King Kong (Widescreen Edition)
Academy Award-winning director Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy) brings his sweeping cinematic vision to King Kong. Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody star in this spectacular film filled with heart-pounding action, terrifying creatures and groundbreaking special effects unlike anything you’ve seen before! Get ready for breathtaking action in this thrilling epic adventure about a legendary gorilla captured on a treacherous island and brought to civilization, where he faces the ultimate fight for survival. Experience the movie that critics are hailing as a “rousing, exciting cinematic adventure!” (Scott Mantz, Access Hollywood) Movies don’t come any bigger than Peter Jackson’s King Kong, a three-hour remake of the 1933 classic that marries breathtaking visual prowess with a surprising emotional depth. Expanding on the original story of the blonde beauty and the beast who falls for her, Jackson creates a movie spectacle that matches his Lord of the Rings films and even at times evokes their fantasy world while celebrating the glory of ’30s Hollywood. Naomi Watts stars as Ann Darrow, a vaudeville actress down on her luck in Depression-era New York until manic filmmaker Carl Denham (a game but miscast Jack Black) entices her with a lead role. Dazzled by the genius of screenwriter Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody), Ann boards the tramp steamer S.S. Venture, which she–and most of the wary crew–believes is headed for Singapore. Denham, however, is in search of the mythic Skull Island, hoping to capture its wonders on film and make a fortune. What he didn’t count on were some scary natives who find that the comely Darrow looks like prime sacrifice material for a mysterious giant creature…. There’s no point in rehashing the entire plot, as every movie aficionado is more than familiar with the trajectory of King Kong; the challenge facing Jackson, his screenwriters, and the phenomenal visual-effects team was to breathe new life into an old, familiar story. To that degree, they achieve what could be best called a qualified success. Though they’ve assembled a crackerjack supporting cast, including Thomas Kretschmann as the Venture‘s hard-bitten captain and young Jamie Bell as a plucky crewman, the first third of the movie is rather labored, with too much minute detail given over to sumptuous re-creations of ’30s New York and the unexciting initial leg of the Venture‘s sea voyage. However, once the film finds its way to Skull Island (which bears more than a passing resemblance to LOTR‘s Mordor), Kong turns into a dazzling movie triumph, by turns terrifying and awe-inspiring. The choreography and execution of the action set pieces–including one involving Kong and a trio of Tyrannosaurus Rexes, as well as another that could be charitably described as a bug-phobic’s nightmare–is nothing short of landmark filmmaking, and a certain Mr. Spielberg should watch his back, as Kong trumps most anything that has come before it. Despite the visual challenges of King Kong, the movie’s most difficult hurdle is the budding romance between Ann and her simian soulmate. Happily, this is where Jackson unqualifiedly triumphs, as this unorthodox love story is tenderly and humorously drawn, by turns sympathetic and wondrous. Watts, whose accessibility balances out her almost otherworldly loveliness, works wonders with mere glances, and Andy Serkis, who digitally embodies Kong here much as he did Gollum in the LOTR films, breathes vibrant life into the giant star of the film without ever overplaying any emotions. The final, tragic act of the film, set mostly atop the Empire State Building, is where Kong earns its place in movie history as a work that celebrates both the technical and emotional heights that film can reach. –Mark Englehart
Rating:  List Price: $ 5.98 Price: $ 1.51 Find More Dvd Products |
(out of 1067 reviews)
Review by Keith W. Johnson for King Kong (Widescreen Edition)
Rating:
The biggest problem most people had with King Kong was its length, so there’s no surprise that reaction by the general public to the release of an extended edition of another 3 hour-plus Peter Jackson film was almost the equivalent of a collective groan.
The surprise is that everything added to the Extended Edition of King Kong should have never been cut. More dinosaurs and more creatures and more action on Skull Island only improves the film, and one wonders if these scenes were cut mostly for time and pacing, why wasn’t a little bit of the 51 minutes of pre-Skull Island snipped or perhaps a few overly drawn scenes of Kong and Anna gazing into each other’s eyes?
The more noticable scenes are that of a rampaging Ceratops and a fun scene of an underwater monster attacking Adrien Brody and Co. while they are rafting down a river. A bit more character development with some seedy behavior by Carl Denham (Jack Black) and heroic deeds by Jack Driscoll and the shipmates add a bit of flavor to the male characters literally overshadowed by Kong in the film. The spider pit sequence is also a bit lengthened with some more lines by Jack Black. Overall, a worthy 13 minutes of added material, but the film still feels too long in the last act.
