It may have been beauty that killed the beast, but it was genius that brought him back to life.
Peter Jackson continues his parade of enormously entertaining, visually overwhelming and emotionally resonant screen epics with "King Kong." Its three-hour-plus running time races by just as rapidly as the blood pumping through the pounding hearts of the viewer.
Using the groundbreaking 1933 Merian C. Cooper/Ernest B. Schoedsack stop-motion adventure film as his template, Jackson fills in the outlines and expands on character backstories to create the full realization of the vision that's been bouncing inside Jackson's head since he was a kid. His $207 million film pushes computer technology to the brink in order to flesh out the time-forgotten jungle chaos of Skull Island, which teems with dinosaurs, giant insects, spiders and one very sad and lonely ape-beast.
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Kong differs from most monster movie centerpieces in that he's a misunderstood victim rather than an evil terror to be dispensed with. Andy Serkis, fresh off his slippery turn as Gollum in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, finesses Kong with a broken spirit and a crushed soul. With the aid of puppetry and animation, Kong emerges as a tragic hero, given to moments of inflamed chest-pounding rage as well as contemplative reservation. The love story of soulmates between the beast and actress Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) stands as the crux that gives meaning to the rampant action.
Jackson, working with his "LOTR" screenwriting team of Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyen, builds to a head of dramatic anticipation by waiting 70 minutes until trotting out the big guy. Kicking off the story in Depression-era New York, the film traces parallel tales of desperation in Darrow, a downtrodden vaudeville performer, and scam-artist film director Carl Denham (Jack Black), whose funding has been pulled.
Denham begs, borrows and squeals his way onto a boat bound for uncharted Skull Island, kidnapping screenwriter Jack Driscoll in the process. The boat voyage gives Jackson time to introduce the ship's crew, setting up a rooting interest for later on when they find themselves stuck in a giant spider pit. It's also the beginning of a love story between Darrow and Driscoll, which will become complicated once a certain 25-foot-tall suitor arrives.
Once Kong hits the scene, following a confrontation with island natives that results in Darrow being offered as a sacrifice to Kong behind a giant wall, the action hits a frenetic pace that yields only to catch its breath every 45 minutes or so. A rescue party led by Denham and Driscoll leaps into action, and quickly falls in need of rescuing, itself, once they run into a stampede of brontosaurs.
Kong and Darrow get their chance to bond as the ape romps throughout the wilderness, clutching her in his hand like a favorite toy. The vaudeville exposition pays off in a heart-melting scene in which Darrow entertains Kong with some of her old stage tricks. Kong begins to play with her, toppling Darrow over for his own amusement, but she stands her ground, letting him know she's no plaything. The scene marks the first of much unspoken communication and understanding. Kong proves his adoration for Darrow by protecting her in a breathless battle with three T-rexes as he bashes and swings from vines with one hand while cradling his girl in the other. At the point Driscoll ambles in for the rescue, the look of exhalted hesitation in Watts' eyes is priceless.
The acting is superb all around, with even the oddly cast Black exploiting his rascally annoyances to full effect. Brody casts a workmanlike hero figure, but it's Watts and Serkis who own the show, laying bare their doomed connection.
Visions like this stick in the mind once Kong is captured and hauled back to ridicule in New York, leading to his destiny atop the Empire State Building. Screen romance rarely gets sillier or more effective. It truly hurts to watch the beast take his bold, final stand, flailing his fists against the onslaught of fighter planes.
"King Kong" is a monster movie all right, and the monster is man.
(****). Rated PG-13 for frightening adventure violence and some disturbing images. Starring Naomi Watts. Directed by Peter Jackson. 187 minutes. Playing at Park Place, El Con, Century Park, Foothills, Desert Sky and Cinemark.
