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Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Colin Hanks ... see more see more... , Jamie Bell , Evan Parke , Lobo Chan , Kyle Chandler , Andy Serkis , John Sumner , Craig Hall

One of the greatest adventure stories in Hollywood history gets a new interpretation in this action drama from Academy Award-winning director Peter Jackson. In the early 1930s, Carl Denham (Jack Black... read more read more...) is a daring filmmaker and adventurer who has gained a reputation for his pictures documenting wildlife in remote and dangerous jungle lands; despite the objections of his backers, Denham plans to film his next project aboard an ocean vessel en route to Skull Island, an uncharted island he discovered on a rare map. Correctly assuming his cast and crew would be wary of such a journey, Denham has told them they're traveling to Singapore, but before they set sail, his leading lady drops out of the project. Needing a beautiful actress willing to take a risk, Denham finds Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts), a beautiful but down-on-her-luck vaudeville performer, and offers her the role; cautious but eager to work, Darrow takes the role, and onboard the ship she strikes up a romance with Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody), a respected playwright hired by Denham to write the script for his latest epic.When Denham and company arrive on Skull Island, the natives react with savage violence, but they happen to be the least of their worries. Skull Island is a sanctuary for prehistoric life, and lording it over the dinosaurs and other giant beasts is Kong, a 25-foot-tall gorilla who can outfight any creature on Earth. The natives kidnap Darrow, giving her to Kong as an offering to appease the giant beast; Denham and his men set out to find her, with Driscoll bravely determined to save the woman he loves. Eventually, Driscoll finds Darrow and Denham outwits Kong, intending to take the giant ape back to New York for display. But Kong has bonded with Darrow, and his attraction to her proves to be his undoing. Andy Serkis, who provided the body movements for Gollum in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings pictures, performed similar duties on King Kong, studying gorillas so he could mimic their actions, which were then used as the basis for the special-effects crew's digital animation of the great ape. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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PG-13, 3 hr. 7 min.

Directed by: Peter Jackson

Release Date: December 14, 2005

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DVD Release Date: March 28, 2006

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Flixster Reviews (1,683,612)

  • samoriley
    May 10, 2012
    samoriley
    I remember seeing adverts for this film,and that it was directed by Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings), and that I was really excited to see it.After watching King Kong, I was truly shocked of how it was even better than what the adverts had shown.

    Almost everyone knows the sto... read morery of King Kong,but this brings back to infamous tale of a 25 foot gorilla back to life, new and improved. The cast involved were great choices, with Naomi Watts and Jack Driscoll as the lovers of the film.Along with Jack Black as the joker/filmmaker. However, Andy Serkis is the real focus, who plays as the cook (who suffers possibly the most disturbing death)and does the motion capture for the savage beast,Kong.

    There are only two criticisms with the film. One, it is almost 3 hours long, meaning that people can easily get bored of watching it. Secondly, the infamous Insect pit is very intense and may most likely disturb children or those not comfortable with bugs.

