King Kong (2005)

Director:

Peter Jackson

Writers (WGA):

Fran Walsh (screenplay) &
Philippa Boyens (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

14 December 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Romance

Tagline:

The eighth wonder of the world.

Plot:

In 1933 New York, an overly ambitious movie producer coerces his cast and hired ship crew to travel to mysterious Skull Island, where they encounter Kong, a giant ape who is immediately smitten with leading lady Ann Darrow.

Plot Keywords:

Island | Jungle | 1930s | Gorilla | Actress

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 20 wins & 41 nominations

Cast

Naomi Watts	...	Ann Darrow
Jack Black	...	Carl Denham
Adrien Brody	...	Jack Driscoll
Thomas Kretschmann	...	Captain Englehorn
Colin Hanks	...	Preston
Andy Serkis	...	Kong / Lumpy
Evan Parke	...	Hayes
Jamie Bell	...	Jimmy
Lobo Chan	...	Choy
John Sumner	...	Herb
Craig Hall	...	Mike
Kyle Chandler	...	Bruce Baxter
Bill Johnson	...	Manny (as William Johnson)
Mark Hadlow	...	Harry
Geraldine Brophy	...	Maude

Also Known As:

King Kong (Germany)
Kong: The Eighth Wonder of the World (International: English title) (teaser title)
Peter Jackson's King Kong (USA) (promotional title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for frightening adventure violence and some disturbing images.

Runtime:

187 min | 201 min (extended edition)

Country:

New Zealand | USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX | SDDS | DTS-ES

Certification:

Ireland:12A | Australia:M | Denmark:11 | Germany:12 | Japan:U | Norway:11 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | Singapore:PG | Czech Republic:12 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Sweden:11 | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (British Columbia) | Canada:PG (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | France:U | Portugal:M/12 | Philippines:PG-13 | South Africa:PG (13V) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | Taiwan:PG-12 | Iceland:12 | Mexico:B | Peru:PT | Hong Kong:IIA | Malaysia:U | Brazil:12 | Canada:14A (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | South Africa:PG (13V - DVD Rating) | UK:12 (video rating) | UK:12A (original rating) | Spain:13 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #42322) | Finland:K-11 (2006) (extended edition) | Finland:K-11 (2005) (re-rating on appeal) | Finland:K-15 (2005) (original rating) | Canada:PG (Nova Scotia) (re-rating on appeal)

Filming Locations:

Beach Road, Parnell, Auckland, New Zealand

Company:

Big Primate Pictures

Trivia:

This was one of the last films personally green lit and approved by former Universal studio chairman Stacey Snider before her departure to DreamWorks. She originally balked at the finished version, since one of her stipulations was that the final length not exceed 160 minutes. According to Peter Jackson, it was waived when she actually saw the film (at executive screenings) and said that it exceeded her expectations.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Kong is chasing Jack Driscoll, you see a shot of an alleyway with a woman in white walking across the alleyway. The camera cuts to the opposite end of the alley, and the woman has disappeared.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Manny: [practicing sneezes] That's a funny one. Isn't that funnier?

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 63rd Annual Golden Globe Awards (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Fanfares Nos. 1, 2 and 3, The Sailors, The Aeroplane, Elevated Sequence, Jungle Dance, The Escape

Truly A Masterpiece!

Let me just say that with all of the remakes that have been coming out, King Kong may have been the most deserving and the most in need of being remade. I could not think of a better director for this type of film than Peter Jackson.

King Kong stays pretty true to the original. Naomi Watts plays Fay Wray's Ann Darrow perfectly. Right down to her emotional connection with Kong, which is helped by the fact that Kong is pretty darn lovable when he is not ripping apart dinosaurs.

Adrien Brody plays a great Jack Driscoll as well. Brody is truly a gifted actor and plays a good hero.

Even Jack Black did a good job as the rebellious director Carl Denham. Usually I am annoyed by Black's performances, even though they are mostly in comedies. Surprisingly, Black kept his character serious and the movie is better for it. I though for sure he would be the one to ruin this movie for me but, again, I stand corrected. The comedy seemed to be reserved for Kong, himself, and did a wonderful job.

I can not express how much more I enjoyed this movie without the "guy in the suit" special effects. Kong was very appealing visually, as well as the other dinosaurs. I do not say this too much in reviews. In fact, I doubt I have ever said it but King Kong has turned out to be a masterpiece which will raise the bar for many years to come. 10/10