Review: 'King Kong' Is Breathtaking Cinematic Wonder

'King Kong' (PG-13) (out of four)

As evidenced by his brilliant "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, "bigger is better" for writer-director Peter Jackson -- and he takes that philosophy to the limit, appropriately, with his monolithic remake of "King Kong."

You don't have to be a fan of "Rings," or the even the previous "King Kong" films, to enjoy Jackson's vision of the classic tale. In fact, even the most casual of "Kong" fans, for lack of better words, are certain to go ape over this film. From the streets of depression-era New York to the dizzying, mysterious vistas of Skull Island to the climactic battle atop the Empire State Building, the film is a sweeping epic that's every much as breathtaking in its beauty as it is in its action and adventure. It's a spectacular cinematic achievement.

A faithful adaptation of the original story and ode to Merian C. Cooper's 1933 RKO classic, Jackson's "Kong" begins in 1933 New York, where fast-talking filmmaker Carl Denham (Jack Black) is trying to cajole investors into giving him completion funds for what he promises will be an epic film. The problem is, he only has one uncompleted print of the film -- a travelogue of sorts -- and lacks a striking leading lady to replace its original star.

But Denham's luck changes when he happens upon Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) on the streets of Manhattan, a starving, unemployed Vaudeville stage beauty whose only option for survival is to stoop to doing burlesque shows. Talking Darrow into starring in his movie by revealing that it's written by her favorite playwright, Jack Driscoll (Brody), Denham hijacks the print of the film from his investors and hops aboard the Singapore-bound SS Venture with his collaborators to finish the project.

Once onboard, Darrow meets the man of her dreams in Driscoll, an idealist playwright who prefers the stage to film. Denham's ideals, however are not so simple: he has a map of that leads to the mysterious Skull Island and he wants the ship's captain, Englehorn (Brody's "Pianist" co-star Thomas Kretschmann) and crew to divert its course to examine the virgin territory.

Despite the crew's objections to Denham's plans, a bribe -- as well as the forces of nature -- pulls the SS Venture toward the island, where its vicious inhabitants kidnap Darrow for ritual involving Kong, a large ape-like beast that roams the island. But Denham, Driscoll and the crew's plan of rescuing Darrow from the beast is the first of many obstacles in escaping from this "lost world." The men must also face a population of dinosaurs and other prehistoric predators -- and Denham's reckless abandon to make complete his film at any cost -- if they any are to survive.

More than three hours in length, "King Kong" neatly unfolds like an expertly constructed three-act play. The first hour surrounds the set up and trip to Skull Island, and the second -- and longest act -- plays out like another trip to "Jurassic Park." The climactic third act finds Denham, Driscoll and Darrow back in New York to present the beast as a theater act, where Kong escapes into the concrete jungle of Manhattan.

Thanks to the familiarity of the storyline, the wait for Kong doesn't seem long. In fact, his presence looms large over the film far before he ever appears on screen. Once he's there, you can thank the Jackson's filmmaking prowess, as well as his passion for the material (he's dreamed of doing a "Kong" remake since he was a child), for turning the film into a visual feast.

Needless to say, the character of Kong is as convincing as ever as the guy-in-the-suit technique (which made the 1976 remake of "King Kong" so laughable) is replaced by the wonders of CGI.

It's here where the valuable services of actor Andy Serkis come into play. Serkis (who also shines in a smaller role as Lumpy, the ship's cook) was hired by Jackson to perform the movements for Kong, and much like he did for Gollum in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, Serkis breaths life into the character.

Displaying a wide range of physical movements (his chest-thumping rocks) and emotions, Serkis not only gives a body to the beast -- his expressions and eyes give it soul.

It's amazing to see the interaction that Jackson created between Watts (who's stunning throughout) and Serkis' Kong -- which as fantastical as the premise may seem, almost always comes off as real. In the end, Jackson Serkis and Watts not only make "King Kong" a wildly entertaining action-adventure film, but a classic -- albiet tragic -- "Beauty and the Beast" love story as well.

The great thing about "King Kong" is, like "Lord of the Rings," Jackson never lets his visual effects (the settings, whether it be Manhattan or Skull Island, are every bit as impressive as "Rings") dominate the proceedings.

He allows plenty of room for Black to strut his stuff (and show a bit of dramatic range to compliment his comedy talents), and Brody, who becomes a bigger movie star with each film, commands your attention every time he appears on screen thanks to his natural charisma. "Billy Elliot" star Jamie Bell shows up in a smaller, but impressive turn, as one of the Venture's crew; and Black's "Orange County" cast mate Colin Hanks turns in a solid supporting performance as Denham's assistant and moral compass. Kyle Chandler is hoot as a smarmy B-movie actor hired to play the film's leading man.

While the film is clearly among the year's best, it does have its shortcomings. First of all, it's too long, as it feels like Jackson exhausts every idea he has to put our heroes in peril on Skull Island. But what studio in their right mind is going to tell Jackson to trim things back after the success of "Lord of the Rings"?

Co-scripted by his wife and writing partner Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, the trio drums up every pre-historic creature imaginable, to which Denham, Driscoll and crew, always have the super-hero power to out-run (parents should be warned -- the film appears to be kid-friendly, but the scenes with the natives and pre-historic creatures are pretty intense). Watts is also violently shaken throughout the film by the hand of Kong, yet she never even develops a hint of motion sickness.

But only the pickiest of moviegoers will have a problem with those "gimme a break" factors: the fantastical atmosphere Jackson has concocted is simply too grand to deny. Any scoffs during the film surely will be erased after seeing the magnificent Empire State Building confrontation between Kong and a squadron of bi-planes -- arguably the best action scene to appear on screen in the last decade.

In the end, "King Kong" goes to show that big kids like Jackson are needed if people are to keep turning out in theaters -- big kids, who as much fun as they have making the movies of their dreams, never monkey around when it comes to making serious entertainment.