    Overall, with mind blowing visuals, King Kong is by far Peter Jackson's best film and is almost essential for film fans.
  • superclerk25
    March 19, 2012
    superclerk25
    Really long
  • aquateen2
    March 7, 2012
    aquateen2
    This remake may be one of the best ever. It's not another creature feature. Peter Jackson shows more respect to the original classic then any other remake of any other movie. It is as if he simply took the original and updated it with some of the most beautifully done digital eff... read moreects.
  • CloudStrife84
    February 9, 2012
    CloudStrife84
    Awesome special effects, brilliant story and one of my favourite adventure movies of all time. This is so much more than a mere monster flick. It's a visual extravaganza that also happens to be really captivating and well-written (which isn't exactly a common thing within the gen... read morere). So if this is the Jurassic Park of the 21th century, Peter Jackson must surely be the new Spielberg. Or rather to say, in the same extraordinary league.
  • thmtsang
    November 6, 2011
    thmtsang
    Modern remake of King Kong classic movie. Film makers come to a remote island where they meet King Kong.
  • garyX
    November 1, 2011
    garyX
    A film crew travel to a remote, lost island to make an adventure movie only to find it contains a lost world inhabited by dinosaurs and a huge gorilla like creature worshipped by the local tribe. Remakes are invariably a bad idea, and remaking a classic doubly so. In fact the onl... read morey reason I even bothered with this was the fact that Peter Jackson was at the helm, and I have to say, he did not disappoint. Sticking closely to the original story, this felt more like an affectionate and knowing update than anything else, even taking time out to mock some of the more dubious gender and racial politics of the original. As a whole, it has elements of Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones and even Titanic, and Jackson handles all these ingredients with consummate skill, creating a fantastically entertaining old school matinee style romantic adventure. The only real bone of contention (aside from the film's rather unnecessary running time) is the fact that Jackson gets far too carried away during what I assume was intended to be the show piece of the film; namely the lost world section. Given the keys to the toyshop, he loses all sense of restraint and subtlety goes flying out the window. It's clearly not enough to have a herd of brontosaurus. No, it has to be a stampeding herd, chased by raptors off a cliff in the middle of a gun battle. And a poxy ONE Tyrannosaurus Rex fighting a giant ape?? Hell no! Let's have three, all fighting at once, falling off a mountainside! This means that the sequences go way beyond spectacle and into the realm of the absurd. Still, despite some of the green screening being a little obvious, it's a great looking film with a vibrant use of colour and the Kong effects still work brilliantly; he feels more like an actual character than a special effect. I also have to say the unspoken relationship of a girl and her CG ape has far more pathos than a hundred rom coms and as a whole, it works really well.
  • phubbs1
    August 28, 2011
    phubbs1
    Big name, big film, three hours and twenty minutes to be precise phew! just completed the extended version of this remake (Jackson likes em big huh) and I must admit I did enjoy the film from start to finish. The original of course is still the real king if we are honest about it... read more but Jackson certainly goes for broke here and does come up trumps with a rollicking boys own adventure full of everything you could need for excitement.

    This new version reminded me of many classic old monster flicks like 'Journey to the Centre of the Earth' and 'Clash of the Titans' rolled into one, everything from swamps beasties to giant bats to giant leech things manage to devour the hapless seafarers on their adventure into the unknown. Of course cgi is in extremely heavy use for this film with many creatures looking really good yet some maybe not so, sequences involving the cast amongst dinosaurs do tend to come off rather badly and obvious considering it was only made in 05, not just the creatures though as allot of vistas and scenes with cast in the foreground did look very fake from time to time with clear use of bluescreen.

    Not quite up to the standards of Spielberg and his 'Jurassic Park' or recent monster flicks but this is easily forgiven as the film is such a fun ride. Starting in New York, with some of the best cgi of the film for sure, the film is grand in presentation and alive with colour and activity as 30's NY is amazingly reconstructed perfectly. We meet the cast and slowly get to known them alittle bit at a time which is unusual for a blockbuster frankly plus this makes up much of the three hour film time. To be honest all cast members are just about fine for their roles accept Jack Black who for me just isn't the right kind of actor for this type of film, he looked the part but came across as restrained and uncomfortable as he's more used to basically being unpredictably insane. Brody also didn't really impress me here with his odd mop of straightened hair and dull awkward performance, hardly a leading man in looks and not really overly effective as an action man either, bad choice in my opinion where as the original choice of Clooney I think would have fitted the bill and era much better.

