 King Kong
MPAA Rating:
 for frightening adventure violence and some disturbing imagesReviewed by: Todd Patrick Offensive
Moviemaking Quality:
 Primary Audience:
Adults, Teens
Genre:
Action/Adventure, Romance, Thriller, Remake
Genre:
Length:
3 hr. 7 min.
          Relevant Issues
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Jackson’s King Kong takes the main elements of the original movie and pumps them up on steroids. Everything is heightened, intensified, and expanded to over three hours of theater-time. It is a masterwork of pop cinematic culture. One of modern cinema’s greatest strengths, in this digital age, is its ability to create larger-than-life fantasy worlds that are almost indistinguishable from reality. Kong raises the bar for this style of filmmaking. It is everything that George Lucas’s second Star Wars trilogy should have been, but wasn’t. Kong’s story is similar to its predecessor’s, but varies in many interesting ways, with plenty of nods and winks to fans of the original. It is, essentially, a three-act opera: the first act introduces us to the main characters and includes their sea voyage to the mysterious “Skull Island,” the second act introduces the island, its inhabitants, and Kong to the ship’s crew, and the third act involves Kong’s New York exhibition and subsequent rampage. King Kong begins with Carl Denham (Jack Black), a visionary filmmaker, looking to finish shooting his latest movie overseas. His producers back out of funding him, and he makes a break for it—attempting to get his ship out of New York harbor by nightfall. He discovers Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts), a washed-up vaudeville performer who is starving from lack of work, and convinces her to join the cast of his movie. Once aboard the ship, Denham also tricks playwright Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody) into staying for the voyage by casting off without his knowledge. Once the voyage begins, the crew soon finds out that “Skull Island” is their destination. The captain tries to turn the ship around, unfortunately making his decision too late, as they run into the rocky shoreline of the foreboding island. From that point on, the movie is a nonstop frenzy of action, suspense, and horror as the crew attempts to rescue Ann from the natives, then from Kong himself. Jackson’s cast is nearly flawless. Jack Black is fantastic as the wild-eyed, barely-sane, obsessive director Denham. Naomi Watts is the perfect choice for Ann Darrow (she’s beautiful, with an innate intelligence and melancholy sadness that add depth to a character whose original function was to look pretty and scream). Adrien Brody plays the sharp, heroic playwright Driscoll quite well (he’s the “everyman” of the movie), and Kyle Chandler is also excellent as the vain, self-absorbed leading man Bruce Baxter. Jackson adds so much backstory and character development to the movie that Kong doesn’t even make his first appearance until the second hour of the movie! He lovingly adds that extra dimension to the characters that is often missing from big-budget bockbusters — the fleshing-out process that makes us actually care what happens to them. Skull Island is a fantastic achievement of stunning cinematography combined with cutting-edge visual effects. Kong himself, whose movements are mapped off of the amazingly talented Andy Serkis (Gollum from Lord of the Rings), is incredibly lifelike and believable: his hair blows in the wind, every muscle of his face twitches with expression, and his body is lithe and muscular as he leaps through the forest, facing danger after danger, which includes fighting off three (!) Tyranasaurus Rexes and the crew of the ship, who come to rescue Ann. The crew also has to deal with a stampede of Brontosauruses and a pit full of oversized, angry insects and wormlike creatures. Kong is escapist entertainment. From the moment the ship lands on Skull Island, the movie is nonstop action and spectacle. I commented on this Web site a year ago that I hated Michael Bay’s The Island. That movie, in my opinion, was nothing but a giant advertisement with too much loud, over-the-top action that was filmed with a jittery camera, making it impossible to see everything that was going on (and making me motion-sick in the process). Kong is my idea of how to do action-adventure right. The action shots are wide and steady, allowing us to see every second of Kong’s fifteen minute battle with the three Tyranasaurs. There’s no shaky filmwork, either. Jackson is confident in his prowess as a director and in the amazing effects he is utilizing. He WANTS us to see how good they are. The effect is nothing less than amazing: I felt like a ten-year old kid again, seeing Star Wars for the first time. The final act re-creation of 1930’s New York, which Kong rampages through, destroying everthing in his path, is also incredibly well-done. There’s plenty of violence, including more than a few deaths (by guns, spears, and being eaten by prehistoric beasts) and some grisly