Kongfrontation

We went to see King Kong last night. Beforehand we had a nice dinner at Earl of Sandwich. I had wanted Chili's but Court said that they have Chili's in IL and it'd be our last time eating at EoS for a while so we went there.

It was an 8pm showing. I enjoyed the film, though like some others I felt it was a big long. I think there were several scenes in the first third of the movie that could have been cut. Also, I felt the spider/insect attack scene could have been trimmed some.

A lot of great visuals. This film has one of the most amazing sequences I've ever seen , Kong vs. 3 T-rex, and one of the dumbest, a brontosaurus stampede and subsequent pile up.

Kong looked fantastic, I have to say. I feel the T-rex bar (set by Jurassic Park) was not really met here...only because I think the full-size (animatronic) T-rex in JP was so astounding.

I liked the actors in their rolls. Brody did a nice job, I thought. Naomi Watts was a great Ann Darrow. I even liked seeing Kyle Chandler (an old 'Early Edition' favorite) though I was a bit puzzled by his character since he goes from a coward--->hero--->coward during the course of the film. If there was a weak point in casting I thought it was probably Jack Black...though Black's normal theatrics lent themselves well to the role at times.

There were a few clunker lines like the first mate (a character I was sad to see go) giving Jimmy advice, something like "You've got to get an education, Jimmy! That's what's important!"

There were a few times where the suspension of disbelief just did not work for me. Ann climbing to the top (yes, the TOP as in look up and there's only sky and look around you and there's nothing) of the Empire State Building and standing there with nothing to hold on to...Jack doing the same thing and the both of them standing on the top of one of the tallest buildings in the world like they were standing in the middle of a Target parking lot. Also, when Jack rescues Ann he grabs the foot of a giant bat-like creature that flies them down from Kong's lookout point...that's a little harder to believe than the rest of the movie.

They definitely made Kong a more sympathetic character. It'd be hard to watch a certain 'ice skating' scene and not feel something for him. I didn't get teary or cry or anything at the end, but it was sad. Makes you wish they'd just left Kong alone on that island.

At one point you see some Kong-ish skeletons at Kong's lookout point were kind of an indication that a sequel might be possible at some point.

The visuals of the Kong's rampage through New York were amazing. I felt the planes looked a little fake (why not use real biplanes and cut them in somehow?) but the city itself looked *Amazing*.

I'd give it a 7. I just think that the way the beginning was dragged out detracts from the film too much.