King Kong

King Kong loves vaudeville, watching sunsets and sliding on frozen over ponds. This and other endearing character rich details make the mammoth mammal so lovable that the knowledge of his imminent death brings about pangs of overwhelming sadness that one actually foolishly hopes Peter Jackson will change the ending.

But no, of course he won’t, master storyteller that he is. The three-hour movie unfolds, slowly ensnaring the audience in its grasp with details that seem innocuous but would later prove as all too important, building up excitement to the point of impatience before finally revealing the giant ape as he snatches his hapless captive.

I am thankful that Peter changed the sexually laden innuendoes of the previous King Kong films to one of unlikely and surprising friendship. The relationship begins with that of a version of a Scheherazade trying to stay her death from the sultan’s disfavor by telling stories, to a vaudeville performer cum actor trying to stay her death with comic antics instead.

It graduates to a knight in shining armor saving a damsel in distress, to a crotchety host peeved by an unappreciative guest, to a lonely and weary individual seeking companionship and friendship, to a father taking care of an unruly child, before finally being cemented in a respectful friendship.

With Naomi Watts own long friendship with Nicole Kidman, it is very likely that they would unknowingly take on some of each other’s expressions and mannerisms, which unnervingly showed itself several times during the course of the movie when Naomi would unwittingly look like Nicole.

This is quite unfortunate for Naomi because with Nicole’s earlier establishment in the scene, it would be said that Naomi looks like she’s a copycat, instead of being a powerful and distinct actress in her own right. Nevertheless, Naomi delivers with aplomb and a great display of athleticism.

The two leads were surrounded by a well-chosen cast that created an effective ensemble such as Adrien Brody’s love struck playwright who’s ironically at a loss for words to express his own feelings, to Jack Black’s consumed director who must finish his film at all cost, to Jamie Bell’s “ingénue” sailor who’s determined to prove he’s a courageous man, to Colin Hanks’ devoted assistant who finally realizes his loyalties are wasted.

And try to spot Andy Serkis, who’s famous for his work as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, as he plays a human character aside from Kong, but whose distinct voice gives him away.

And, of course, there’s Peter’s trademark gripping CG action scenes that are just visually delightful and tongue in cheek at times such as Naomi Watts literally hanging on to the jaws of death. But hats off to the CG team in charge of Kong, whose eyes and movements were so eloquent in expressing his thoughts and feelings that one instinctively understands the untraditional communication.

Definitely, Kong is King.

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