dinosaur jaw-snapping done by Kong. The oversized insects are disgusting, and the island natives could be very frightening to kids: they’re like cannibalistic zombies. The Lord’s name is also taken in vain a handful of times. Kong is also a morality tale, as well. We see all the obsessive rantings of Denham as he attempts to make a worldwide name for himself, at the expense of everything and everyone else. His quest for notoriety and fame leads to the death of half of his crew on Skull Island and, eventually, to the death of King Kong himself, who is drugged, captured, and transported to New York to star in a Broadway stage show where he is the circus-freak attraction for thousands of spectators. Greed, vanity, and pride ultimately destroy this 20-foot ape, the last of his kind. Denham says at the end of the movie that it was “beauty who killed the beast,” but it was nothing more than his own lust for fame that killed Kong. (There are plenty of touching moments between Kong and Ann Darrow throughout the movie, showing the value of love, tenderness, and compassion.) Kong is a modern-day beauty and the beast fairytale — and a three-hour thrill-ride. Is it a bit overindulgent? Yes, it is. It takes its time setting up and expanding on all its characters, then plunges us into two hours of nonstop action-adventure, reminiscent of the Indiana Jones trilogy or the first Star Wars trilogy. Jackson is, in my opinion, the undisputed king of the blockbuster, dethroning Spielberg and early Lucas, and kicking to the curb the shoddy work of Michael Bay, Jerry Bruckheimer, John Woo, and all the other modern-day blockbuster posers out there who are all flash and no depth. Jackson doesn’t miss a trick in his efforts to create a fantasy world worthy of his 200-million dollar budget. I can’t wait to hear the plans for his next film. Hopefully, it will be The Hobbit! Violence: Heavy / Profanity: Moderate / Sex/Nudity: None See list of Relevant Issues — questions-and-answers. Year of Release — 2005 / USA release: December 14, 2005 (wide).  POSITIVE
Positive - Peter Jackson has turned in something quite magical with KING KONG. True, KING KONG as a film is more than a little excessive, but truly, it’s one of the most sumptuous and exciting films to have been released in a long time. Positive - Wow… Peter Jackon’s remake of King Kong delivers big time. I always knew it would be special as soon as I heard it was in production. Jackson has proven himself to be the decade’s greatest director. With every step he makes, Peter Jackson raises the standard for moviemaking across the board. I will say though, King Kong is not as good as The Lord Of The Rings, but that hardly matters. King Kong serves a different purpose, one that proves that childhood dreams can make awesome movies. Peter Jackson has done it again. Positive - I went to see Kong with three of my friends, all solid Christians, and we all absolutely loved it. From a technical and storytelling standpoint, Kong reigns supreme. Their simply have not been effects at this level of excellence on the silver screen to date. Whether its dinosaurs, giant insects, or the ten-ton gorilla himself, I guarantee you will find yourself buying into the digital (or is it real?) world Jackson and his Weta Workshop artists have created. Best of all, the story, unlike so many other sci-fi/fantasy films, doesn’t fall flat. All the performers, including the questionably cast Jack Black, are terrific. Positive - Hi I am from where this movie was made (New Zealand), also had the pleasure of seeing it be made. It is a wonderful movie!!! I cried a lot watching it, I felt so sorry for Kong. It has a little bit of everything in it. Well worth the time and money — keeping you on the end of your seat a number of times. My family loved it too. Using just a few offensive words which our children hear every day in the playground at school, I think it is good for the whole family too see.… Positive - …a great movie, full of action and suspense, romance, and even a couple of comedic moments. Yes, there was some bad language, but nothing compared to what you normally hear at the movies, and it is a great story. Younger audiences probably shouldn’t see it since there are a lot of scary scenes, with giant creatures and creepy natives. But if you like action movies, you will love this movie. It doesn’t seem like it is 3 hours long; when I watched it, it went by really fast. It is a very well-made movie and it was a lot of fun to see. Positive - I thought this movie was fanstastic in all aspects. …Movies like King Kong are the movies that stick with people throughout their entire lives, and if we walk out of the theatre because of words which we hear everyday anyways then we are stripping ourselves of one of the most important tools for evangelism: common ground with non-Christians. Symon, if you walk out on people who use the Lord’s name in vain, how would you evangelize to them? Positive - …an extraordinary movie and although the first hour dragged a bit, and there were about a