King Kong

My wife and I saw King Kong this week, and wow — what to say, what to say. Of course, I was blown away by the special effects. In the age of computer graphics, nothing seems to be a big deal anymore, but this movie did raise the bar a couple notches. And I thought the lion’s hair in Narnia was realistic. I think WETA Workshop is on to something by getting a live actor to play creatures – in this case, Andy Serkis, who also played Gollum. Kong’s face displayed incredible emotion, and not a soul in the audience wasn’t touched by the growing attachment between Kong and his girl.

Folks were speculating that this "film event" (don’t you hate that phrase?) would top Titanic, but it’s off to a slow start. Speculation abounds — some people think the movie is too long, others think the action-oriented trailers turned off women. I personally think time will tell. My wife thought it was too long, but I thought it was just right. We both agreed that the time flew by, and there was never a dull moment. Perhaps some of the action sequences were a bit long, but one of the advantages of the remake was the ability to really explore Skull Island. 

Jackson, who gets $20 million and 20% of the take, is sitting pretty regardless. He made the movie he’s always wanted to make, so now what?

Speaking of Narnia: another excellent interpretation of a classic. I’m sure we’ll see more from the series on the horizon. It’s been a while since I read the book, but I can’t think of anything that they left out. And it’s not just a bunch of flashy effects, either — much like Kong, the characterizations are terrific. It’s fortunate that today’s audience is able to tolerate longer running times. In my opinion, these films deserved it.