The special features to this extended edition are the special features that were missing from the first release of the Kong movie, including a commentary from Peter Jackson and extensive behind the scenes features, describing the making of Kong from concept artwork to the screen a la the performance of Andy Serkis.
I enjoyed the extended cut, but I don’t know that this lengthy movie is better served with added material. It’s not like the LOTR films where the additions enhance your viewing and understanding of Tolkien’s world. But hey, I am not going to complain about more dinosaurs and the raft sequence I was disappointed was missing from the original cut.
Review by DA MAN for King Kong (Widescreen Edition)
Rating:
Hello People,
well Peter Jackson’s Opus, King Kong now comes in it’s extended version only on DVD… This review basically gives you a guide as to what you might expect from the DVD release.. I have no breakdown of what scenes are make up the extra minutes, but from Perter Jackson’s comments and Comic Con presentation, there have been indications of what might be make up the running time…
The dVd details –
Firstly this dvd presentation is brought to you in 3 discs. An additon of thirteen(13) minutes of footage has been added to the extended version of the film.
Extra scenes include :
* King Kong’s capture at Skull Island and journey to New York.
* A river scene; where our heros are stuck on a log/raft, and
them being attacked by a large aligator. (Comic Con info)
More to be added soon…
King Kong Extended Edition: Disc 1
2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen Presentation
English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Track
Commentary with Director Peter Jackson & Producer Phillipa Boyens Part 1
Sixteen Deleted Scenes (Totalling around 40 Minutes)
English SDH, Spanish, French Subtitles
King Kong Extended Edition: Disc 2
Commentary with Director Peter Jackson & Producer Phillipa Boyens Part 2
The Eighth Blunder of the World Featurette
The Present Featurette
A Night in Vaudeville Featurette
King Kong Homage
Weta Collectables
Selection of Trailers
King Kong Extended Edition: Disc 3
The King Kong Archives
Introduction by director Peter Jackson
The Origins of King Kong Documentary
Pre-Production Part 1: The Return of Kong
Pre-Production Part 2: Countdown to Filming
The Venture Journey Featurette
Return to Skull Island Featurette
New York, New Zealand Featurette
Bringing Kong to Life Part 1: Design and Research
Bringing Kong to Life Part 2: Performance and Animation
The 1996 King Kong Video Gallery
The Venture Video Gallery
Skull Island Video Gallery
New York Video Gallery
Kong Video Gallery
Arrival at Skull Island Pre-Viz Animatic
Bronto Stampede Pre-Viz Animatic
T-Rex Fight Pre-Viz Animatic
Kong’s Capture Pre-Viz Animatic
Empire State Building Battle Pre-Viz Animatic
Ann Disarms Kong Motion-Capture/Animation Comparison
Kong’s Capture Motion-Capture/Animation Comparison
Kong in New York Motion-Capture/Animation Comparison
DVD Credits and 1996 and 2005 Scripts (DVD-ROM)
—————————————————————-
One thing to note from this release – there is no DTS soundtrack on this release, which has disappointed and even angered a lot of fans…. Benchmarking from the Lord of the Rings extented dvd releases, this is an ommission that trully expected… Be mindful…. Never the less, this is a strong release, from a director who understands what a dvd presentation should be. Place this 1 on your christmas wishlist!
** Also available in a limited edition giftset, complete with a beautifully crafted WETA King Kong figurine, which is released on the same day.
Review by Carlo San Juan for King Kong (Widescreen Edition)
Rating:
I was one of those people who thought King Kong was a mistake for director Peter Jackson. Fresh from his monumental success and Academy Awards with his work on The Lord of the Rings, I wasn’t confident that he would make an equally, much less surpassively, good film. I was proven wrong.
Running at a horrendously intimidating 187 minutes, I had my fears that there would be parts where cinematographic drags would consume my interest in the film, especially since there were several such moments in Fellowship of the Ring which Jackson also directed. However, I was pleased to find that dragging moments were limited and the whopping runtime was put to good use… so take care of your bladders prior to watching.
I have heard many complaints regarding the first third of the film which takes place in depression-era New York city. It is in this third where the titular beast is nowhere to be seen, but we are introduced to all the other main characters. I have argued many times that a film is not without it’s characters and so far in his blockbuster career, Peter Jackson has not disappointed in characterization. It keeps the audience in the hearts and minds of everything that happens onscreen and therefore maintains an engaging atmosphere. All in all, you care about all the fuss and you watch and wait, with interest, for the next scene to unfold. Therefore, in spite of the gargantuan runtime, I was riveted to the screen.