    The effects of course are the main talking point of the film with a mammoth amount of cgi being used and for the most part its all good. New York is a gem when viewed on Bluray, the sea sequences are decent but atad shaky here and there much like the dinosaurs but of course the main attraction is Kong himself who looks spot on and impressively fierce. Must admit I did keep thinking of 'Mighty Joe Young' whenever I saw him haha but Kong does look the business for sure, sequences where he fights the V Rex's are simply brilliant stuff and do the original proud by also managing to recreate move for move most of the old film.
    Easily the best monster mash moments involve Kong fighting and roaring, motion capture is finely tuned to make Kong appear as a real gorilla should, his hair is dark and straight, hands and body move as they should in reality, his huffing and puffing is wonderfully done and most impressively they manage to give Kong a soul, a sparkle from within that makes you care for him, you want him to survive with his damsel and seeing him play with 'Darrow' as they build their friendship you really begin to love the big guy, more than you think you could ever do with a computer generated character.

    The finale as we know would be impressive and it is right from the get go, Kong atop the Empire State Building is an awesome sight, it just looks damn good, the cam angles used as the bi-planes swarm around and swoop past make you feel the speed and do cause tension combining the height involved and the ever knowing outcome. I must admit I was sweating a touch as Kong leaps from his tiny perch so high up, at the same time you so want him to live and not get killed, the final moment with Darrow in the end is poignant as the score swells and what we all know happens, many kudos to the team for bringing so much to life in these moments.

    There really is so much you could say about this film as so much happens and with tonnes of visual flare and panache. Its not totally perfect of course but to be honest the little problems tend to add to the charm of the film. The always handy monster chow that never seems to deplete....in the form of the scurvy sailors haha there's always one or two sailors around to be eaten by the latest monster to rear its head or if not eaten then get hurled against a huge rock, crushed underfoot or thrown into a deep ravine haha just like the films of old. As said the sequences with cast in the same shot as cgi elements can be dodgy, the Brontosaurus rampage is particularly iffy looking if truth be told.
    Must add that some of the action sequences do get abit beyond the realms of acceptance if that's possible hehe the way Kong fights the Dino's and hurls Darrow around in his hands and feet is abit too crazy really, surely she would have been killed of a heart attack or broken limbs by the end of it hehe.

    Could nitpick but I won't as the film is a highly enjoyable Indy, Harryhausen safari type romp with everything you could need for pure 100% escapism and adventure, the only thing missing is an erupting volcano.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    August 28, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    King Kong is a terrific remake of the 1933 horror film of the same name. With this remake however, Peter Jackson makes King Kong more of an action drama film than a monster/horror film that the 1933 classic film was. Peter Jackson's remake is a good looking picture that keeps the... read more essence of the horror classic, but reworks it to make more thrilling and exciting as the original. Peter Jackson's King Kong is a well crafted remake that successfully comes across as a good film to watch. This film has surprising names attached to it, Jack Black, who I despise delivers a great performance here as Carl Denham, the filmmaker searching for Skull Island. Naomi Watts is really well suited for the classic damsel in distress role of Ann Darrow. Like I said before, this remake is more action oriented this time around, with little emphasis on horror elements like in the 1933 classic. This envisioned film is a wonderful film, but there are a few flaws as well. One being that its too long, and the other it has too much drama going on, I mean there's nothing wrong with the drama, but not when its used for over 85% of the film. I felt they went overboard a bit with the drama. While the original had the perfect balance of thrills and drama, this remake seems try to outdo the original by doing just that. Making the story overly dramatic can't make it boring, and at times this film is most certainly that. But luckily there are plenty of high points as well. Peter Jackson's remake is a terrific film and it has plenty of great performances, but the length of the film could have slightly trimmed down. If they emphasized a bit less on dramatic elements, I think this could have been a shorter film. But for what it is, it's a thrilling film that will deliver the thrills the viewer expects.
  • fb100001493964409
    August 25, 2011
    fb100001493964409
    I know plenty of people who hate this film. A lot. Friends that might punch me in the face for giving this more than one star. So, why did I give it 4? Because I thought it was a fun homage to the original King Kong. Seriously, if you're a fan of the 1933 version, give this one a... read moret least one viewing. Even if you don't like the overall package, all the little references and homages to the original are fun to watch for. The special effects are a highlight here, Kong is incredibly expressive (and ironically enough) the most human (or enjoyable character) on screen. The rest of the actors do pretty good jobs (Naomi does just fine, building an almost genuine bond with Kong), but why is Jack Black in this? WHY? But the biggest complaint people have with this one is the length of 3 hours and 8 minutes. This is the most credible flaw in the whole film. It is too long considering the material. But I still recommend this one. It's a fun time. Long, but fun. And you could do much MUCH worse (Transformers 2 is 2 and a half hours long and it still felt longer than this did) when it comes to blockbuster action films.
  • fb701560354
    August 24, 2011
    fb701560354
    King Kong showcases some of the most visually spectacular CGI I've seen, and has some great performances, but it's sporadic action segments, daydreaming calmer sections and sprawling length make it hard to follow and a bit of a bore.

