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King Kong
Universal // PG-13 // January 20, 2009
List Price: $29.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
Peter Jackson's King Kong wasn't only the biggest film of 2005; it was also the first feature film Jackson worked on since Lord of the Rings. Riding on the heels of success from one of the most breathtaking trilogies of our time, everyone was curious to see if Jackson would be able to do the original black and white film justice. Whenever the word 'remake' gets whipped out, it always gives the audience a worrisome feel in the pit of their stomach. Fortunately, Jackson proved once again that his magnificent vision wasn't just a onetime fluke. Unfortunately, another thing we've learned about Jackson is he can't make an epic film without pushing the three hour mark!
Carl Denham is a filmmaker who aspires to become a household name in entertainment, and it seems his wish may finally come true after hearing about Skull Island. It's said to be the home of a creature so large and so fantastical, that Carl would surely wow the world and gain the fame and riches he so desired. Unfortunately his leading lady backs out at the last minute. Carl finds an unknown actress, Ann Darrow, and dupes her into coming along for the ride. Unfortunately for Ann and the rest of Carl's film crew, they have no idea what they've just gotten themselves in to.
Jack Driscoll is the love interest of the actress who is eventually kidnapped by the beast. Jack is also the head writer for Denham's film. When Kong has Ann in his clutches, Jack pulls together a team to rescue her. Many succumb to the terrors that await on the island, and it's all seemingly for nothing as Ann grows fond of the beast and finds his inevitable capture to be the most heartbreaking moment in her life.
King Kong can be related most easily to Beauty and the Beast. The monster finds he's falling in love with a beautiful girl. At first the poor girl is frightened, but she finds a warm place in her heart for the ape as well. She can see he isn't really a savage monster, he's just misunderstood.
Once Kong and Ann finally understand one another, they're torn apart by the greed of the filmmaker. Carl with dollar signs in his eyes, sacks his 'monster' so he can show his prize off to the entire world.
Kong's transport to civilization eventually leads to the ideology that man simply cannot fool around with mother-nature. Kong escapes his chains that kept him imprisoned as a sideshow freak, and wreaks havoc throughout the city. It's not long before everyone demands the big ape be stopped. This eventually leads to the climactic battle for Kong's life on the top of the Empire State Building, a scene that has lived on in cinematic infamy since the original film debuted decades ago.
Peter Jackson intended to take the short 1933 version of Kong and make it into a longer feature with more depth. King Kong is already epic in its own right, so Jackson had quite a large task in front of him. He succeeds in some ways while coming very short in others.
The first thing Jackson did to try and achieve this, was bring along new characters for the ride. He was hoping we would identify with all of the characters involved, such as the ship's crew. They were merely disposable extras in the original King Kong. Unfortunately they seem almost as disposable here despite Jackson's effort to make us care for them. In the end, this translates to a longer run time and not enough to show for it. The background provided for the members of the crew are still minimal at best. When we lose these secondary characters, we don't really feel like we lost anyone of true significance.
Jack Driscoll provides a nice contrast for the greedy Carl Denham. Carl was meant to be an example of corporate greed, while also being the cold hearted bastard that can't fathom another creature's right to exist, and Jack continually reminds the audience of that.
The only thing that Jackson didn't add was the depth necessary for the secondary love story between Jack and Ann. We get to see glimpses of them falling for each other, and Jack is very passionate about wanting to rescue Ann from the beast. However, by the end of the film we don't feel much of a connection between the two at all.
What Jackson's King Kong really needed was some more time on the script, and a few people to tell Peter that some of the material needed to be cut. So many ideas are introduced that require a great amount of depth to work, but that depth just isn't there. The only thing the additional characters provided was a slow build-up to when we eventually get to see Kong, which doesn't happen until over an hour into the film. I believe 'the long wait' is a filmmaking tactic that isn't used enough anymore, but unfortunately we have to suffer through a lot of unnecessary character development that means very little before we get to the impressive payoff.
Included on this Blu-ray disc are both the theatrical and extended versions of the film. For those who never got to see the extended cut, there are a few extended scenes, as well as some completely new ones as well.
The first additional involves a Triceratops attacking the crew as they're searching for Ann. It's a pretty exhilarating scene, but it's over practically before it begins.
Next up is a scene featuring some sort of sea monster. I remember being disappointed when this didn't make the theatrical cut. Don't ask me why, but that was one scene that stood out to me ever since I was a little boy, so I was thrilled when I found out this was in the extended cut of the film! It's much better than the Triceratops battle, because there's actually a little bit of a struggle here!