million plot holes, I haven’t been this overwhelmed and excited all year (having not seen Narnia yet). Everything was extremely well done, from the climactic battle with the T-Rexes to the destruction of Manhattan. All of the acting was great, especially Kong himself. I never cry in movies, but I was deeply moved when he was killed. Positive - …while the plot, on the surface, doesn’t seem like it is worthy of being called an epic…Jackson has made it one. …Although it contains many elements of a drama, it doesn’t get bogged down. There is constant tension and conflict on many levels. …I was really surprised by Jackson’s ability to layer the plot and add many different ironies. Positive - …To be honest, I hated the original film’s Kong, because he acted and looked so arrogant, even for a 25-foot silverback gorilla. But Jackson succeeds in making his Kong a much more sympathetic character that you genuinely care for. In addition to being an action/adventure flick, it’s also a glorious and romantic rendition of Beauty and the Beast, a tragic tale of affection between two kindred spirits, a union that was doomed from the start. Beyond doubt, this is a film you won’t want to miss, espeically on the big screen. Well done, Peter Jackson. Well done. …undoubtedly one of the best films of the year. …Many have complained that this movie is too long, but the film’s three-hour length sweeps by if you let go of the world around you, and you allow yourself to get caught up in the film’s world, whether it’s 1933 depression-smitten New York City, or the lush, fertile, dinosaur-infested jungles of Skull Island. All the animals are wonderfully realized and look completely photorealistic, from the giant bugs to Kong himself and his prehistoric counterparts. Jackson and the special effects team capture a magic rarely seen anymore, where the special effects add to the story, not distract from it, and even evoke in the audience a childlike sense of curiosity and wide-eyed wonder.… NEUTRAL
Neutral - King Kong is popular because of the ‘high tech’ available to movie makers today. The audience gets so focused on the realism of the effects, that they tend to overlook the subtle, wordly overtones, so prevalent in all of today’s media. Too much violence, and common use of God’s name in vain are intentional directing tactics to desensitize ‘strong Christians’, who are weak in their belief. Walk out once you see that the movie is not God edifying, but merely worldly eye-candy. Three hours of superficial entertainment is never as good as what God has to offer for those who stand up for their faith. Neutral - …I bought into the hype surrounding the latest in Jackson’s library, King Kong. I wasn’t surprised when I heard about the 3+ hour running time. After all, Jackson spares no detail in his crafts, and he would rather opt for a broader picture than a condensed Reader’s Digest version. I wasn’t disappointed, but I wasn’t enthralled either. I have not seen the original film, so the timely references went completely by me. However, not knowing much more than the basic premise of the story, I did enjoy this rendition. It was chock full of thrills, vivid special effects, and a solid development of the characters. One aspect I particularly liked was the gradual shift from mostly dialogue to nonverbal communication to convey the story. The actors’ wide variety of facial expressions (most notably the charming Naomi Watts) spoke volumes, helping to further the plot. Even Kong had his share of expressions, with an uncanny visage that was all too human. Neutral - Good movie, but not great. Special effects at times are amazing, but at other times look just plain fake. For example: The scene where they are running from the large dinosours and running in and out of their legs looks very fake. They seem to be either running on a treadmill in front of a blue screen or running in place. On the other hand, King Kong’s fighting with the dinosours is impressive and so is the interaction with the people. Also, the boat crash at the island looks filmed in a bath tub. Neutral - Best movie I have seen in a loooong time! Neutral - I enjoyed the movie. This is one of Peter Jackson’s finest cinematic creations. It’s a homage to the original 1933 movie that Jackson loved to watch as a kid. The language could’ve been cleaned up. Some of the shots in the film were so dizzying that it nearly made me motion-sick. And I don’t need to see Naomi Watts in her lingerie. Other than that, it’s a fine testament to the original 1933 Fay Wray version (which is also an awesome movie, and revolutionary for its time, considering the fact that technology was limited). NEGATIVE
