King Kong (2005)

JBang Reviews presents "King Kong (The 2005 version)" This version of King Kong is a long one at best, but in the end, it is a rewarding experience. King Kong is a remake of the original film from 1933. I recommend you watch it if you're not afraid of stop-motion apes. One thing among many other things that King Kong does right, is not make the same mistake that King Kong 1976 makes, and that is the movie takes place in the time period of 1933 instead of the current time period it came out in. That decision dignifies the film's respect towards the original film as well as honors its origins from 1933. It also makes dire situations more believable. Since these characters are using smaller and basic, less-evolved weapons against larger and dangerous beasts of Skull Island, it places men in a role they are unfamilar with, and that is "the bottom of the food chain." Although, Kong is the star of the movie, his character is under-appreciate unless he is accompanied by Ann Darrow, his "somewhat love interest?" I say "somewhat?" because I am confused as to what kind of love Ann and Kong are portraying. It can't be a "When a man loves a woman..." kind of love because well...Giant Ape + Human Woman = Beastiality, Disturbing Awkwardness, and Guaranteed Death. So it's logical that maybe it's either a Brother-Sister love or most likely, an obsessed infatuation on Kong's part. But what's weird is that Ann showcases feelings for Kong, too. Yet, she kind of displays them as if Kong was her pet dog. Also, when you add in the "Jack Driscoll Effect," the fact that Ann is also physically and emotionally attracted to Jack, you add all the varibles up and the results come out to Kong is actually being "Friend-zoned" by Ann, and that's "Not Cool Bro." No One likes the Friend-Zone. Anyhow, the CGI is Incredible!!! It helps bring the world of Skull Island to life and also creates some amazing Monster Mash Moments, such as my favorite scene in the movie, Kong vs 3 T-Rex like Dinosaurs while trying to keep Ann safe. The movies also does a great job at getting us to care for each of the characters introduced in the movie, including Carl Denham, who is surprising played well by Jack Black. He portrays Carl as someone whose actions aren't exactly motivated by greed but more motivated by being recognized as someone great and important. He is a desperate man, which makes him all the more scary when he slowly transforms into a maniacal madman hell-bent on capturing Kong. A piece of this movie that is very important is the music. The film's music is composed by James Newton Howard. It perfectly captures the curiousity that comes with Skull Island, the intensity that comes with fights and chases, and most importantly, the connection Kong and Ann have when they are with each other. My only complaint about this movie is that it takes SOO LOOONG to get to the action of Skull Island. It literally takes about an hour of New York, character introductions and one long ass boat ride just to get to this excitement. But other than that, King Kong holds a spot on my Top 10 favorite movies. If the last 20 minutes of King Kong doesn't have you bawling your eyes out, then you need to see a psychiatrist. King Kong (2005 version) gets a 4.5 out of 5.