I’m taking this week off from work and decided to go see King Kong yesterday. I would have gone the day after the Christmas with family members but my wife, sister-in-law and daughters proclaimed it “Girls’ day out” and left my brother-in-law and myself with the small children. You can imagine that my face looked a lot like Kong’s watching Ann Darrow rowing away when I received that pronouncement.

The movie was a bit long, but I enjoyed it. I don’t think it’s instant classic status but it was an excellent adaption of the original and Kong is fantastic. His hair and movements were incredibly realistic (at least, as realistic as a 25 foot ape might be). This was certainly miles ahead of the 1976 version which had a Kong no more realistic than Bumbles the abominable snowman from the Rudolph tv show (I mean, a gorilla that walks upright? Too bad the Jets couldn’t use him). Naomi Watts was also a dramatic improvement over Jessica Lange. Yeah, Jessica turned it around later in her career but even the monkey was more emotive than she was. Watts communicated a lot with just the expression on her face and the physicality of her actions (not just the stunts).

Another pleasant surprise was Jack Black as Carl Denham. He, too, showed he can get a lot across without saying a word (and without being a gross caricature). That said, the biggest disapointment – and it is a major failing in my book – is Black’s absolutely wrong rendering of the last (and crucial) line in the movie. I can’t believe that Peter Jackson, with all of his attention to detail and feel for the story, selected such ineffective and flat reading of “It was beauty that killed that beast.” (Ooops, sorry for the spoiler).

As far as the length of the movie is concerned, I liked seeing the way New York was reproduced. I know some have said this was were the movie should have been cut, but I found it interesting. Also, the addition of the reunion between Kong and Ann in New York was a strong addition to the story that almost went on too long. Where it did go too far is in the action sequences on Skull island. As intense as the action was, and as well done the special effects were, it was just too much overkill. I mean, having not just one, not just two, but three T-rexes bordered on jumping the shark (which is about the only voracious animal that we didn’t see in the movie).

All in all, though, a very entertaining movie and a good job by Jackson that should be a great relief for anyone concerned that he would not be able to follow the Lord of the Rings saga.

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