. There is a sequence...an action sequence that from this moment on I shall call the Kickass T-Rex Action Sequence Of Death...that just builds and builds to ridiculously satisfying heights. It's Dinosaurs versus Kong in a fight to the death. The scene lasts maybe 15 minutes and once it starts...it builds and builds and never slows until it's done. I was more than on the edge of my seat. I was practically standing and cheering. Here's the mark of a great action sequence: it leaves you breathless. That's what the Kickass T-Rex Action Sequence Of Death does...it left me gasping for breath. I was exhausted.

I really thought that three Jurassic Park movies would have exhausted all possible cool action sequences involving a T-Rex. Boy was I wrong. Go see this movie now...twice...if only for this sequence. It's flat-out awesome!

There's also an action sequence in Old New York that is stellar...where Kong is chased throughout the city--pausing for a surprising touching romp on the frozen lake in Central Park that really got to me--up until he is forced to climb the Empire State building to escape the gunshots of the U.S. Army. Of course, there is the now-classic scene from the trailer where he swats bi-planes from the sky as they circle him. Wowee, guys! This stuff is gonna make you crap your pants.

-Music. I found the music to be outstanding. I don't own any film scores on CD, so I'm not saying I want to buy the score to this film, but everytime I noticed the music, I thought it was pitch perfect. There's a moment during the Kickass T-Rex Action Sequence Of Death where the music cuts out and you hardly realize it. And it's just quiet...no score...while Kong battles for Ann Darrow's life...and then the action peaks for a moment...a pause...and the score kicks back in. It really pumped me up. Lots of drumming and pounding score. I love when a soundtrack compliments the movement and mood of a picture...and that happens here.

-Jack Black. There is one line, near the end, that I didn't like...but it was the writing of it and not his delivery. True to Peter Jackson's claim...Black was born to play this role. He is mischevious. He has a gleam in his eye. He is P.T. Barnum on acid, and while that may make it sound like he goes over the top, he doesn't. I never thought I would say this, but he's really, really good. He's great in this role and in this movie. I'm not saying he could go dramatic and win Oscars--and maybe he could--but for this film...for this part...he's note-perfect. I was more than impressed.

-Other roles. I thought Naomi Watts was good. I thought Colin Hanks was good. I thought Adrian Brody was great. I loved the guy from Early Edition (can't remember the actor's name)...he plays the hotshot male movie star. And while I don't have his name (yes, I could go on IMDB and get it, but I'm lazy and I have to work at 6AM) I thought the ship captain was outstanding. Good performances all around.

Cream of the crop...top of the heap...goes to Mr. Andy Serkis. Can we please add an Oscar category for "Best Motion-Capture-Suit-Wearing Performance For Animation Purposes" and give him post-dated awards for LOTR and then hand him his fourth for King Kong?! Please!! He went and lived among the gorillas in the rain forest for two months preparing for this role--preparing for a role where his likeness would never appear on screen. He had to beg Peter Jackson to let him go...and boy am I glad he let him go. Serkis instills in Kong a humanity that you will not believe. There are no words. Just go see it. Then go home and build a shrine to Serkis in your house. He deserves it. Put lots of candles in it.


What I didn't like:

-Well, there are a couple moments where you can tell the actors are in front of a green screen. But these moments are brief--like...less than a second.

And at the end...I have a hard time believing Ann Darrow could stand at the very top of the Empire State building without being blown off by the wind. But I suppose in a movie with a 25-foot gorilla...you have to be able to suspend some disbelief.

That's about it. Seriously. It's three hours long and feels like it's about half that time. There are no complaints. I had to dig really far to even mention the green screen thing and the wind thing...because this film has more effects and digital animation than you've seen in a long time, and for there to only be about half a second of time where you can visually tell that it's computer-generated....that's an outstanding accomplishment.

GO SEE KING KONG. As Chris said, this is one to see in the theaters. Don't wait for this to come on DVD, I beg you! You will never know how much you should regret it if you do. This is spectacle. This is an event. This is how moviegoing is supposed to be. I loved it!

Glad to be back. Missed you guys. Glad to have Doc on board, whomever he may be. Glad to have a computer. Glad to have a job. Glad to have seen Kong on a matinee with only four other people in the auditorium. But even with the distractions of other customers...you must not miss this!