"It was beauty that killed the beast." - Carl Denham, King Kong
Hollywood apparently is in a season of unconventional love stories. At a time that Brokeback Mountain is wowing critics, and winning awards at every conceivable award ceremony, King Kong brings man and beast together. Flush from the success of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Peter Jackson, was given a loose leash and an almost unlimited budget, to film a story he had always dreamed of retelling. The result - one of the most expensive films to date. Though visually breathtaking, Jackson may be unable to thrust this 3-hour long beast of a movie down every cine-goer's throat. At over 3 hours (187 minutes to be exact), it's an hour too long. But if you have the patience, it's a roller-coaster ride through action, comedy, romance, drama and what may you have.
Patience pays and how. If you are one of those guys, who on finding a movie's pace too slow for their comfort, just walk out after an hour, then this movie is not for you. In fact, quite a few of the viewers may squirm in their seats as the first hour progresses, but the next couple of hours should make up for it. Almost every guy in the theater is there to see King Kong, and if he doesn't make an appearance even an hour into the movie, I don't blame them if they start feeling cheated.
Set in the Great Depression of 1933, the movie is set into motion with an out-of-work Vaudeville actress Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts), looking for a way to eke out a decent living. Along comes obsessed film-maker Carl Denham (Jack Black), who's in possession of a map to a mysterious island of legend, where he's desperate to film his movie. With none of the top actresses of the time in a mood to undertake the risky voyage, Carl convinces Ann to be his female lead. Also with just 15 pages of a script available, Carl tricks scriptwriter Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody) to join them on board the S.S. Venture. And then they set sail on an adventure of a lifetime.
The movie stays true to the 1933 original, and traces the story in 3 parts - the sea voyage, their stay on Skull Island and their return to New York. It's the first of these three parts, where Jackson seems to spend more time than anybody in the audience would like him to. But you can forgive him once you are on the island. The second hour is great for people who like loads of action - they get more than enough of it. The romantic crowd in the theater, should be satisfied by the last hour of the movie which turns quite mushy.
Naomi Watts puts in a commendable performance, as does Oscar winner Adrien Brody (The Pianist). It's also a treat to watch Jack Black, who plays film-maker Carl Denham. But the movie belongs to none of these.
The real hero is Kong himself. King Kong - the character - turns out as Bollywood-esqe as a Hollywood Hero can get. He's madly in love with his heroine. He will protect her at the risk of hurting himself. He is quite jealous of the other guy in her life. And best of all, he can take on 3 baddies (in this case, T-Rexes), all in one go. Also, better not give a miss to King Kong's dance on ice with his lady love. This is one of the few CGI characters for which one can really feel (his eyes just say it all), and not just appreciate or laugh at.
King Kong should see a good opening, but I see the length and pace of the movie hurting it's box-office run. Also, this movie is neither for die-hard action fans, nor for the mushy romantic types. This movie will go down well with people who appreciate movies, irrespective of the genre, because I found it really difficult to pigeonhole this movie. Leave it to you to label it.
