King Kong (2005)

Director:

Peter Jackson

Writers (WGA):

Fran Walsh (screenplay) &
Philippa Boyens (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

14 December 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Romance

Tagline:

The eighth wonder of the world.

Plot:

In 1933 New York, an overly ambitious movie producer coerces his cast and hired ship crew to travel to mysterious Skull Island, where they encounter Kong, a giant ape who is immediately smitten with leading lady Ann Darrow.

Plot Keywords:

Island | Jungle | 1930s | Gorilla | Actress

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 20 wins & 41 nominations

Cast

Naomi Watts	...	Ann Darrow
Jack Black	...	Carl Denham
Adrien Brody	...	Jack Driscoll
Thomas Kretschmann	...	Captain Englehorn
Colin Hanks	...	Preston
Andy Serkis	...	Kong / Lumpy
Evan Parke	...	Hayes
Jamie Bell	...	Jimmy
Lobo Chan	...	Choy
John Sumner	...	Herb
Craig Hall	...	Mike
Kyle Chandler	...	Bruce Baxter
Bill Johnson	...	Manny (as William Johnson)
Mark Hadlow	...	Harry
Geraldine Brophy	...	Maude

Also Known As:

King Kong (Germany)
Kong: The Eighth Wonder of the World (International: English title) (teaser title)
Peter Jackson's King Kong (USA) (promotional title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for frightening adventure violence and some disturbing images.

Runtime:

187 min | 201 min (extended edition)

Country:

New Zealand | USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX | SDDS | DTS-ES

Certification:

Ireland:12A | Australia:M | Denmark:11 | Germany:12 | Japan:U | Norway:11 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | Singapore:PG | Czech Republic:12 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Sweden:11 | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (British Columbia) | Canada:PG (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | France:U | Portugal:M/12 | Philippines:PG-13 | South Africa:PG (13V) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | Taiwan:PG-12 | Iceland:12 | Mexico:B | Peru:PT | Hong Kong:IIA | Malaysia:U | Brazil:12 | Canada:14A (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | South Africa:PG (13V - DVD Rating) | UK:12 (video rating) | UK:12A (original rating) | Spain:13 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #42322) | Finland:K-11 (2005) (re-rating on appeal) | Finland:K-11 (2006) (extended edition) | Finland:K-15 (2005) (original rating) | Canada:PG (Nova Scotia) (re-rating on appeal)

Filming Locations:

Beach Road, Parnell, Auckland, New Zealand

Company:

Big Primate Pictures

Trivia:

When Carl Denham and his assistant are in the car talking about which actresses can fit in a size 4, Carl says, "Fay's a size 4." His assistant says, "Yes, but she's doing a movie with RKO". The name of the actress who played Ann in the original King Kong (1933) was Fay Wray, and it was produced and released by RKO Pictures.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Ann slides down a muddy slope, her back is covered with very dark mud. When she gets up, her back is clean.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Manny: [practicing sneezes] That's a funny one. Isn't that funnier?

Movie Connections:

References East of Borneo (1931)

Soundtrack:

Aboriginal Sacrifice Dance

Jackson's Soulful, Spunky, Spectacular Labor of Love

I was one of the lucky winners of the Kong is King.net World Premiere Ticket contest, so my husband and I had the pleasure of seeing KING KONG in Times Square's Loews E-Walk Theatre. I knew I'd like it the minute I saw the Art Deco opening credits, very reminiscent of RKO's style. The movie only got better from there, carrying us moviegoers on a roller-coaster ride of adventure, romance, and eye-popping special effects. What raises Jackson's take on KING KONG above other rock'em-sock'em action blockbusters is that it's so clearly a labor of love in every sense of the term, a spectacle with soul and spunk. It's not every rollicking adventure film that begins with scenes of life in 1933 New York City, when the Great Depression was at its worst. No wonder plucky but vulnerable actress Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts is at her most beautiful and winsome as a more proactive version of Fay Wray's star-making role) is willing to take a chance with fast-talking movie producer/director Carl Denham (Jack Black, a rascally delight) on his latest project, involving leaving for the South Seas that very night.

The characters are no mere genre archetypes; before their adventure begins, Jackson and his talented cast let us get to know and care about every one of them. When crewmen from the S.S. Venture get injured or killed by Skull Island's various fearsome natives and beasts, we mourn them. When Ann and playwright Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody combines strength and sensitivity wonderfully as this unlikely hero. He gets my vote for Movie Mensch of the Year!) connect on screen, we're moved and rooting for them to get together, especially after they share one of this year's best screen kisses. Even the calculating Denham wins us over with his sheer force of will. A real Orson Welles type, the guy just loves making movies -- and money -- so much he'll go to insane lengths to make his project a reality, whether it involves outrunning his creditors, shanghaiing Driscoll on the Venture, or tricking his cast and crew onto uncharted Skull Island.

Most importantly, King Kong himself captivates us, thanks to a combination of WETA's amazing special effects and the range of emotion provided by a motion-captured Andy Serkis. If only one cast member gets an Oscar nomination, I say give it to Serkis for his wonderful performances as both Kong and Lumpy the cook! :-) Kong has never been just another scary big ape in any of the previous film versions of his story, but Jackson and Serkis make him particularly engaging, not just because he looks so convincingly weatherbeaten, but he moves like an ape (on all fours, thank you) and has the facial expressions of a human. As a result, we can see how Kong's terrifying side is influenced by his tender side. Yes, I said "tender." How else can you describe his protectiveness towards Ann on Skull Island after she wins him over by performing her lively vaudeville act? When Kong does go nutzoid, it's because either he or Ann are being threatened, whether by people, planes, or Skull Island's jaw-dropping, scream-inducing array of monsters and aborigine tribespeople. Jackson & Company give the big guy plenty of dizzying set pieces to show his stuff, involving everything from dinosaurs, toothy insects as long as your arm, and speeding taxicabs in New York City traffic (the scene where Brody did his own stunt driving; all those years of drag-racing on the streets of Woodhaven, Queens really paid off! :-), to say nothing of the dazzling Empire State Building climax. Moreover, Andrew Lesnie's cinematography is as gorgeous as it is kinetic; Adrien Brody should make sure Lesnie photographs every film he's in from now on, because he's never looked so handsome as he does here! :-) KING KONG is over 3 hours long, yet I never once thought to look at my watch. It's 3+ hours and the price of admission well-spent.