Full Movie Reviews
Rating of
3/4
King Kong (2005) review
Daniel Corleone - wrote on 01/08/2012
Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) is approached by Carl Denham (Jack Black) to work in a feature film with her favorite script writer Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody). They all go a trip to Skull Island with Captain Englehorn (Thomas Kretschmann). The trip to Skull Island, tribes attacking was lengthy which lessens the tension, and the overloaded slow motion shots felt like overkill. Set pieces were immensely improved from the original. Screenplay and acting was decent. Best sequences were Kong against 2 dinosaurs, Empire scene and the city rampage. Additional creatures were a treat but which in effect drags a bit since the focus was turned away from Ann and King Kong. Having Jack Black as the director was just not that engaging since he is better off with comedies. King Kong was a good remake …
Rating of
3/4
"King Kong" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 12/21/2011
A film crew travel to a remote, lost island to make an adventure movie only to find it contains a lost world inhabited by dinosaurs and a huge gorilla like creature worshipped by the local tribe. Remakes are invariably a bad idea and remaking a classic doubly so. In fact the only reason I even bothered with this was the fact that Peter Jackson was at the helm and I have to say he did not disappoint. Sticking closely to the original story this felt more like an affectionate and knowing update than anything else, even taking time out to mock some of the more dubious gender and racial politics of the original. As a whole it has elements of Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones and even Titanic, Jackson handling all of these ingredients with consummate skill, creating a fantastically entertaining old …
Rating of
4/4
A love Story
Moviejunkie - wrote on 09/04/2011
The story of a man, a woman, and an ape doesn't need to be described. You know the story already. What this version does is tweak it a little, give some emotional depth and give us a heroine who deserves not only our sympathy (she REALLY has it bad in all three versions), but our respect. Ann Darrow in this film is a survivor of the Depression. Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) is a physical performer when we meet her. She's starving, but likeable. When the theatre she works for goes belly up, she's offered a job doing burlesque. By fate or chance, she refuses and finds herself in the clutches of Carl Durham (Jack Black) rouge filmmaker and scoundrel. She expiriences a slight romance that evolves with her and Carl's screenwriter Jack Driscoll (Adrian Brody).
When she is taken by Kong she …
Rating of
3/4
Excessive, yet beautiful,
Gustavo² - wrote on 07/30/2010
Films usually take some time to establish themselves in my mind, so my opinion could change within a week or a month. I liked this film; I've never seen such an extensive use of long, sustained shots using monumental digital effects in any other motion picture. The whole dinosaur sequence should guarantee the film a Best Visual Effects win. The problem is that these moments of intense awe cease from being something never before seen rather quickly and become somewhat tiresome. Peter Jackson should learn to refrain himself at times.
The whole cast works just fine as an ensemble (nobody is truly Oscar-worthy, not even Naomi Watts - who, sometimes, looks incredibly like Nicole Kidman). Is the running time excessive? It might be for some, but it doesn't feel long because the story is …
Rating of
3.5/4
King Kong remake is better than you think
Sebman - wrote on 10/12/2009
Do you remember in 1933 there was a film called "King Kong", it was this amazing but also enjoyable film that show stop motion at it's best. Now fast foward to the year 2005 where this little director name Peter Jackson made this little remake called King Kong. One of my favorite things is actually the acting I love much they act thier ass off. I especially enjoy Jack Black role because this seems something different from then the loud and somewhat childish caracters he plays. I also love the visual effects they look really good. One thing though that is a flaw is that the film is too long. The beginnig and the end are long while everything in the island is in the right amount of time in my opinion. One of my favorite scenes in the movies is everyone running from the dinosaurs that gave …
Rating of
3/4
A good tribute to the original 1933 version
The M.O.W. - wrote on 08/02/2008
Filmmaker "Carl Denham" (Jack Black) wants to make a movie at the mythical "Skull Island", but the studio won't fund the project. So, with stolen movie equipment, "Denham" plans to make the film no matter what. However, his leading actress pulled out, and he must find another who will brave the journey.
Enter "Ann Darow" (Naomi Watts), an attractive, struggling stage actress/dancer who just lost a job. She agrees to go with "Denham," who tells her that they are going to Singapore. And they head to the docks, where studio officials and police show up to arrest the director.
On the ship, "Darrow" meets the tough crew, arrogant actor "Bruce Baxter" (Kyle Chandler) who is a gentleman to "Darrow", and playwright "Jack Driscoll" (Adrien Brody), whom "Darrow" is anxious to work with. …
Rating of
3/4
So many good scenes, but way too long
Josh C - wrote on 04/24/2007
I really liked this film but am hesitant to watch it again but the first hour was so slow. Adrien Brody kept this movie going once they hit the island and although I liked Jack Black his character still reminded me to much of his comedies and that wasn?t what this movie was about. Still the special effects were great and it was nice to see most of the old scenes done in the new movie. This was especially true with the battling of the dinosaur, even though Peter Jackson had Kong fight numerous ones to make it more action packed.
Another benefit of the special effects was that Kong was able to have more of a personality mostly due to having pronounced facial expressions. This really helped drive the ?beauty and the beast? drama home and made me feel for him more.
It has been almost …
