KONG IS KING!

Some movies stay with you forever.

I'll always remember the very first movie I saw at a cinema- it was Disney's Oliver & Company. It's not the best Disney movie I've seen, but I gotta say my 6 year old mind found it pretty impressive!

The first movie to completely blow my mind, though, was Jurassic Park. At aged 10, when I first saw it on the big screen, I was a total dinosaur geek at age 10. Seeing the extinct beasts I’d previously only seen as fossils or artist's recreations brought completely to life floored me. From the first scene with the brontosauri (apatosauri, actually) grazing, I believed. Those dinosaurs were absolutely real. The T-rex was a creature of raw fury and power. A predator amongst predators. The velociraptors? Terror incarnate. The movie inspired awe in me from beginning to end.

5 years later, my mind was blown again. The movie was the Matrix. I’d seen the first teaser trailer for the movie a few months prior to its release- a short, evocative clip which had the mysterious URL whatisthematrix.com at the end. I didn't forget that and once I looked up the site, I found a treasure trove of information about the movie, including comics and short stories by major comics creators. That was enough to hype me up to an incredible extent. I was unbelievably excited when I went to see the movie and it exceeded my expectations in EVERY SINGLE WAY. It was the greatest spectacle I had ever seen. To this day, despite its (relatively) disappointing sequels, it's one of my favourite movies.

And of course, seeing the Star Wars re-releases on the cinema was another high point in my cinema-going life. The beloved movies of my childhood, in all their big screen surround-sound glory. Watching the new Star Wars movies, though, was pure heartbreak.

Then there was Spider-Man. Always my favourite superhero (never read much of the comics, but I'd avidly watched the '90s cartoon series), seeing him brought to life in such a spectacular way was just beautiful. Never mind that the Green Goblin had a weird suit and was kinda over-the-top. This was SPIDER-MAN - live, and in action. I wasn't even in Singapore when the movie came out so I first watched it on a crappy pirated DVD in Sri Lanka. Even then, it was a gorgeous experience. When I finally saw it on cinema... I couldn’t be happier.

And finally, there was The Lord of the Rings. When I first heard of the project, I was excited- the Lord of the Rings trilogy (along with its prequel The Hobbit) is one of my favourite books- but I was also wary. Who was this Peter Jackson guy? Oh? He'd made the Frighteners? Nice movie... but was this the really the kind of guy who could make The Lord of the Rings? It was impossible to tell, but I followed the production of the movie closely and the more I read online, the more excited I became. It was clear that the man- and everyone else involved in the production- had great love for the material and something magical was taking shape.

And when it came out, it was clear. Peter Jackson was a bonafide GENIUS. He is the new Spielberg. No... he's George Lucas (from the original Star Wars days, mind you) and Steven Spielberg (circa Raiders of the Lost Ark) combined. He learned from those masters and exceeded them in every way. Fellowship of The Ring, to me, was perfect. When Gandalf first rode into Hobbiton, I must admit I cried. Out of sheer joy. Here was the book that had captured my imagination for so long, brought to brilliant, brilliant life. I need not say more about the next two movies. Despite their occasional shortcomings (mostly related to scenes removed- I haven't seen the Extended Editions yet and so cannot comment on them), I love them whole-heartedly. Indeed, I was sad to see them end.

So when Peter Jackson announced King Kong as his next movie, part of me thought, well he's taking a break from serious movies to make something brainless but fun. Course, I'd read that the original King Kong was the film that inspired him to be a film-maker. I also knew that the 1933 movie was on the esteemed critic Roger Ebert's Great Movies list. I read about the movie during it's production. Sounded like a good adventure story. A great one, even. The much-hyped Kong versus 3 V-rexes (sort of like T-rexes, but bigger and nastier) fight seemed like it would be the highlight of the film by far. But I really didn’t expect King Kong to be nearly on the same level as The Lord of the Rings. How great could a movie about a giant ape be?

If I wore a hat, I'd eat it. I was dead-wrong. King Kong is not just a spectacular action-adventure, it's a movie filled with heart and soul. This, not Lord of the Rings, is Peter Jackson's magnum opus. This is the kind of movie that 9 year olds will watch, and be inspired to make movies like this. My ambition is to make games, but I can only hope that I will one day make something as emotionally engaging as this.

How is King Kong emotionally engaging? Well I’ll get to that! But first, let’s talk about the titular ape himself. Simply put, King Kong is the greatest special effects creation ever. In fact, I hesitate to call him a special effect. He lives, he breathes, he feels. When the camera looks into his eyes, you will see the pain and loneliness of his existence, and the simple joy that Anne Darrow (played by the beautiful Naomi Watts) brings into his life, a joy that he has long since forgotten. Andy Serkis deserves a Best Actor Oscar for his role in this. Nay, they should give the Oscar to Kong himself- the result of the combined efforts of Serkis and the entire WETA special effects team. In fact, everyone involved in this production must be commended. I salute you all! Especially Peter Jackson. What a man! What a director!

Boundless imagination and the pure joy of filmmaking permeate this film. Scene upon scene of unbelievable spectacle abound in the film's Skull Island second act. But the scenes that will stay with you forever are those with just Kong and Anne. Enjoying a peaceful sunset together. Skating on a frozen pond in New York. These little scenes give this film a powerful emotional core. You will grow to care for King Kong, misunderstood ape that he is, throughout the course of the movie. He evokes our sympathy without using any words at all. The ending will tear you apart. Even though you very likely know what will happen, it doesn't lessen the emotional impact AT ALL. That’s a testament to how brilliant this film is.

Some movies stay with you forever. King Kong is one of those movies.

Edited January 3rd, 2005.