King Kong

I have mixed feelings about King Kong – I didn’t hate it as much as some did, but it WAS quite a chore, especially since it clocks in at over three hours. I have to state that I’ve never seen the original. I’d like to, especially now, but like Casablanca and Citizen Kane, it’s one of those great films I just haven’t seen yet, but will, one day. I’ve heard that Jackson has been very loyal to the original, but I suspect that much of the reason the film doesn’t work is because too much has been added, embellished or stretched out.

Whatever you say about the Lord of the Rings films – I loved the first one and liked the others – you cannot deny that they were absolutely stunning visually. Beautiful cinematography, not just in terms of scenery but also in close-ups, in costuming, in the sheer campy beauty of what the characters had to say and do. And visually, King Kong certainly reaches the high bar set by those landmark films. When Naomi Watts’ character says ‘It’s beautiful’, it truly is. Other than some slightly plasticky CGI that will probably looks as dated in a few years as the original stop-motion segments in the 30s original do now and some silly quick-zoom shots of skulls in the scary bits, the film is a feast for the eyes. Beautiful scenery, wonderfully realised creatures and fight scenes, an exquisitely recreated 30s New York and some gloriously fantastical savages. Jackson is without doubt an excellent visionary director, and the scope of the film is extremely impressive.

But where the film fails is in the writing. It just tries to do too much at once. There are two films here, really – the film about the big monkey smashing things up, and the film about the group of interesting characters who sail to an island. The best action films provide very brief, economical sketches of their characters, just enough that we’re interested by them and care about what happens to them, and then plunge them into the action. But here, we have a little too much – several interesting plot strands begin, only to be abandoned totally for the sake of more action scenes. Jamie Bell appears as a young, vulnerable sailor with an iffy American accent, and just as you’re beginning to get interested in his development and his mentor-figure, the character fades into the background. Similarly, the main characters are set up to have interesting character arcs, but Jack Black only gets a cursory ‘I told you so’ moment, Adrian Brody seems to be playing two totally different people at different points in the film, and only Naomi Watts gets any depth, mostly in silent scenes where she’s a passive companion for Kong (who is superbly ‘acted’ by Andy Serkis).

It’s just too much to try and fit in, even in such a bloated film. I question those who said, ‘Well, we COULD have some more scenes with these characters, or we could have an overlong section about giant insects’. An enjoyable film, but not great.