Peter Jackson pays homage to a classic film and in the process constantly reminds one how truly great the original 1933 KING KONG is. No amount of storytelling embellishment, incredible recreation of Depression Era New York City or State-of-the-Art CGI effects can obliterate the memory of producer/director Merian C. Cooper's early sound masterpiece. Jackson's remake suffers from a surfeit of length. Admittedly the opening scenes of early 30s New York City are breathtaking to behold and the screenplay offers some humorous "inside" references to Old Broadway and Hollywood that should prove amusing to showbiz mavens but will go over the heads of average moviegoers. Everything in the new film seems anticlimactic and it's not just because the plot is familiar. The original KONG was a model of economical storytelling. Jackson's KONG is an interminable three hour extravaganza that works only in fits and starts. The Skull Island sequences, while offering some extraordinary special effects and sound editing, go on way too long and stop the movie's narrative flow dead in its tracks. As the film sputters along into its third hour most audience members are likely to find their haunches more affected than their hearts.
Review of King Kong
