For years we've all bought in to the presented theme of "King Kong," that it was beauty that killed the beast. This was even more obvious in the 70's version from Dino Delaurentis where Jessica Lange flirted with the big fake ape so seductively, it bordered in bestiality. (The 70's were weird.) Peter Jackson's 2005 version of "King Kong" uses the same line of dialogue to wrap up the film ("It was beauty killed the beast...") but Jackson's film tells an all too different story and if he were being true to his film's theme, Black would intone this instead: "It was greed and man's inhumanity towards nature that killed the beast." That's the real lesson being taught here. There are flaws in Manifest Destiny.

Jackson's film is a true re-imagining of the original. The 70's version was a modernization, this is a re-telling of the original 30's film's story using the best of modern filmmaking technology and computer effects wizardry. Set in the depression-era 30's, the film involves a rogue filmmaker (here a charlatan as opposed to the original's adventurer) who takes a ship's crew and some actors into uncharted terrain and discovers the huge titular gorilla living on an island full of superstitious natives.

It would do the viewer wonders to watch the original 1933 "King Kong" by Merian C. Cooper and starring Fay Wray before watching Jackson's retelling. This film is an homage to that original, groundbreaking work and knowing it well will serve the viewer quite nicely. Albeit, Jackson, of course, turns up the excitement factor about 10-fold to delight modern audiences. For example, in the original, Kong fought a T-Rex and a few other dinosaurs, including a pterodactyl, while the sailors took on a sea serpent in scenes that thrilled Depression-era audiences. Here Jackson has non-stop CGI action going on for well over 90 minutes (with obvious kudos to the "Jurassic Park" series) while Kong and the adventurers fight off every conceivable foe including dinosaurs, sea serpents, ants, bugs, bats and more. Then Jackson turns it up yet another notch by having a fight between Kong and dinosaurs go on as they fall through a series of hanging vines down a deep ravine. And, in a scene that pays homage to the elephant stampede in Cooper's 1927 pre "Kong" feature "Chang," there is a dinosaur stampede with humans underfoot that is as exciting and enthralling as anything that we've seen in any of the "Jurassic" films.

The three characters that provide the most interest in the film are played by Black, Naomi Watts and Jaime Bell. Black, who is the most improbable movie star since Elliot Gould, really comes into his own here, leaving at least 90% of his goofball persona behind him and highlighting the best portions of his showmanship genes. He hits his character spot on and we are constantly entranced by his performance without ever being reminded that it is Jack Black of Tenacious D and goofy comedies that we are watching. Bell is as wonderful as always. This is a young actor that has taken on many challenging roles since his debut in the wonderful "Billy Elliot" a few years back. Bell provides a wonderful innocent heart for the film and his scenes discussing Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" with his older mentor are quite wonderful regardless of how contrived they are. (This is one of the few flaws in the script).

But the real star of the show here, other than the titular ape, is Watts. Thanks to a marvellously creative script, Watts' Ann Darrow surges far past the screaming chorus girl that Wray provided in the original, past the sexpot idiocy presented by Lange in the 70's version and emerges with a beautiful and complex character. Watts is able to keep the character from plummeting into the realms of the unreal by falling in love with Kong not in the way that a woman might fall in love with a man, but in the way a woman might fall in love with a pet. There is no eroticism here (thank God) because Watts is perfectly adept at providing a character that falls in love with the innocence, purity and childlike wonder of the giant ape not with his never-seen massive sex organ. (This Kong is decidedly neutered).

One of the most beautiful and touching scenes in the film comes when, after violently killing numerous foes to protect Ann, Kong takes her high atop a cliff so that he may show her the beauty of his jungle from a breathtaking vista. This one small scene is an amazingly brilliant and compelling analogy for the whole reason man has trudged and tamed and killed and plowed and civilized the Earth. Man has not done this because he is a violent, hot-headed, crude being. In fact, the opposite is true. He has done this because it was necessary to beat back nature and beast in order to elevate himself in the world and provide a safe haven to appreciate the beauty and elegance of the world. Jackson and his scripters provide this wonderful idea in the film in such a subtle way that we are gently swept into the story and its thought-provoking ideas with the ease of a summer's breeze.

Peter Jackson's "King Kong" is an epic adventure full of marvelous insights, touching ideals and beautiful imagery. It's also the best action/adventure film of 2005... in a big way!

Notes:

Also with Adrian Brody and Colin Hanks. Andy Serkis who played Gollum in Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" was used as a computer model for movement and facial expressions.

Filmed primarily in New Zealand.

Howard Shore, who is seen in a cameo in the film, wrote a score that was abandoned by Jackson two months prior to the films release. James Newton-Howard was hired and wrote a score in the allotted time.

The T-Rex's have three fingers, rather than the scientifically correct two, as an homage to the creatures in the original film. This is also contributed to the fact that these dinosaurs have supposedly evolved as time has continued.

In the cab with Carl is talking to Preston and they are discussing actresses, Carl suggests "Fay" and is told that she is at "RKO." He mentions that she must be working for "Cooper." This is, of course, a reference to the original film by Merian C. Cooper, an RKO release starring Fay Wray.

Jackson wanted Fay Wray to utter the last line of the film but she died before it could be lensed and the line went to Jack Black.

Nominated for two Golden Globes, one for Jackson's direction and another for Newton-Howard's score.

Viewed at the worst theater in Austin in December of 2005.

Report Card

Script: A+

Acting: A+

Cinematography\Lighting: A+

Special Effects\Make Up: A+

Music: A+

Final Grade: A+