Movie Review: King Kong

This massive movie certainly makes you feel you got your money's worth. I don't think it's necessarily a great movie, but it's more interesting than most, thanks to a talented director and cast. (Note: If you're afraid of heights--as I am--be prepared to feel extremely queasy throughout.)

Naomi Watts makes a lovely Ann, wholly believable as a 1930s chorus girl who hopes to be a star. Her acting against the green screen was powerful enough to make me believe she was falling in love with a giant ape. Adrien Brody plays against type as Jack Driscoll, a writer who can be heroic in the face of danger but hesitant when faced with the woman he loves. Jack Black's over-the-top acting felt out of place--yes, he's supposed to be monomaniacal in pursuit of cinematic greatness, but I never completely believed he would be that callous.

At three hours, the movie feels too long. I would been happy to see less on the island at the beginning--was it necessary to have several dinosaur chases and multiple species of giant creepy bugs? In places, the slow motion used for emphasis was just plain cheesy, and some of the initial green screen shots--as the characters were chased by stampeding dinosaurs, for example--were hazy. The early allusions to Heart of Darkness were appropriate, but I found it hard to believe the uneducated crew were absorbed by a book that stumped my Advanced Placement seniors. I wasn't sure what to think about the natives who prepare to make a sacrifice to Kong; do we always need to go searching for the heart of darkness amongst dark-skinned, "exotic" people? But this is a remake, so I suppose it was too much to ask to change the natives to a savage Nordic people for variety's sake.

I read this film as a story of the dangers and allures of masculine aggression. When Ann is sacrificed, she's dressed in skimpy clothes and bound over a pit. She is further objectified by the way Kong holds her in the close-fisted grasp of a toddler with a toy. (Entertainment Weekly refers to her as his "fist-accessory.") When Kong abducts Ann, it's a both violation and a consummation (complete with her gasps and moans). At first, all we see of Kong is his menacing physical prowess: his height, his hairiness, his speed, his agility. He is masculine power at its most extreme. From this perspective, Carl Denham (Jack Black's character) is a kind of pornographer, wanting to record the violence without participating in it or being harmed by it.

When Ann escapes from Kong's cave and then finds herself chased by a variety of horrible creatures, however, we cheer for Kong to come save her. After defeating the dinosaurs, Kong thumps his chest triumphantly to drive home his victory. Kong's aggression can be terrifying, but it can also keep Ann safe. Ann also leads Kong to temper his violent impulses and be gentle--at least with her.

In a modern setting, however, Kong cannot survive, just as in our society instinctive violence must be controlled. As Kong climbs up the (phallic) Empire State Building, he roars with rage as the airplanes try to harm him. In the end, though, he is killed, and we are left with human beings.

Jack Driscoll shows masculinity on a more human scale. He goes to rescue Ann after she is abducted by Kong, but once Ann is safely back in New York he retreats into his writing rather than tell her how he feels about her. Only after she is carried up the side of the Empire State Building is he able to follow her, although she does not need his help.

My moviegoing companion and I were not convinced that this movie was brilliant, but it was a much better blockbuster than, say, Revenge of the Sith. The movie will give you a lot to talk about, and it's definitely worth seeing on the big screen.

Movie image from www.kingkongmovie.com.