Carl Denham (Jack Black… yes, Jack Black) is a struggling filmmaker whose career has been so far almost successful. When he learns his latest film is about to be scrapped, he escapes with his film and crew to continue production. He then learns his lead actress has quit and runs into an out-of-luck vaudeville entertainer, Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts), who he manages to recruit. He convinces his cast and ship crew that they will be heading for Singapore to film. In reality, he is heading for the mysterious Skull Island whose location he had acquired just as mysteriously. However, his production woes continue as his script is unfinished. He then takes popular theater writer Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody) to continue the script while the ship sails for Skull Island. Upon reaching the island, they encounter murderous natives who wish to offer Ann to the gigantic beast they worship, Kong.
George Lucas once said that special effects are there to aid the telling of a story and should not be the emphasis of a film. Whether or not Lucas himself adheres to this philosophy is debatable, but it is clear that Jackson does. There is not one scene, real or digitally created, in this movie that does not have meaning. There is the scene of a shared sunset between Ann and Kong with volumes of depth. It is this scene, to this reviewer, that escalated the film from ordinary blockbuster to movie greatness.
Yes, there have been previous King Kong films. But where they fail is where Peter Jackson’s take shines. There is an actual relationship between Kong and Ann, we actually understand why Ann cares so much for him. While Kong would try to impress her with roars and beating his chest, Ann would perform her vaudeville antics (to Kong’s.. and ultimately the audience’s delight). It is their shared moments of joy that solidify an unusual bond of friendship between Ann and Kong. Ann perhaps realizes that she is Kong’s only friend, and hence his entire world.
It is the relationship between Ann and Kong that Jackson decided to concentrate his full filmmaking abilities and rightfully so. Yes, there is another sort-of love story between Ann and Jack Driscoll but not one that would outshine the focus of the film.
As for the other actors, they were top-notch. I have heard others say Jack Black was frightfully miscast but I think otherwise. His over-the-top acting fits perfectly for Carl, a filmmaker with so much passion for his film that he continually tries to sell it to everyone just so they “get it”.
King Kong, I would have to say, is one of the best films of the year. Entirely engaging and a delightful and sometimes frightening adventure, it is one with definite heart. From vaudeville opening to heart-wrenching denoument, Jackson has made a film that beats on it’s chest and roars.
Review by Cobra for King Kong (Widescreen Edition)
Rating:
As another individual correctly noted this Blue Ray version does in fact contain both the theatrical and extended version of the film. The NBC Universal Store web site verifies it. Amazon simply failed to clarify this and they should do so because several others are disappointed that it doesn’t appear to be here. Peter Jackson’s version of this classic film is simply visually stunning and it should be a reference quality Blue Ray film to show off a good video setup. This is so much better than the cheap 1976 remake with Jeff Bridges.
Mr. Jackson took the time to actually develop the characters and the story which indeed adds to the film just as he did in Lord of the Rings which depended on character development. Far too many films today fail to deliver a full story and rely only on cheap special effects. This is a rich and full story. Some were critical of this fact and they apparently merely wanted to see a large ape captured, climb a large building and then fall off and die with little more than special effects to wow them for an hour. This is not a film for those with such a short attention span or those interested only in computer graphic magic. This is the full story of Kong and those who encountered him . . . and it’s an incredibly good one and superbly stunning in cinematography.
Review by Micaloneus for King Kong (Widescreen Edition)
Rating:
This “action” picture has something different about it, it has a heart; and Naomi Watts.
As far as the length goes (3 hrs. 8 min.), it’s pretty darn perfect. Sure, there could have been a few minutes edited out, but maybe those few minutes I want out, someone else just loves. So what do you do? Anyway, part of the strength is the length, giving time for character development. Woooooow! What a awe-inspiring idea. Alright, maybe they could have cut out the “Jimmy” guy, but who’s to say for sure. There are simply too many wannabe critics out there with short attention spans, just because there’s no “action” right away, they feel the movie drags on, or is way too long.
Now, on to more important things, Naomi Watts, she should have been given an Oscar nomination for her role as Ann Darrow. Doing so much with so little dialogue and she lit up the screen like no one I’d ever seen.
Finally, with this DVD you can stop the movie anytime, use the restroom, go to the kitchen, blow your nose or just take some deep breathes outside, or maybe do all four. Hey, the bonus features are wonderful too. I loved the Skull Island documentary.
This is a 21st century classic, no doubt about it.