Negative - A phenomenal movie is absolutely wrecked by the huge amount of blasphemy in it. I walked out of the screening about a third of the way through, disgusted at the amount of “Jesus’s” and “Christ’s” in it. It’s really unusual as there was no other bad language that I heard in the movie except for blasphemy! We should not be entertained by any movie, even King Kong, which uses the name of Jesus like a …filth word. Jesus died for us and we use his name as profanity? Boycott Kong I say. Negative - I thought the movie was quite offensive, in addition to simply not being very good. There were many scenes of people getting killed and depictions of demonic possession which were unnecessarily focused on. The only benefit I have from not walking out in the first hour of the movie is that I can provide a complete review. The creatures on ‘Skull Island’ were mostly depicted as blood-thirsty for humans, not to mention the ridiculous humanoid vampire-like bats. Parts of it seemed more like a shoot-em-up, pseudo-horror film than whatever it was supposed to be. In addition, the film attempted to depict Kong in this loving/sad manner when it clearly showed him as a savage killer in other scenes. Human lives matter, and they are most precious to God. When a movie throws them around like cheap props, and even tries to justify it by feelings, how can we call it entertainment? Negative - I saw this movie with a group of friends and left totally dissapointed that we had taken those 3 long hours to watch it. Besides the fact that there were several profanities, the violence was almost unbearable! The horrifying natives freaked everyone out, and I spent a portion of the film covering my eyes from the characters being eaten, trampled, or just the disgusting ‘creatures’ that try to gobble up anything that moves. Negative - …I came away feeling very conflicted about it. I was starting to love this movie as we were introduced to the characters, and the different struggles they went through. The dramatic tension that Jackson builds is awesome, leading up to the characters misadventures on Skull Island. The reasons, that I give this movie a negative review are:
I wouldn’t take any kids to this movie, or adults for that matter. The intensity is just WAY too much. Too many beasts on Skull Island, not a moments rest. The island is basically a good picture of what hell would look like. Peril at every corner, and while I did find the heroic scenes of some of the characters of Skull Island encouraging, I basically walked away from the movie feeling anxious, frustrated, confused and mostly OVERWHELMED. I was very troubled in my spirit. I do not recommend this movie for Christians, or anyone for that matter. Negative - …for it’s genre (which I like), this was a technically great movie. However, I think many Christians have bought into the non-Christian rating system. Our priorities are very much out-of-wack! I, personally, would rather hear dozens of uses of the ‘F’ word, the ‘S’ word, and just about any other word EXCEPT for having the name of Jesus Christ misused. The use of the ‘F ’word gets an ‘R’ rating, but they can (as they do in this movie) use Jesus, Christ, and God all they want, and that only gets a PG-13! How dare we buy into that mindset that finds other words more offensive than taking God’s name in vane?!?! Negative - Our family walked out about 3/4 through the movie due to the continual blasphemy. There were several GD’s and Jesus’ name was specifially used several tmes. It’s a shame, the quality of the film overall I thought was great. Negative - DANGER!! Do not waste your time, money or witness on this horrible film. It is ridiculously long (3+ hours) and has much profane use of the Lord’s name in addition to just being a bad movie. The beginning is VERY slow and Kong doesn’t appear until about 90 minutes has elapsed. The natives on Skull Island are ghoulish and very frightening, especially to younger children (I took my 11 and 13 year old sons, but made them cover their eyes for most of the island ‘adventure’). There are also many prehistoric type creatures on the island that torment and kill multiple humans - these scenes, along with the island native scenes are ridiculously long and drawn out and very graphic and frightening. The humanoid-looking bats are almost funny except they too are out for the kill. My boys didn’t even like it and they usually love these kinds of movies. Be a good steward of God’s provision and spend His money elsewhere! Negative - Comparing King Kong to the cinematic flop Congo would be doing an
injustice to Congo. If one were to take the talent it took to make
Waterworld and Stealth and then divide it by half, you still would not have
as bad a movie as King Kong. King Kong will more likely than not reign as
King of the box office, at least for a time, however I would warn everyone
to stay clear of this poorly acted, terribly directed, borefest and special-
effects-induced chump of a movie. I can honestly say that King Kong is
going to go down in history as one of the10 worst movies I have ever
seen. Comments from young people
