REVIEWS: MOVIES & DVDs | COMIC BOOKS | VIDEOGAMES | WEB SITES & MORE

Long Live the New King (Kong) by Mike-oh

King Kong. I grew up in Tulsa watching the midnight monster movies on the Uncanny Film Festival and Camp Show hosted by Dr. Mazeppa Pompazoidi. Frankenstein, The Wolfman, The Mummy, Dracula, The Creature of the Black Lagoon, and of course King Kong were among the classic black and white monster movies that were regularly played by Mazeppa and crew.

Of all the classic monster movies, King Kong was my absolute favorite. Frankly it was a better movie than the others. Though I truly loved every one of those other movies and when I watch them today, I just overlook their many flaws and remember how they thrilled me as a youngster. And until recently, I preferred the originals to any remakes that I have ever seen. Like I said, "until recently." Apparently Peter Jackson is a big fan of the original King Kong as well.

Watch Peter Jackson's King Kong (released in December of 2005 and now available on DVD) and then watch the classic, original version produced in 1933. You'll be amazed to see how many scenes and details were carried over by Jackson in his own version of this tale of Beauty meets Beast.

So in Jackson's story, you'll find the events taking place in the New York City of 1933 where characters of the sames names from the original King Kong are preparing to make the most monumental film of all time. Carl Denham discovers down-but-not-out Ann Darrow and convinces her over a meal in a Bowery restaurant to trust him and join his crew as they prepare to make movie history. They quickly leave Manhattan by boat to avoid legal complications and set off to find a mysterious uncharted island. The superstitious crew are afraid of the legend of Skull Island and when they arrive at their destination they are awestruck by the giant wall. They discover unfriendly natives who take an instant interest in the blonde Ann Darrow. After the crew barely escapes the island, the natives are not to be denied and sneak aboard the boat at night and kidnap Ann and take her to be sacrificed to Kong. The ship's crew discover Ann's capture and go to her rescue but arrive too late. She's already been grabbed by Kong. Her rescuers follow Kong into the jungle where they are attacked by giant reptiles and giant insects. At one point, while trying to cross a chasm on a huge log that stretches across it like a bridge, Kong discovers the intruders and shakes them off the log to their doom. Two survivors split up. One, Carl, goes back to get help and the other, Jack, goes on to rescue Ann. Meanwhile Kong is defending Ann from being attacked by dinosaurs and later against other dangers in his own lair. Jack finds Ann in Kong's lair and together they make a daring escape. Kong pursues Ann back to the natives' village where Carl has laid a trap to capture Kong. Once captured, Kong is taken back to Manhattan and presented to an audience of wealthy theater goers. Kong is disturbed by the flash bulbs of the photographers and breaks free from his chains. He runs amok in Manhattan until he finds Ann. Finally, forced by the army, Kong climbs the Empire State Building to escape their attacks. At the top of the building, he is confronted with airplanes armed with machine guns. And after a valiant battle, he finally dies, falling to the street and to his death.

Jackson's story happens pretty much like the 1933 original with very few deviations. The real difference Jackson has made have been with additions instead of revisions. The movie opens with a few quick scenes that help establish the period: the Great Depression in New York City. Another montage gives us an idea what it must have been like to have Vaudeville as a popular entertainment venue. Carl Denham is portrayed as a more desperate con artist willing to do and say anything to realize his dream. Jack Driscoll is not the ship's first mate but instead is the screenwriter, one of Jackson's few revisions.

The island is extremely cool and scary like you would expect from Peter Jackson when you consider the orc's world he created for Lord of the Rings. The natives are more realistic and more frightening and instead of rowing a boat out to the ship to kidnap Ann, they polevault across the craggy rocks that guard the shores of Skull Island. The action sequences on the island are longer and more intense. The special effects are the best. Scenes from the original movie are plussed-up like Kong's battle with T-rex is now a battle with three T-rexes that leads down a ravine where the combatants are entangled in vines while Ann finds herself swinging precariously between the snapping jaws of two T-rexes simultaneously. Another brief scene from the original that featured a single brontosaurus that goes on a rampage is now a herd of brontosauruses that are being chased by velociraptors around a narrow ledge on a craggy mountain. The stampede is like watching the car chase scene in the Blues Brothers as all the cars crash at the end in a giant pile up.

But the absolute best improvement to this great movie is King Kong himself. His personality and character are absolutely charismatic. He is a total badass. An amazing hero. He takes on three T-rexes without batting an eye and absolutely kicks ass. But despite his brutish behavior, he has a real heart, showing genuine affection for Ann as friend . And he even appreciates natural beauty, taking time out at the end of the day to take in the grandeur of a glorious Skull Island sunset. He's a lover and a fighter. And believe it or night, Jackson makes it easy to understand how Ann can willingly climb into King Kong's palm. And why she is so heartbroken at the end when Kong is cornered and subsequently slaughtered.

You watch this movie and tell me if you don't spend a few minutes imagining what it would be like to have King Kong as a friend when watching Ann and Kong playing on the ice in Central Park. Getting to pal around with King Kong. It's easy to imagine because Jackson has created a totally believable friendship and relationship with this unlikely pair.

Several times, I found myself looking at Kong's expression and seeing my dog Elwood's face. Jackson's creation has all the personality and charm of a real animal. Which makes this Kong easy to embrace.

I loved the original King Kong. It's an awesome adventure. And now I really love Peter Jackson's King Kong. It has everything the original movie had to offer packed with a lot more emotion, intensity, excitement, and thrills. Even after three hours of movie watching, I'm still wanting more.

ABOUT OUR WRITERS

Disgruntled Dan
Old Danny Boy is not happy. Not happy at all. The state of comics, movies and video games is falling way short of his expectations. Check out Disgruntled Dan's
Letters of Discontent here — new letters every month.

Afro Thunder
A man with crazy Kung-Fu abilities and even crazier hair. But please, don't confuse yourself into thinking he's Jewish, or Arabian, or anything other than a curly-haired, half white, half mexican ninja. He also gives the whole low-down on games and movies, but avoids reviewing comics (he's loves 'em, but can't tell you what he thinks of 'em).

Mike-oh
Mike-oh works for an advertising agency which explains his need for all of the escapism he uses to soak up his spare time. At least he spends some of that time sharing his thoughts with us on his various distractions.