A greedy film producer assembles a team of moviemakers and sets out for the infamous Skull Island, where they find more than just cannibalistic natives.A greedy film producer assembles a team of moviemakers and sets out for the infamous Skull Island, where they find more than just cannibalistic natives.A greedy film producer assembles a team of moviemakers and sets out for the infamous Skull Island, where they find more than just cannibalistic natives.
- Won 3 Oscars
- 47 wins & 104 nominations total
David Dennis
- Taps
- (as David Denis)
Featured reviews
OK, I haven't seen the 1933 version of King Kong, but this quite impressed me. The beginning is a little slow but and a bit ironic the way things fit together, but many films do this. When they eventually get to Skull Island I was a little bit confused with Kong and the natives, I thought to myself how is a little child suppose to understand this. I must admit I was very impressed on the visual graphics but not with the story line, it was a little stretched out and quite frustrating since the fight scenes were missing a little "kick" to make them more dramatic.
I don't mean to put people off but pointing out the bad points, all in all I was quite fulfilled when the credits came up and the performance of Jack Black, I am a big fan of his, but I had to re-think if I liked him through the plot since I didn't think he would play a character like that, I must admit he is the person who kept me watching though.
I gave this film a 8/10 since I enjoy it, its one of those films where is borderline with peoples liking, but personally I recommend it.
I don't mean to put people off but pointing out the bad points, all in all I was quite fulfilled when the credits came up and the performance of Jack Black, I am a big fan of his, but I had to re-think if I liked him through the plot since I didn't think he would play a character like that, I must admit he is the person who kept me watching though.
I gave this film a 8/10 since I enjoy it, its one of those films where is borderline with peoples liking, but personally I recommend it.
Let me just say that with all of the remakes that have been coming out, King Kong may have been the most deserving and the most in need of being remade. I could not think of a better director for this type of film than Peter Jackson.
King Kong stays pretty true to the original. Naomi Watts plays Fay Wray's Ann Darrow perfectly. Right down to her emotional connection with Kong, which is helped by the fact that Kong is pretty darn lovable when he is not ripping apart dinosaurs.
Adrien Brody plays a great Jack Driscoll as well. Brody is truly a gifted actor and plays a good hero.
Even Jack Black did a good job as the rebellious director Carl Denham. Usually I am annoyed by Black's performances, even though they are mostly in comedies. Surprisingly, Black kept his character serious and the movie is better for it. I though for sure he would be the one to ruin this movie for me but, again, I stand corrected. The comedy seemed to be reserved for Kong, himself, and did a wonderful job.
I can not express how much more I enjoyed this movie without the "guy in the suit" special effects. Kong was very appealing visually, as well as the other dinosaurs. I do not say this too much in reviews. In fact, I doubt I have ever said it but King Kong has turned out to be a masterpiece which will raise the bar for many years to come. 10/10
King Kong stays pretty true to the original. Naomi Watts plays Fay Wray's Ann Darrow perfectly. Right down to her emotional connection with Kong, which is helped by the fact that Kong is pretty darn lovable when he is not ripping apart dinosaurs.
Adrien Brody plays a great Jack Driscoll as well. Brody is truly a gifted actor and plays a good hero.
Even Jack Black did a good job as the rebellious director Carl Denham. Usually I am annoyed by Black's performances, even though they are mostly in comedies. Surprisingly, Black kept his character serious and the movie is better for it. I though for sure he would be the one to ruin this movie for me but, again, I stand corrected. The comedy seemed to be reserved for Kong, himself, and did a wonderful job.
I can not express how much more I enjoyed this movie without the "guy in the suit" special effects. Kong was very appealing visually, as well as the other dinosaurs. I do not say this too much in reviews. In fact, I doubt I have ever said it but King Kong has turned out to be a masterpiece which will raise the bar for many years to come. 10/10
I was rather sad to see they had cut so many scenes on the DVD that were actually in the movie. The scream on the shore that first caught Kong's attention. The writer stopping the actress in the passage way, and saying "I have something to show you", this was one of many scenes left out. Suddenly they were in his room? My wife had not seen the original movie, she thought the movie was sort of jumpy. You can't deny the special effects, wonderful. I know that they are planning on releasing a 2nd copy within the next 6 months and calling it extra scenes for the director. It's a shame to cut such a fine film for the sake of making more money.
