Kong is King (DVD)

I've been watching the supplements to what was supposed to have been the big film of last winter. It's primarily consisting of post-production stuff. I find the work put into the film to be astonishing and almost incomprehensible with the staggering effort it took to make this particular film. I'm not sure I'm quite up to seeing the movie again. It clocks in at a Kong-sized 3 hours and 8 minutes. I have seen parts though and it looks and sounds amazing. If any film is worth a home theater set-up, this certainly qualifies.

I've known some people to have a problem with the film (aside from it's indulgent length) and it's what lies at the heart of the film. For this film to truly work and be effective, you have to believe Naomi Watts and Kong fall in love and understand why. Without this leap of faith, the film does not work at all. The only change I would have made is to make more clear Naomi and Adrian Broody are in love and her eyes are only for him with Kong being an unwanted third wheel in this complex (bizarre?) love triangle. As it stands, it feels Naomi would rather be with Kong. I don't know what future they could possibly hope to have with one another.

Rumor has it the director, Peter jackson, wants more money to add additional special effects to make the film even longer!?! The film already clocks in at twice the length of the 1933 original. I know this film is the inspiration for Mr. Jackson, but I question adding more material. The film now takes an hour to get to the island, an hour on the island, and an additional hour in New York. While I appreciate the technical artistry and filmmaking, this film either could have been shortened by a good 45 minutes or had a stronger storyline. Ah well, my thoughts could change after seeing this film a second time. It's been known to happen.

Beating my chest and sitting in the aisle.