Dat's Entertainment!
King Kong
Review by Ross Anthony

At three hours, seven minutes and jam-packed with larger-than-life action sequences -- this film is as big as Kong himself.

I must admit, I was expecting a great deal of yawning while waiting for the beast to break screen. But, actually, the first third of the production (even without Kong) arguably surpasses the rest of the film. Why? Awesome directing. Sweet art direction. But most impressively, an homage to the dialogue/acting of Kong's original film area that is coupled with a wonderfully subtle ribbing towards the same. To that add the perspective of a modern day sensibility. It's a difficult nuance to pull off and elegantly done here. Kudos.

Once the production sets foot on the island of giant creatures, that care falls prey to big action sequences. A herd of massive dinosaurs march through a narrow passage, bumping, tripping, falling, it's absolutely colossal, exciting and great cinema. However, the compositing of live-action people sacrifices some believability. Further, the scene marches on a tad too long. These same comments apply to most of the large-scale action sequences, which trample across the screen, almost one after the other. They're good, don't get me wrong, just a tad long, and that all of the humans aren't immediately killed is a mite hard to buy. That said, my gosh, I loved the scene where Kong fights off three dinosaurs while tossing Ann from hand to foot. It's absolutely gorgeous, unbelievably believable, and to boot, engages strongly on the emotional level while exuding eye-popping action. Huge applause here!

Naomi and Kong display fantastic emotive face work that also is just a tad over played. Nonetheless, this is one big film that people will flock to the theatre to see. And they'll get more bang for their ticket price than just about any other film this year.


  • King Kong. Copyright © 2005.
  • Starring Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Colin Hanks, Andy Serkis, Andy Serkis, Evan Parke.
  • Directed by Peter Jackson.
  • Screenplay by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson Based on the story by Merian C. Cooper, Edgar Wallace.
  • Produced by Jan Blenkin, Carolynne Cunningham, Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson at Universal/Wingnut.

Grade..........................A (3.5/4)

Copyright © 1998-2023 Ross Anthony, Author - Speaker - Solo World Circumnavigator In addition to reviewing films and interviewing celebs at HollywoodReportCard.com, traveling the world, composing great music, motivational speaking, Mr. Anthony also runs his own publishing company in the Los Angeles area. While traversing the circumference of the planet writing books and shooting documentaries, Mr. Anthony has taught, presented for, worked &/or played with locals in over 30 countries & 100 cities (Nairobi to Nagasaki). He's bungee-jumped from a bridge near Victoria Falls, wrestled with lions in Zimbabwe, crashed a Vespa off a high mountain road in Taiwan, and ridden a dirt bike across the States (Washington State to Washington DC). To get signed books ("Rodney Appleseed" to "Jinshirou") or schedule Ross to speak check out: www.RossAnthony.com or call 1-800-767-7186. Go into the world and inspire the people you meet with your love, kindness, and whatever it is you're really good at. Check out books by Ross Anthony. Rand() functions, Pho chicken soup, rollerblading, and frozen yogurt (w/ blueberries) also rock! (Btw, rand is short for random. It can also stand for "Really Awkward Nutty Dinosaurs" -- which is quite rand, isn't it?) Being alive is the miracle. Special thanks to Ken Kocanda, HAL, Jodie Keszek, Don Haderlein, Mom and Pops, my family, R. Foss, and many others by Ross Anthony. Galati-FE also deserves a shout out. And thanks to all of you for your interest and optimism. Enjoy great films, read stirring novels, grow.

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Last Modified: Saturday, 16-Sep-2006 08:06:21 PDT