I agree, some scenes maybe are a bit too long. But what do you expect from a 3 hour movie? That it is short?
You know how the duration before you start watching.
I was thinking give it an eight or a nine. I chose nine. Because overall this still is a great adventure movie for sure.
The more recent Kong: Skull Island is a fun watch as well, but more like a fast paced action movie of it's time.
This Peter Jackson version has it's fair amount of action and still pretty good effects and tells a better and more complete story.
You know how the duration before you start watching.
I was thinking give it an eight or a nine. I chose nine. Because overall this still is a great adventure movie for sure.
The more recent Kong: Skull Island is a fun watch as well, but more like a fast paced action movie of it's time.
This Peter Jackson version has it's fair amount of action and still pretty good effects and tells a better and more complete story.
Typical Peter Jackson, however gonna watch the even longer extended 3 hours 20 minutes edition in 4k, not watched in years but the picture is epic apart from it being too warm for my liking. The sound is the unusual DTS-X high def sound and already is gorgeous!
However enough of the technical borefest hahaha... this film for me is stunningly shot... some of the shots of the city are incredible. It really is a grand film and for me better than his LOTR trilogy which I may well resist soon.
However its the cinematography and sets that set this film apart from most films... integrated so well with XGI which even in 4k is holding up well... stunning is all I can say, actually old school filming with modern techniques!
Classic tale and story that recreates the original for the modern era. Even Jack Black is watchable but the stunning Naomi Watts is very very watchable hahaha.
This film doesn't get the recognition it deserves!!! As an achievement in cinema alone its a 10/10. You want blockbusters that have a story and a smidge of empathy with the characters with possibly the greatest ending of all monster films ever... this is how you do it.
Marvel and DC and all the other nonsense need to take a step back!!! This is how you combine live action, real sets and CGI into an epic tale...
However enough of the technical borefest hahaha... this film for me is stunningly shot... some of the shots of the city are incredible. It really is a grand film and for me better than his LOTR trilogy which I may well resist soon.
However its the cinematography and sets that set this film apart from most films... integrated so well with XGI which even in 4k is holding up well... stunning is all I can say, actually old school filming with modern techniques!
Classic tale and story that recreates the original for the modern era. Even Jack Black is watchable but the stunning Naomi Watts is very very watchable hahaha.
This film doesn't get the recognition it deserves!!! As an achievement in cinema alone its a 10/10. You want blockbusters that have a story and a smidge of empathy with the characters with possibly the greatest ending of all monster films ever... this is how you do it.
Marvel and DC and all the other nonsense need to take a step back!!! This is how you combine live action, real sets and CGI into an epic tale...
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIt took 18 months to craft the CGI version of the Empire State Building. The real thing was built in 14 months.
- GoofsThe way Kong shakes and throws Ann around while carrying her would almost certainly snap her neck or spine.
- Quotes
[last lines]
Carl Denham: It wasn't the airplanes. It was beauty killed the beast.
- Crazy creditsThe end credits are set against an art deco backdrop rather than the traditional black screen. The backdrop is an exact replica, in Technicolor, of the same backdrop that was used for the opening credits in the 1933 version of "King Kong".
- Alternate versionsOn November 14, 2006, an extended edition DVD was released with 13 minutes of additional scenes edited back into the film. Denham's party is attacked both by a Ceratops immediately upon entering the jungle to rescue Ann and by a giant fish while on rafts on a river, after which they kill a giant bird while firing blindly into the jungle (the longest addition by far). Baxter's rescue of the party is extended and finishes with Jimmy's farewell to Hayes. Kong's pursuit of the party on Skull Island and his pursuit of Driscoll in NYC are slightly extended, and there are two brief additional encounters between Kong and the military in NYC. A complete breakdown is at http://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=3550.
- ConnectionsEdited into It's All Gone King Kong (2005)
- SoundtracksI'm Sitting on Top of the World
Written by Ray Henderson, Joe Young, Sam Lewis (as Sam M. Lewis)
Performed by Al Jolson
Courtesy of Geffen Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Peter Jackson's King Kong
- Filming locations
- Shelly Bay, Wellington, New Zealand(Skull Island)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $207,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $218,080,025
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $50,130,145
- Dec 18, 2005
- Gross worldwide
- $556,906,378
- Runtime3 hours 7 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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