Last but not least is the bad-ass and grimy character Lumpy getting attacked by some creature with long legs, small body, and long neck. I can understand the Triceratops inclusion as well as the sea monster, but what the heck is this thing? Again though, it's just another quick scene that ends pretty shortly as Lumpy blows it away before anything exciting can happen.
The problem with the new and extended scenes is that they don't add any meat to the bones of the first hour or so, and that's where the film really needed it.
The movie may start off slowly enough, but once we're on Skull Island and we're ready to rumble with the larger than life primate, the film seems to move along at a nice clip. Jackson really gets the story between Ann and Kong down to a T, and I almost wanted to cry near the end! There's some powerful filmmaking here, and that says a lot, especially since this was a story I already knew very well from my childhood.
Video
There's simply something not right if there's anyone that can't be wowed by this transfer. King Kong was reference quality material on HD-DVD, and it's certainly no slouch on Blu-ray either! Encoded with VC-1 1080p in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, King Kong looks glorious in every possible way.
The film is extremely sharp and ridiculously detailed. The CGI stands out a bit more in high definition, but only adds to the classic storybook vibe that Jackson tried to wow us with. The contrast level is incredibly. The blacks and deep and inky, and the whites are bright without ever overstepping their boundaries. The colors are rich and saturate impressively, too. With everything looking as close to perfection as possible, King Kong ends up boasting a level of depth that's going to blow you away.
Even if you felt luke-warm about Jackson's take of King Kong, I still have to recommend you watch this film again on Blu-ray. This is easily one of the better looking titles on Blu-ray, hands down.
Audio
Just as much attention was paid to the 5.1 DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio track. For those of you that are wondering if the sound is enough reason alone to upgrade from the HD-DVD, I'd have to say yes. Don't get me wrong, I thought the Dolby Digital Plus track that was included on the HD-DVD was impressive enough, but the new lossless DTS track provides an experience that could sound even better than in the theater. Of course, that depends on the equipment and the listening environment you have at home, but this is certainly as good as King Kong, or many other movies, could ever get.
You could probably predict Jackson's King Kong to be a loud endeavor in epic proportions, and you'd be right. When Kong is fighting on the island, or roaring to stamp his territory, you're going to feel the action. The bass is loud and won't only fill the room; you're going to feel it move right through you. Hands down, the bass is part of the experience and really some of the best you may have heard on Blu-ray to date.
There are no instances of clipping or distortion from the loud action from any of your speakers, which says a lot considering just how much the entire spectrum is used. There's always sound coming through the rear channels. Not just for the major action sequences, but they're also used for a great sense of auditory depth and immersion. The entire movie isn't a loud and roaring affair, so it's quite a surprise to hear just how well the audio team behind this film used subtle sound effects to keep you right in the thick of the film at all times. If you're sitting in the 'sweet spot' of your home theater, you're going to swear you're actually living the action. The dynamic range can handle the quietest moments, as well as bring the walls down at any given moment without a hiccup. The upgrade is worth it folks, there's no question about it.
Extras
Universal really went all out including both versions of the film, as well as making it an audio and visual experience to remember. Unfortunately, the lack of extras is troubling. The DVD release of the extended version of the film was a three disc affair, and none of the in depth features are anywhere to be found on Kong's Blu-ray debut.
U-Control - Universal once again does a decent job with its U-Control feature. You can watch the film with a picture in picture commentary, or you can see a vast wealth of conception art. The picture in picture commentary is an interesting watch, and is loaded to the brim with informative details.
Art galleries are usually fairly boring, but the conceptual art that you'll see is fantastic here. Jackson was able to take the art that was put out before him, and make it come alive on the big screen. I remember seeing some of the early art for the film on the internet before its release, and I thought there was simply no way Jackson could have been that talented, and would have come out fairly different. Boy, was I wrong!
Unfortunately both of these U-Control features are only available on the extended version of the film. If you're a person who prefers the theatrical over the extended, you're out of luck.
Audio Commentary with Director/Writer Peter Jackson and Co-Writer/Co-Producer Philippa Boyens - I have to give it to Peter Jackson here. He's a man that consistently provides three hour plus movie experiences (at least this far into the game), and you would think that would take a toll on someone when they have to sit down to do a commentary. Once again, Jackson surprised me by offering an audible treasure trove of information that any fan of the film is certain to enjoy.
