
Having not seen King Kong for close to four years, time has not been so kind to the lumbering chimp. It's cracks are very much apparent never more so than in it's length. There is no need for a three hour King Kong and by the time the New York climax comes you're drained. I was counting the scenes, especially in the first hour, that could have been excised without hindering the flow of the film.
However, in the grand scheme of things, these complaints are somewhat negligible as, on the whole, the film is terrific. Think Jurassic Park turned up to eleven. Some moments are so brilliantly demented that only Jackson could pull them off (the Diplodocus stampede springs to mind). Once on Skull Island the film picks up and the spectacle on screen really is spectacular. In terms of big budget escapism, the only movies to equal it in recent years are Star Trek and Avatar. The effects work still stands up to scrutiny today (apart from the odd rushed shot where the ropey composition is apparent) and the fact that Kong has a personality this time round adds an extra resonance to his plight, his death the emotional cherry on the film's cake.
Jackson needs the reign it in now though. From what I hear, The Lovely Bones has taken his indulgent streak (witnessed from The Return of the King onwards) and turned it up so high that it's become stupid.
Even so, King Kong still works.
4/5
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