Just as this has become the decade of Peter Jackson, I have no doubt that 2005-2006 will become the era of "King Kong." After all, 2005 is giving us not only Jackson's major motion picture remake of "King Kong", but also a highly anticipated video game based on the movie and an unprecedented look into the inner workings of creating the film. I still have problems wrapping my head around the fact that when I first saw the work of Peter Jackson, it was with the rental of a videotape (yes…videotape) of one of his first films, "Bad Taste." I was working at a Dallas area haunted attraction and the owner and I were sitting around watching Gorgon video, which was a video magazine aimed at horror fans. There was a short feature on "Bad Taste", and with those few moments of footage we were convinced that this was a movie to see. It was a low budget comedy alien movie in which the villains were interested in farming humans for food.

But there to stop them were a trio of special agents, ill-fitted to stop anything. This was also the first time we saw director Peter Jackson in action as an actor… he plays Derek, perhaps the most inept of all. He falls off a cliff and splits open the back of his head. Fortunately he has the wherewithal to tie his tie around his head to keep the 'flap' of skull closed so he can think… clearly. He also doubles as one of the aliens, and is seen several times in this role throughout the film.

Though the film was inherently 'bad' (in a so bad it’s good kind of way), you can tell that Jackson has a keen eye for camera work, much in the way that Sam Raimi's early films shows off his style in a somewhat limited fashion. I then followed Jackson's career through the zombie epic "Dead Alive" and his take on the Muppets, "Meet the Feebles." Both films were extremely silly and over the top, but still quite enjoyable. I figured Jackson had set himself up as a great 'niche' director. But then I went to see "Heavenly Creatures" when it was released in American theatres and was floored to find a film that was decidedly not what I expected.

Instead of a silly comedy, "Heavenly Creatures" was based on the true story of New Zealand's Juliet Hume and Pauline Parker, who as young girls in the 1950's shared an intense love of literature. They became extremely close friends and conspired to murder Pauline's mother when she believed that the friendship was destructive and had to end. It was a heartbreaking and thought provoking film, and the only hint that it was directed by Jackson came in the form of a fantasy dream sequence that was every bit his style. This film also granted Jackson the attention of Universal Studios who wanted to work with him. His dream was to remake the 1933 classic "King Kong", because it was the film that made him want to grow up and become a filmmaker. It looked like he was going to get his chance, but first he directed "The Frighteners" for Universal and though I still think it was an extremely creative and enjoyable film, it was a box-office flop. This made Universal rethink its position and the opportunity to remake "King Kong" disappeared.

Undaunted, Jackson moved ahead and began work on the most ambitious work of his career (as it would have been of anyone's career), "The Lord of the Rings." Needless to say I don’t have to tell you what happened there. The Trilogy became a well-deserved worldwide phenomenon and firmly cemented Jackson as THE director to work with. To this day, when I watch "Bad Taste", I still can't believe the same director went on to make the most incredible film series of all time.

But for Jackson, what this feat did was re-open the door to creating his dream project, "King Kong." This he attacked with gusto and delivered a finished product to theatres in what seemed to be record time. But this was not to be just any remake, oh no. It would be a massive undertaking and one that would tell the story in just a little over three hours. Ever the visionary, Jackson decided to let fans in to see the inner workings of the making of a movie. When work started on "King Kong" and a website was designed to follow the progress, he decided to film a 'diary' of sorts that would be placed on the website for visitors to see. Every few days over the shoot, we would be introduced to a video that would allow us to watch the production in action. Loose interviews with the cast and crew were arranged, special effects were discussed, and sometimes we would get a glimpse of a scene being shot. It was perfect for anyone interested in the craft of making movies. (These production diaries were also released at the same time as the film came out in theatres in an awesome 2-disc gift set.)

Initially however, the remake of "King Kong" was not entirely met with open arms by the public. A perfect example came in the form of a reviewer colleague and friend of mine, who immediately dismissed the idea of a remake (as he normally does for most remakes). And in this case, it was an even stronger feeling of disdain because the original 1933 version was one of his all-time favorite movies. Well, he and I attended an early screening of the film last year and for the first time in my memory, his opinion totally changed. He walked out of the theatre completely blown away by Jackson's vision. And, not that I needed as much convincing, I was as well.