There's such a great amount of information here, yes, but this track isn't going to be for everyone. Jackson is an entertaining man to listen to, but he really gets down to the nitty gritty of it with Philippa Boyens. People that are casual fans of audio commentaries may find themselves turned off by how technical the discussion can get, despite how entertaining the duo here may be. If you wanted to know anything about Jackson's version of King Kong though, it's all here in what's seemingly the definitive commentary that most likely will never be outdone no matter how many times this movie gets re-released.
And that's it ladies and germs. I know it doesn't sound half bad with the picture in picture U-Control commentary, but when there's so much content already out there in standard definition, it's truly disappointing to see Universal leave them out in the dark.
Overall
You would think Universal would want to make this a huge release for Blu-ray, decking it out with every bell and whistle imaginable. You have reference quality audio that can't be beat, not even when compared with the HD-DVD release that we've already seen. You also have reference quality video, and for the first time ever in the high definition universe, the extended cut is available as well. So why stop there? Despite many reviewers feeling luke-warm about Jackson's effort, there are still plenty of people out there that care enough about this film to pick it up and make this a top selling title, especially with one of the best transfers available on the format to date! Universal, you really dropped the ball in the extras department. It's truly a shame.
Despite the disappointing extras though, King Kong is still a worthy upgrade. There's nothing really different about the video transfer from the HD-DVD release, but the audio is definitely a must-have, especially with the inclusion of the extended cut.
The movie itself spends too much time getting to Skull Island, and Peter Jackson couldn't convey the numerous secondary character relationships he set out to do, but once you're on the island and tagging along with the ferocious yet loveable beast, the final two hours seem to just fly by. It's not a perfect film in its theatrical cut, and the extended version doesn't really add any additional depth or worth overall, but it's certainly nice to have the option to view both in a high def format.
I'm going to have to go with a recommended rating, but let me be clear about this. It was incredibly difficult for me to come to this decision. The only thing holding this release back from a higher rating is the complete lack of extras here. If Universal were to include the numerous features that were available on the standard DVD releases, this could have perhaps earned a DVD Talk Collector's rating. The upgrade isn't going to be a necessity for everyone. Not everyone cares about the audio enough to upgrade from their HD-DVD version, and there are others that refuse to buy bare-bone releases since they anticipate a re-release in the future. If you haven't already purchased or even seen King Kong in a high def format yet though, then this will be a no brainer and you'll simply have to buy this release. You'll need to see it to believe how incredibly detailed this transfer is!
Carl Denham is a filmmaker who aspires to become a household name in entertainment, and it seems his wish may finally come true after hearing about Skull Island. It's said to be the home of a creature so large and so fantastical, that Carl would surely wow the world and gain the fame and riches he so desired. Unfortunately his leading lady backs out at the last minute. Carl finds an unknown actress, Ann Darrow, and dupes her into coming along for the ride. Unfortunately for Ann and the rest of Carl's film crew, they have no idea what they've just gotten themselves in to.
Jack Driscoll is the love interest of the actress who is eventually kidnapped by the beast. Jack is also the head writer for Denham's film. When Kong has Ann in his clutches, Jack pulls together a team to rescue her. Many succumb to the terrors that await on the island, and it's all seemingly for nothing as Ann grows fond of the beast and finds his inevitable capture to be the most heartbreaking moment in her life.
King Kong can be related most easily to Beauty and the Beast. The monster finds he's falling in love with a beautiful girl. At first the poor girl is frightened, but she finds a warm place in her heart for the ape as well. She can see he isn't really a savage monster, he's just misunderstood.
Once Kong and Ann finally understand one another, they're torn apart by the greed of the filmmaker. Carl with dollar signs in his eyes, sacks his 'monster' so he can show his prize off to the entire world.
Kong's transport to civilization eventually leads to the ideology that man simply cannot fool around with mother-nature. Kong escapes his chains that kept him imprisoned as a sideshow freak, and wreaks havoc throughout the city. It's not long before everyone demands the big ape be stopped. This eventually leads to the climactic battle for Kong's life on the top of the Empire State Building, a scene that has lived on in cinematic infamy since the original film debuted decades ago.
Peter Jackson intended to take the short 1933 version of Kong and make it into a longer feature with more depth. King Kong is already epic in its own right, so Jackson had quite a large task in front of him. He succeeds in some ways while coming very short in others.
