King Kong (2005)

Though I can't say I've been a lifelong fan, I like the idea of Hollywood revisiting giant monster movies. It gives audiences a chance to see state of the art CGI used for stupidly awesome things like epic monster battles with animals the size of mountains and giant man vs nature fights all with big name actors and no semblance of restraint or self-seriousness. Huge self-aware monster movies played straight. This seems to be the approach taken by Kong: Skull Island which is why it works and part of why the previous incarnation by Peter Jackson, 2005's King Kong, didn't.

Following the plot of the 1933 original, the movie follows a shady director, his new would-be starlet, his screenwriter, and a crew of seasoned adventurers on a journey to Skull Island. However, when they arrive the crew is startled by the natives and their apparent worship of gigantic ape Kong. Forced into action after their lead actresses abduction, the crew comes face to face with horrors they never expected and the monstrous King Kong.

As I revisited this movie, I quickly remembered why it's a perfect TNT Sunday afternoon watch. It's big, full of action, and doesn't ask much of the audience in terms of plot. Put in on the background and oh cool giant CGI ape. That the movie's flaws are quite glaring especially if you sit down to watch the full version.

A Glacial Pace

There's absolutely no reason for a King Kong movie to be over two hours. There just isn't. People come to see giant ape carnage, not an hour dedicated to a shady film director trying to get to Kong's home or a burgeoning romance between a screenwriter and an aspiring actress. It's legitimately over an hour before the crew even arrives at Skull Island and even longer before we truly see our furry friend in action. This might be somewhat forgivable if the characters had layers or were interesting but they are all stock personalities at best. The other giant problem is that taking your time with a remake is that there's no surprises about what's coming next. We know Kong is going to take Naomi Watts. We know that they'll find a way to capture him. The only way to deliver excitement is a ton of absurd action and the movie doesn't quite have that.

Leans Too Much on CGI

This can be said about every Peter Jackson movie after Lord of the Rings, but it's especially egregious here. I understand that the easiest way to create monster dinos and Kong was always going to be CGI (heck the best scene in the entire movie features precisely that), but the scenes with the human actors look exceptionally fake as time moves on. 

Part of this is the effects of the era which weren't quite there in terms of full textured landscapes, but another underrated element is the use of physical sets to ground the action. Sure a ton of Marvel battles maybe feature a ton of CGI but they shoot in actual cities and streets with real people, concrete, and cars. Hawkeye kicking up dust as he slides and fires arrows at CGI robots in The Avengers is far more real and engaging than Adrien Brody holding onto a CGI vine, in a CGI jungle, firing a tommy gun at CGI bugs.

Doesn't Attempt To Modernize

I really like the look of Kong: Skull Island not simple because of an apparent emphasis on monster battles, but also because of the revised setting with modern military hardware in a landscape and film style that seems oddly reminiscent of Apocalypse Now (Vietnam metaphor?). This is the kinda stuff you need to do to make an old school movie engaging to new audiences.

It's also where King Kong stumbles massively. It keeps almost everything about the original movie, which apparently is Peter Jackson's favorite. The depression-era time frame, the natives worshiping him, and a good deal of the set pieces are simply modern recreations. I'm ok with homages or nods, but this version feels like the biggest budgeted fan film ever put to screen.

Though there are entertaining elements of King Kong Peter Jackson's worst foibles kill any chance for maximum fun or immersion. Here's hoping for a more unhinged approach in Kong: Skull Island.