King Kong (2005) (film review).
Selecting the version of this 2005 film of ‘King Kong’ was interesting, as it appears to have been released with different box covers. There is a theatrical and extended length, running at 220 minutes. I’m not excellent with such long films, but I figured I could take a break occasionally if I needed a rest, and I did. The film maintained non-stop action throughout, and I’m fairly certain there were over 17 deaths, along with several appearances by dinosaurs.
In many respects, the Peter Jackson-directed version matches the plot of the original 1933 version, just with a lot more detail and answering particular questions like the name of the island. In that respect, there’s no need for me to go over it, so I’m focusing on the differences. Experiencing New York for the first time was undoubtedly eye-opening, a revelation that stemmed from the book I reviewed earlier this month. The same applies to Skull Island and its various creatures. As a habitat, it looks interesting, but you do have to wonder how any of the animals reach adulthood when so many other creatures would make a meal of them first.
If there is a flaw in the story, it is the abrupt transition from rendering Kong unconscious to transporting him to New York, without providing a detailed explanation of how they accomplished this. I mean, he weighs more than their boat. Likewise, how could they keep him sedated for the entire trip? They couldn’t have that much chloroform, nor is there any indication of Kong being fed, let alone with what was on the voyage to New York. Considering how much detail Jackson had done so far, making that jump seems odd, but he must have known how long the film was running by then.
For bringing a dangerous animal into the Big Apple, Carl Denham (actor Jack Black) should undoubtedly have faced jail time. I find it hard to believe that the peashooter’s ammo used by the aircraft in the finale could penetrate Kong’s hide when nothing else did. Keeping too firmly to the 1933 premise tends to work against him and not the physical realities, like how many onlookers were crushed when Kong fell from the Empire State Building.
In whatever film, you do have to wonder how Kong can eat so much food to sustain his bulk on a daily basis. Given the size of some of the arthropods, it’s plausible to imagine Kong consuming a significant amount of them, potentially evolving into a carnivore to obtain the necessary protein. No one knows how he got so big or what kind of population the island had to support such a breed as the last of his kind. It is unclear why he would accept a human sacrifice and not overrun the native population, as this behaviour seems inconsistent with his nature.
On this occasion, I’m not going to watch again for the audio commentary. 220 minutes is a long time; let alone watch the shorter 187 minutes to compare them. I’ll leave it up to you to decide which version to watch.
It’s an exhausting watch. You’ve essentially got five films in one: the recruitment of stars, the voyage, Skull Island (dividing it into the crew following Kong’s own adventures with Ann Darrow), and the finale in New York. That’s a lot to squeeze in, and I’m surprised no one has thought to do a TV release in several episodes. Please bear in mind I have high respect for the performers and the special effects teams involved with this film, as it still holds up 20 years later.
GF Willmetts
March 2025
(pub: Universal, 2012. 220 minute film with an audio commentary. Price: varies. ASIN: B007KITR7C).
cast: Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Colin Hanks, Andy Serkis and many more.