Positive - After reading several reviews of Kong, I almost missed out on going due to the sexuality and blasphemy in the film. I must say that there was not nearly as much of either as I expected. The sexuality was brief and after a man requests that Carl use nudity in his film, Carl strongly rebukes the man and calls him a cheap low-life. The burlesque theater seen took about a minute and was the worst part of the movie. Ann’s dress shows some of her form after being captured by Kong, but the camera always changes to a different angle before showing us too much of her body. Though there were quite a few misuses of God’s name, several seemed more like exclaimed prayers. That does not mean I condone the blasphemy though. I found it unneeded and due to that can not recommend the film to anyone, but my close friends whose standards I am aware of. The special effects were fantastic, and Kong is the best CG monster yet. The film has less abuses of the Lord’s name than Godzilla, and is WAY more entertaining, though some parts were totally unbelievable. Overall, I can only recommend the film as entertainment, and not as a Biblically righteous film. For myself, I loved it and hope to view it again. Neutral - …I had really been waiting for this film for a long time, seen all the previews, clips, I was very excited. But at the very beginning of the film, something surprised me. When Carl Denham, (filmmaker) finds out that the main actress that he had for his movie had quit, and he needed a new girl to star the show, he heads for a strip club, with pictures of very poorly dressed girls showing off, and starts to go in, when he sees Ann Darrow in the window’s reflection, and ceases to enter. When he went to have dinner with this Ann, (Note this is during the Great Depression, so Ann had very little money) after she is almst done eating, he asks Ann if she is a size 4, (Because all Carl had were size 4 costumes) and because Ann saw him going into the strip clubish thing, she assumes that he wants her to be a part of that. Neutral - Great film, but they …used God’s name in vain a lot. That’s the downside, but overall a great film, well done. Lots of action. Best film I ever saw. Positive - …an amazing movie that reminds us why we go to the movies in the first place. The acting is great, the special effects are awesome, and the over all classic story and non-stop action just take your breath away. But I do warn all parents that if you have kids 6 or younger who are sensitive to violence or scary images do not take them to see this movie. I have seen this movie twice and would see it again. 10 stars! Positive - Wow! Peter Jackson has done it again! If anything, you have to see it for the amazing special effects. Though it was long, I don’t see how they could have cut anything out of this movie. It was scary, though, with a few very intense scenes and people dying violent deaths. The natives who sacrifice the girl to King Kong are super freaky. It’s not a family movie by any means, but an eight dollar ticket is worth the money! Positive - …there is one bad thing: They use both the Father and the Son’s name in vain a loooooooooottttttt. The overwhelming majority of it is in the first hour or so, but it is throughout the entire movie. So be warned: A LOT of using the Lord’s name in vain. This was not in the content descriptor, and I have lost all faith in the MPAA. They do not give movies the ratings they should. But this movie uses God’s name like a cuss word! Like someone else’s review said, Jesus died on the cross for us, and we use his name as a cuss word? That’s ridiculous. However, besides using the Lord’s name in vain, this movie is great. It does have a few cuss words, but the action is great. Plus, this movie is 3 hours and 7 minutes, which makes it even more enjoyable. Trust me, I was never bored during this movie. Neutral - …a great movie in quality. The effects and acting were amazing. …The only problem I had with the movie was the intensity. My brother (12) was out of the theater for like half of the movie, and during the first scene showing the natives, I was closing my eyes and my ears. I probably looked like a five year old, but it was an extremely disturbing sequence. During another scene on the island with man-eating bugs, both me and my dad were freaking out. Positive - First off, this movie was extremely well made. It is a great movie! It’s possibly that I just was in the bored mood that day or something. But, this movie seemed to just go on for a bit too long. It’s hard to say what they could have cut because it all seemed important. The story doesn’t feel epic like Lord of the Rings and because of that, the 3 hours seems to run long. Great movie, great visuals, and great acting. But, for this movie I don’t think it needed to be 3 hours long. But, go see it. It’s an awesome movie and Kong looks AMAZING!!! Neutral - While it was a well-done movie, I had to leave the theatre 2 ½ hours into the movie crying, shaking, and barely able to walk because it disturbed me so much. I don’t know why it’s not rated R for all the violence and gore, as well as the use of Christ’s name in vain so many times. Normally, violence doesn’t disturb me too much, but I couldn’t handle this. Scene after scene, it was extremely intense, and you don’t miss many of the deaths of