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Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum
May 29, 2011
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

It clocks in at over three hours, but Peter Jackson's remake of the 1933 classic is gripping nonetheless. Full Review

Bob Mondello
October 18, 2008
Bob Mondello, NPR.org

It takes a while to get everybody to Skull Island, about 70 minutes, but it's time extremely well-spent. Full Review

David Ansen
November 1, 2007
David Ansen, Newsweek

Kong is a showy, state-of-the-art popcorn movie, faithful to the spirit of the 1933 original but generously adrenalized with the best effects money can buy. Full Review

December 16, 2005
TIME Magazine

Our response to the ape's doom, once touched by authentic tragedy, is now marked by relief that this wretchedly excessive movie is finally over. Full Review

Robert Denerstein
December 16, 2005
Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News

Kong has heart, and he's willing to show it in a movie made with wit, excitement and moments of visionary beauty.

Peter Howell
December 14, 2005
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

Jackson took a huge risk with King Kong. But the movie that no film lover wanted him to make is sure to become the blockbuster that everyone is going to want to see, and with good reason. Full Review

Stephen Hunter
December 14, 2005
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

One hundred eighty-seven minutes of mesmerization, astonishment, thrills, chills, spills, kills and ills, Peter Jackson's big monkey picture show is certainly the best popular entertainment of the year. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
December 14, 2005
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

The unrelenting computer-animated action suffocates what seems to have been the movie's main purpose, to expand on the Kong-Ann relationship. Full Review

Carrie Rickey
December 14, 2005
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer

Although King Kong is spectacular, its power doesn't reside in its glittering vision of 1933 Manhattan, Jackson's virtuoso flourishes or his computer-generated effects. It's so much simpler: When the ...

Roger Moore
December 14, 2005
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

It starts too slowly and suffers from weak dialogue and less-than-epic acting. But as popcorn movies go, this is the year's popcorniest. Full Review

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    • Carl Denham: I'm real good at crappin' the crappers.
    • Carl Denham: And lo, the beast looked upon the face of beauty, and beauty stayed his hand. And from that day forward, he was as one dead.
    • Carl Denham: It was beauty killed the Beast.
    • Ann Darrow: Good things never last Mr. Denham.
    • Hayes: We could not understand because we were too far and could not remember because we were traveling in the night of first ages, of those ages that are gone, leaving hardly a sign - and no memories. We are accustomed to look upon the shackled form of a conquered monster, but there - there you could look at a thing monstrous and free.
  • Carl Denham says that Fay Wray is working on a picture for Merian C. Cooper. At King Kong's exhibition in New York, Carl Denham recites the "old Arabian proverb" that apears at the opening of the 1933 film and the m... read moreusic used for the "natives" dancing onstage is the used in the original for the tribal ceremonial dance. "It was beauty killed the beast" is the last line in both films.
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  • Which actor starred in The Thin Red Line, King Kong, and The Village?  Answer »
  • What actor played both the roles of Gollum and King Kong?  Answer »
  • Which actress played Ann Darrow in the movie King Kong (2005)  Answer »
  • This actor wore "The Jacket" and fought "King Kong".  Answer »
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