The first thing Jackson did to try and achieve this, was bring along new characters for the ride. He was hoping we would identify with all of the characters involved, such as the ship's crew. They were merely disposable extras in the original King Kong. Unfortunately they seem almost as disposable here despite Jackson's effort to make us care for them. In the end, this translates to a longer run time and not enough to show for it. The background provided for the members of the crew are still minimal at best. When we lose these secondary characters, we don't really feel like we lost anyone of true significance.
Jack Driscoll provides a nice contrast for the greedy Carl Denham. Carl was meant to be an example of corporate greed, while also being the cold hearted bastard that can't fathom another creature's right to exist, and Jack continually reminds the audience of that.
The only thing that Jackson didn't add was the depth necessary for the secondary love story between Jack and Ann. We get to see glimpses of them falling for each other, and Jack is very passionate about wanting to rescue Ann from the beast. However, by the end of the film we don't feel much of a connection between the two at all.
What Jackson's King Kong really needed was some more time on the script, and a few people to tell Peter that some of the material needed to be cut. So many ideas are introduced that require a great amount of depth to work, but that depth just isn't there. The only thing the additional characters provided was a slow build-up to when we eventually get to see Kong, which doesn't happen until over an hour into the film. I believe 'the long wait' is a filmmaking tactic that isn't used enough anymore, but unfortunately we have to suffer through a lot of unnecessary character development that means very little before we get to the impressive payoff.
Included on this Blu-ray disc are both the theatrical and extended versions of the film. For those who never got to see the extended cut, there are a few extended scenes, as well as some completely new ones as well.
The first additional involves a Triceratops attacking the crew as they're searching for Ann. It's a pretty exhilarating scene, but it's over practically before it begins.
Next up is a scene featuring some sort of sea monster. I remember being disappointed when this didn't make the theatrical cut. Don't ask me why, but that was one scene that stood out to me ever since I was a little boy, so I was thrilled when I found out this was in the extended cut of the film! It's much better than the Triceratops battle, because there's actually a little bit of a struggle here!
Last but not least is the bad-ass and grimy character Lumpy getting attacked by some creature with long legs, small body, and long neck. I can understand the Triceratops inclusion as well as the sea monster, but what the heck is this thing? Again though, it's just another quick scene that ends pretty shortly as Lumpy blows it away before anything exciting can happen.
The problem with the new and extended scenes is that they don't add any meat to the bones of the first hour or so, and that's where the film really needed it.
The movie may start off slowly enough, but once we're on Skull Island and we're ready to rumble with the larger than life primate, the film seems to move along at a nice clip. Jackson really gets the story between Ann and Kong down to a T, and I almost wanted to cry near the end! There's some powerful filmmaking here, and that says a lot, especially since this was a story I already knew very well from my childhood.
There's simply something not right if there's anyone that can't be wowed by this transfer. King Kong was reference quality material on HD-DVD, and it's certainly no slouch on Blu-ray either! Encoded with VC-1 1080p in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, King Kong looks glorious in every possible way.
The film is extremely sharp and ridiculously detailed. The CGI stands out a bit more in high definition, but only adds to the classic storybook vibe that Jackson tried to wow us with. The contrast level is incredibly. The blacks and deep and inky, and the whites are bright without ever overstepping their boundaries. The colors are rich and saturate impressively, too. With everything looking as close to perfection as possible, King Kong ends up boasting a level of depth that's going to blow you away.
Even if you felt luke-warm about Jackson's take of King Kong, I still have to recommend you watch this film again on Blu-ray. This is easily one of the better looking titles on Blu-ray, hands down.
Just as much attention was paid to the 5.1 DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio track. For those of you that are wondering if the sound is enough reason alone to upgrade from the HD-DVD, I'd have to say yes. Don't get me wrong, I thought the Dolby Digital Plus track that was included on the HD-DVD was impressive enough, but the new lossless DTS track provides an experience that could sound even better than in the theater. Of course, that depends on the equipment and the listening environment you have at home, but this is certainly as good as King Kong, or many other movies, could ever get.
You could probably predict Jackson's King Kong to be a loud endeavor in epic proportions, and you'd be right. When Kong is fighting on the island, or roaring to stamp his territory, you're going to feel the action. The bass is loud and won't only fill the room; you're going to feel it move right through you. Hands down, the bass is part of the experience and really some of the best you may have heard on Blu-ray to date.