various characters throughout the movie. I know the reviewer gave a ‘None’ rating for sex/nudity, however there is a scene in the movie that is in front of a strip club. On the front of the building are hung several B&W photographs of barely dressed women. Also, if my eyes serve me correctly, one photograph shows a completely naked women turned to the side and positioned in such a way that you can’t actually see anything, but you can definitely tell she’s naked. Negative - I went to the movie with my sister and daddy and had to walk out. They used God’s name in vain many times. I was hoping that it would be a good movie, but it was terrible. I would not recommend this movie to any Christians. They had too much cussing and profanity. Positive - About two hours into King Kong, our heroes that have survived the first two hours of the movie find themselves trapped at the bottom of a chasm, where insects bred from nightmares that I fortunatly have never had are swarming around them, eating several of them. The remaining ones, who the ones we have gotten to know, are making their last stand. They have fought through jungle hell, and are ready to die. Furtunatly for them, we are not. We have survived this hell with them, and will not let them give up. So they don’t. Amazingly enough, they are not even the characters we care about the most. We care more about a beautiful young girl and a big ol’ gorrilla (a big ol’ gorrilla that isn’t even real, but our eyes,ears and heart tell us he’s real). King Kong is not the greatest movie ever made. However, no other movie in history has ever invested so much in me, and I in it. I have a wordless, unexplainable relationship with it, just like the gorrilla has with Ann Darrow. I have put this much emotion into The Lord of the Rings, but it spanned over an entire trilogy. Kong did it with one movie. Positive - …awesome!! …It is a little slow in the begining, but it’s purpose for that is to let you see and know the characters so that when it does get into the ‘good parts’ then you would understand. …I truly LOVED it!! Positive - Woah! what a movie. If you can sit through a 2 hour movie, this should be no problem for you since it is so crazy. Sure 3 hours may sound long for a movie, but let me tell you — the acting was great, the special FX were better than great, and the movie itself as a whole was incredible. It was pretty intense on the island, so if you don’t want to see people get eaten by leaches and such, might want to stay away. but if you liked Jurassic Park, you’ll love this. As for offensive content, it’s just the language (which was still not as bad as a lot of movies) and some people might find the gruesome deaths of some people offensive.… Positive - …awesome. …Great action! and well done Peter. Positive - Where does one truly begin with such an epic film? I would have to begin with Peter Jackson at the age of eight. Little knowing the impact of the 1933 version of King Kong would have on him, he would watch it and at the end there would ignite a fire, one tiny flame that in his heart would kindle and in his mind break forth the boundaries of his ordinary life. He would say with his own tongue, “I want to be a director.” Now, we see him a young man, impassioned with his love for the theater, enthralled to create with the camera another world unlike any ever imagined, pushing beyond the borders we so casually place in this life, and obsessed in making the impossible possible. Positive - This is an excellent movie as far as the story goes. I recommend it to anyone who isn’t easily upset. It absolutely holds your attention all the way through with no dragging scenes or boring parts you might want to fast-forward. There is a fair amount of frightening and disturbing content. Apart from the posessed, demonic appearances of the Island’s inhabitants and the gruesome way in which Kong kills a T. Rex by opening its mouth so far that the jaw snaps, there is the manner in which a character (whom we have come to like) has his head slowly engulfed by a giant worm while he is yet alive and screaming. Again, I recommend this movie to those who do not become grossed out easily. I went to this movie with a friend who hates bugs, and there was an entire ten minute segment during which she had to cover her eyes. Positive - …a good movie. The special effects were excellent. The fight between Kong and the three T-rex’s was great. The thing that dissapointed me though was the use of the Lord’s name in vain. That and the violence and creepiness of the movie. In my opinion, the native were very scary looking — almost demonic. I had to look away a couple times. The giant bugs were also creepy. It was disturbing when one man gets eaten by giant worm-like creatures with teeth. I do not recommend this film for younger kids or people who get frightened easlily. Andy Serkis did a great job as Kong. Kong didn’t look fake at all in any scene. Overall, though it was a good movie with great special effects. |
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