King Kong: You Heard It Here First
So I went to see King Kong, the most hyped movie of the year, last night—an advance screening at the AMC 25 theaters on 42nd Street. Universal had taken out the entire 25 (yes, 25) theaters for an early screening designed to build buzz.
Here is the buzz.
1) King Kong is a remarkable technical achievement. I don't think I've ever seen a film so dependent on special effects that looked so consistently real. The integration of sets and computer imaging is almost seamless, and through virtually all of the film I found myself thinking, How did they do that? The only films that one could compare it to are the Lord of the Rings trilogy—which were, of course, made by the same director, Peter Jackson.
2) Kong himself is a complete success. He goes from scary to puzzled to sweet convincingly, and his death is heartbreaking. (Kind of like
the New Jersey bear hunt. But I digress.)
3) The film's climax atop the Empire State Building is both technically stunning and emotionally powerful. If, like me, you're not fond of heights, this is a particularly disturbing scene. You may also wonder, as I did, why Naomi Watts would not at least kick off her high heels as she climbs a narrow ladder up to the very top of the Empire State Building.
4) I'm not sure what this film is rated—it's impossible to tell from the website—but don't bring your children under ten, at least. Certain scenes are really pretty scary—particularly the boat crew's first discovery that Skull Island is inhabited, or the scene in which insects which emerge at night and attack the survivors on Skull Island (a personal favorite). One of the men has his head swallowed by some kind of giant worm with serious teeth. Pretty nasty. The little girl seated next to me was not happy.
5) Why is
Jack Black in any movie? And why did he have to be in this one? His casting insults the intelligence of the audience, and I kept thinking how much more a better actor could have done with this role.
6)
Naomi Watts is charming, particularly when she uses a little vaudeville routine to soothe the savage beat. Also, she is
easy on the eyes.
7) Peter Jackson is deeply uninterested in sex. For all of the explicit violence in his films, there has never been a hint of explicit sex—only diaphanous kisses. It's sort of weird. Imagine if things were reversed in our culture, and we showed sex in film the way we show violence, and vice-versa. Wouldn't that be healthier? Or maybe not. (Anyway, I digress again.)
8) The movie's about 15 minutes too long, and during a few scenes, I was aware of the slow passage of time.
9) This film passes my personal movie litmus test with flying colors: What do you get for your $12? In other words, when you come out of the theater, do you feel like you know why you just paid that much money rather than waited for the DVD? Woody Allen films never pass this test;
Michael Bay films fall into the "How much would I pay not to see it?" category; and Peter Jackson films are always worth more than the ticket price.
(Hmmmm...perhaps variable pricing for films?)
10) For some reason, the screening we saw was, literally, painfully loud. I hope that this is not your experience.
11) I counted no less than three MSNBC anchorwomen in the audience:
Lisa Daniels,
Chris Jansing, and
Alex Witt. Who knew that Lisa Daniels is a graduate of Harvard Law School?
Bottom line: King Kong isn't a perfect movie, but it's pretty wonderful, and the director's relish for his project comes through in every scene. So (and here's your buzz, Universal): Go see it. You'll get your $12 worth.
