DVD Reviews

King Kong

• Rating:
• Director: Peter Jackson.
• Starring: Adrien Brody, Jack Black, Naomi Watts, Jamie Bell.
• Details: US, 187mins, 15.

Much attention has been given to the fact that the original King Kong (1933) is the reason that Jackson decided to become a film director. And happily his version (unlike the '76 remake) has an authentic 1930s setting. Jack Black plays reckless director Carl Denham who, along with a motley crew, goes in search of the last remaining Kong on Scull Island; duplicitously taking with him writer Jack Driscoll (Brody) and aspiring actress Ann Darrow (Watts). While somewhat overlong (unless you're a total Kong enthusiast) Jackson's vision is, on the whole, a magnificent piece of filmmaking, striking the right balance between narrative and action against the historical backdrop of New York, mid-depression. King Kong is also a thoroughly entertaining Big Budget adventure, jam packed with skirmishes (no less than 3 T-Rexes attack our over-sized hero) and a love-triangle not even Jerry Springer could conceive. Andy Serkis, AKA the voice of LOTR's Gollum, is also marvelous as both Lumpy the Cook and King Kong - for which he was kitted out with 132 facial sensors.

Review by Elaine Reilly