Movie #139 - King Kong

Title: King Kong

Director: Peter Jackson

Release Year: 2005

Plot Summary: In 1933 New York, an overly ambitious movie producer coerces his cast and hired ship crew to travel to mysterious Skull Island, where they encounter Kong, a giant ape who is immediately smitten with leading lady Ann Darrow.

Thoughts: It was alright. I guess. Certainly not the OMGBESTMOVIEEVERPETERJACKSONISGODWTFBBQ! I was expecting. I dunno, perhaps it was just built up so much and I waited too long to see it... or maybe it was the fact that I didn't watch it all in one sitting? Regardless. It was just okay.

Special effects? Eh. Maybe I'm just pickier than your average moviegoer, but it's pretty obvious to me that the vast majority of this movie was filmed in front of a green-screen - I can pick out the false backgrounds a mile away, and they definitely jar me out of the movie just enough to be noticeable. I must say the big ape himself was very well-done, though.

Acting? Eh. I really didn't find myself giving much of a damn about any of these characters. As much as I really wanted to like Jack Black in a serious role, I just kept expecting him to bust out in some cartoony antics at any moment. Probably it doesn't help that his "serious" look seems just a little pop-eyed and over-the-top intense for me to take it seriously. Naomi Watts doesn't really affect me either way, but I was really sad that I didn't like Adrien Brody better. What a waste of a great actor.

Stupid plot moments? Oh, it had those in spades. I don't want to spoil anything particularly, but those were some of the dumbest dinosaurs I've ever seen. It didn't make sense, dammit.

Pacing? Eh. This certainly felt like a three-hour movie. And jeezum crow the final scene lasted forever.

Overall? I really don't see what all the fuss was about. Lord of the Rings it ain't.

Recommendations: It's really not that exciting. You could really spend your three hours watching something that's more worth dedicating three hours to.