Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Universal Studios Home Entertainment – 3 hrs 20 min – 2005 – Rated PG-13 – 1080p Widescreen 2.35: 1 – DTS-HD Lossless Master 5.1 Audio

The original 1993 King Kong was a masterpiece because at its time it went beyond what anyone imagined could be accomplished on film. Since then Hollywood has attempted two remakes, a disastrous effort in 1976 and the most expensive version to date, directed by the man behind The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Peter Jackson. In theory it sounds like a match made in heaven, but something went wrong. The latest King Kong finally comes to Blu-ray from Universal Home Entertainment, and it has a whole lot of roar, but very little bite.

THE MOVIE

Everyone knows the story of King Kong, the classic tale of beauty and the beast where a giant gorilla is found on a mysterious island and his affection for a woman leads him to be captured and taken to New York City where a greedy producer wants to cash in on this wonder for fame and fortune. A plan that quickly comes to an end when Kong escapes his shackles and takes to the streets, leading him to climb up to the top of the Empire State Building with his favorite blonde in the palm of his is hands.

The movie features Adrien Brody as screenwriter tricked into the adventure, Naomi Watts as a starving actress who becomes the object of Kong’s desire, and Jack Black who steals the movie as a sleazy filmmaker who will do anything to see his name in lights. Peter Jackson had everything imaginable to turn this film into a sure-fire hit, but in the end it all falls flat.

One of the main reasons is that because of the legend that is King Kong we all know what’s going to happen. Jackson remains faithful to the original material, so there are no plot twists to take you by surprise. For this reason all you’re waiting for is to see Kong do his thing, but he doesn’t show his face for about an hour into the movie, and after seeing him cause havoc for a few scenes, your main screen time is left with the human characters, with the exception of Jack Black, are boring. Brody seems miscast, and we all know he’s a good actor and all, but his role seemed to be more suited for someone who knows how to ham it up for the camera like Ben Affleck. Watts is trying to do her best, but she’s doing so many pouty lip shots that Renee Zellweger probably sent her a cease and desist letter.

The King Kong sequences are simply amazing, with Andy Serkis who played the Golum on the LOTR trilogy provided his body talents, but with a running time over three hours, you’re not getting enough Kong for your buck. Instead your stuck with over the top sequences of characters running from every creature you can possibly put on one island, taking screen time away from our favorite giant gorilla.

The best scenes in the film are the fight between Kong and a T-Rex, and obviously the ending battle on top of the Empire State Building. But even here it’s the special effects that steal the show.

Anyone who had never seen the original King Kong, (because they’re idiots who can’t watch a black and white film) may get a thrill from this remake. But purists will find it satisfying to know that with all the cash and technology Jackson had at his disposal, he still could not capture the magic that makes the original film still stand strong to this day.

VIDEO

This film first premiered in high-definition as an HD-DVD packed in with the external player for the X-Box 360. It looked incredible in that format, and its journey over to Blu-ray is just as impressive. With a full 1080p image in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio Kong will leap out if your HDTV. The image quality is so sharp that you won’t take your eyes of it. Kong’s special effects can only be appreciated in HD, so if you own the standard DVD this is a definate upgrade. You could nitpick about instances of grain or other miscellaneous, but overall this is a visual winner.

AUDIO

Just like the image, the sound of King Kong will blow you away, offering a DTS HD 5.1 master Lossless audio track that is guaranteed to pull you into the scene. If you have a surround sound system, this is the disc to trick it out to. The sound design in the T-Rex fight sequence will make your neighbors call the cops. So go for it.

EXTRAS

You’re getting two versions of the film on one Blu-ray, the original 3 hour and 8 minute theatrical version and the extended cut that is twelve minutes longer.

There’s an audio commentary featuring director and co-writer Peter Jackson and producer Philippa Boyens.

All of the making-of featurettes are accessed through U-control, giving you a picture-in-picture view of the filmmakers’ journey to bring a new version of King Kong to the screen, through video clips and art galleries.

Via BD Live you can assemble your favorite clips from the film to send to friends online.

Unfortunately, many of the bonus supplements that are available on the special editions for the standard DVD are missing, so unless Universal double-dips on this Blu-ray, fans of the movie will be let down.

BOTTOM LINE

This was Peter Jackson’s dream come true, and while yes it is entertaining, it still lacks the “wow” factor of what you expected it would be, especially after watching the Lord of the Rings movies. With amazing pictures and audio, this Blu-ray is ultimate show off material to show off that brand new HDTV.

SCORES (Out of 5):

The Movie: 3.0

Video: 5.0

Sound: 4.5

Extras: 2.5

Bottom Line: 3.0