King Kong re-make 'set to be a hit'
King Kong director Peter Jackson’s latest blockbuster, is a smash hit, according to the film’s first review.
Newsweek critic Devin Gordon said the remake of the 1933 classic was “surprisingly tender, even heartbreaking” and a “tragic tale” of beauty and the beast.
“Jackson has honoured his favourite film in the best possible way: by recapturing its heart-pounding, escapist glee,” Gordon wrote.
The epic film is three hours long and cost €174.7m ($207m) to make.
As in the original, it follows Kong as he falls for actress Ann Darrow, played by Naomi Watts, when she arrives on Skull Island to shoot an adventure film.
Jackson wanted his ape to have a sense of being grizzled, old and scarred. His fur is matted and mucky with bald patches from the scar tissue, and he is developing a pot belly.
“(The imperfections) tell a story of being alone. And of having to survive in the most dangerous place on earth,” the review said.
To create Kong, the Lord of the Rings director assembled the same special effects team he used to produce Gollum in the Oscar-winning trilogy.
Actor Andy Serkis, who played Gollum, is also back as the human model for the hulking ape.
Gordon concludes that while the lengthy film may be indulgent, it is not pretentious and never dull.
“Jackson’s “Kong” laps the 1933 movie in virtually every department,” he said.
“Not even Kong will be able to save Hollywood from a lame year at the box office, but it will ensure that 2005 wraps up with a few exclamation points.”
The film opens on December 14.