There are no instances of clipping or distortion from the loud action from any of your speakers, which says a lot considering just how much the entire spectrum is used. There's always sound coming through the rear channels. Not just for the major action sequences, but they're also used for a great sense of auditory depth and immersion. The entire movie isn't a loud and roaring affair, so it's quite a surprise to hear just how well the audio team behind this film used subtle sound effects to keep you right in the thick of the film at all times. If you're sitting in the 'sweet spot' of your home theater, you're going to swear you're actually living the action. The dynamic range can handle the quietest moments, as well as bring the walls down at any given moment without a hiccup. The upgrade is worth it folks, there's no question about it.
Universal really went all out including both versions of the film, as well as making it an audio and visual experience to remember. Unfortunately, the lack of extras is troubling. The DVD release of the extended version of the film was a three disc affair, and none of the in depth features are anywhere to be found on Kong's Blu-ray debut.
U-Control - Universal once again does a decent job with its U-Control feature. You can watch the film with a picture in picture commentary, or you can see a vast wealth of conception art. The picture in picture commentary is an interesting watch, and is loaded to the brim with informative details.
Art galleries are usually fairly boring, but the conceptual art that you'll see is fantastic here. Jackson was able to take the art that was put out before him, and make it come alive on the big screen. I remember seeing some of the early art for the film on the internet before its release, and I thought there was simply no way Jackson could have been that talented, and would have come out fairly different. Boy, was I wrong!
Unfortunately both of these U-Control features are only available on the extended version of the film. If you're a person who prefers the theatrical over the extended, you're out of luck.
Audio Commentary with Director/Writer Peter Jackson and Co-Writer/Co-Producer Philippa Boyens - I have to give it to Peter Jackson here. He's a man that consistently provides three hour plus movie experiences (at least this far into the game), and you would think that would take a toll on someone when they have to sit down to do a commentary. Once again, Jackson surprised me by offering an audible treasure trove of information that any fan of the film is certain to enjoy.
There's such a great amount of information here, yes, but this track isn't going to be for everyone. Jackson is an entertaining man to listen to, but he really gets down to the nitty gritty of it with Philippa Boyens. People that are casual fans of audio commentaries may find themselves turned off by how technical the discussion can get, despite how entertaining the duo here may be. If you wanted to know anything about Jackson's version of King Kong though, it's all here in what's seemingly the definitive commentary that most likely will never be outdone no matter how many times this movie gets re-released.
And that's it ladies and germs. I know it doesn't sound half bad with the picture in picture U-Control commentary, but when there's so much content already out there in standard definition, it's truly disappointing to see Universal leave them out in the dark.
You would think Universal would want to make this a huge release for Blu-ray, decking it out with every bell and whistle imaginable. You have reference quality audio that can't be beat, not even when compared with the HD-DVD release that we've already seen. You also have reference quality video, and for the first time ever in the high definition universe, the extended cut is available as well. So why stop there? Despite many reviewers feeling luke-warm about Jackson's effort, there are still plenty of people out there that care enough about this film to pick it up and make this a top selling title, especially with one of the best transfers available on the format to date! Universal, you really dropped the ball in the extras department. It's truly a shame.
Despite the disappointing extras though, King Kong is still a worthy upgrade. There's nothing really different about the video transfer from the HD-DVD release, but the audio is definitely a must-have, especially with the inclusion of the extended cut.
The movie itself spends too much time getting to Skull Island, and Peter Jackson couldn't convey the numerous secondary character relationships he set out to do, but once you're on the island and tagging along with the ferocious yet loveable beast, the final two hours seem to just fly by. It's not a perfect film in its theatrical cut, and the extended version doesn't really add any additional depth or worth overall, but it's certainly nice to have the option to view both in a high def format.
I'm going to have to go with a recommended rating, but let me be clear about this. It was incredibly difficult for me to come to this decision. The only thing holding this release back from a higher rating is the complete lack of extras here. If Universal were to include the numerous features that were available on the standard DVD releases, this could have perhaps earned a DVD Talk Collector's rating. The upgrade isn't going to be a necessity for everyone. Not everyone cares about the audio enough to upgrade from their HD-DVD version, and there are others that refuse to buy bare-bone releases since they anticipate a re-release in the future. If you haven't already purchased or even seen King Kong in a high def format yet though, then this will be a no brainer and you'll simply have to buy this release. You'll need to see it to believe how incredibly detailed this transfer is!
-About the Author- Michael Zupan is primarily a film guy, but has a variety of places where you can enjoy his work otherwise. Check Bytesizeimpressions.com for video game op-ed pieces and podcasts, and be sure to check out the sister site, Byte-Size Cinema, linked up top. This writer also contributes significantly to in-print magazines such as Minecraft Explorer and Fortnite Explorer!
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