In my humble opinion, "King Kong" was one of the best films of 2005 even though it wasn't seen as such by the Academy Awards. Granted, it took some of the major effects awards (deservedly so), but it deserved to sit on the list of nominees for Best Picture. Jackson and company took the story and elevated to epic proportions. The characterizations and interactions between those characters were picture perfect. His recreation of the time period is one of the best I've ever seen. Those few opening moments of the film conveyed more of a sense of the Great Depression than I have witnessed in any other whole film.

Some of the performances went so far as to completely surprise me. First and foremost being Jack Black, who played the overzealous filmmaker, Carl Denham. I'm so used to Black coming across as little more than a clown that I had doubted he could pull off such a meaty role. But watching him fulfill the role of the character so perfectly impressed me beyond words. Occasionally, with the slip of a line, he would remind me that he was Jack Black, but for 99% of his onscreen time, he WAS Carl Denham. Adrian Brody and Naomi Watts also performed their roles as the romantic leads with a quiet dignity that surpassed most that you ever see onscreen. And even the way Jackson filmed Watts' scenes gave her an air of breathtaking beauty that makes one believe how she might have calmed the beast.

Then, of course… there is Kong. The special effects artist so believably rendered him that there wasn't a single moment that I was not convinced that he was real. Everything from the technical aspects that include weight distribution, motion, and the wind moving through his fur, to the more subtle expressions that were captured in his eyes. His overall performance has to be attributed to Andy Serkis (who did a similar acting job as Golem in "LOTR"). It's a shame that more people don’t realize how much of his performance was translated by the computer programmers. He deserved a Best Actor nomination here every bit as much as he did for his work on "LOTR." Thankfully, Serkis was allowed to show his face onscreen, playing the role of 'Lumpy' the ship's cook.

What I loved the most about Peter Jackson's remake of "King Kong" was that you could tell by every single frame that it was a labor of love. I used the term breathtaking earlier to describe Naomi Watts as she appeared in the film, but in reality the entire movie is breathtaking to behold. Considering the 3 hour run time, there isn’t a single wasted moment. I'll admit that a few scenes went a little over the top, such has the 'bug scene', and there were a few times that Jackson cut to some jittery camera jump cuts, but those would be my only two nitpicks about the movie. The rest of it was perfect.

I'll throw in a mention or two about some 'complaints' that I felt were unwarranted. The first referred to a scene in Central Park were Kong and Ann Darrow are sliding around on the iced over lake. Many people said it was stupid… but I say those people are the stupid and unappreciative ones. The sequence was extremely beautiful both in its physical and emotional execution. It is a moment of peace and tranquility within the eye of the storm called 'mankind' that eventually leads to Kong's demise.

There were also a few comments thrown in about one of the final scenes where Ann and Jack Driscoll are reunited on the top of the Empire State Building. I mean… the VERY top of the building. Some people, including myself, thought it seemed a little silly. Especially since the top spot is extremely narrow and neither of them seem to notice the sheer drop that surrounds them. But in retrospect, after everything that these two people had survived on Skull Island and again in New York… standing on top of the Empire State Building had to be cake.

I was thrilled when I received the DVD that Universal sent out for me to take a look at. As you might already have noticed, I loved the film and have to say that the 2-Disc release absolutely delivers a worthy transfer. It looked and sounded amazing on our home system. And of course, the extra features are nothing to sneeze at either! They've included all of the Post Production Diaries that were not included on the earlier Pre Production Diaries release, plus Peter Jackson gives us a look at the history of Skull Island. There is also a featurette that focuses on New York of the 1930's and give us an idea of how closely Jackson was able to capture the time. You'll also find (on the first disc) a look at the making of a commercial for the Volkswagon Taureg, as well as the final commercial itself. I usually don’t get into this type of marketing, but the commercial is actually pretty funny.

As of this writing, I've learned that the DVD release of "King Kong" has broken sales records for Universal during its first few days. I definitely think it deserves it and if you haven’t already picked up a copy… what’s wrong with you?

Directed by: Peter Jackson
Starring: Adrian Brody, Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Colin Hanks, Andy Serkis
Extras: Special Introduction by Peter Jackson, Post Production Diaries, Skull Island - A Natural History, Kong's New York 1933, Behind the Scenes of the Making of a Commercial for the Volkswagon Taureg
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Sound
Studio: Universal
Release Date: 3/28/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
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We'll give King Kong an A+.