King Kong
For a monster movie, King Kong is surprisingly sweet. It is one of the most romantic movies of the year as well as the most spectacular.
Directed by Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings trilogy), King Kong is monstrous - both in terms of the production cost and the size of the prehistoric creatures it features.
It is also a boyhood fantasy come to life: beautiful damsel, frightening islanders, oversized scorpions, man-eating bugs, dinosaurs and an overgrown ape who gives up everything for his love of a woman.
The film has everything you could possibly want in a mainstream movie: adventure, romance, action, horror, fantasy, moving music and expensive special effects. Jackson is a master visual artist and storyteller who dares to dream big and has the vision, skills and resources to stun the audience.
Naomi Watts plays the blonde, a stage actress who accompanies a reckless filmmaker (Jack Black) and a talented playwright (Adrien Brody) to a mysterious island to shoot an adventure movie. There they meet King Kong, whom they eventually capture and ship back to New York.
What makes Jackson's remake stand out from other Hollywood monster movies is his boldness in portraying the affection between the woman and the giant gorilla.
King Kong is no simple-minded or bloodthirsty monster like Godzilla, whose presence is just for toppling skyscrapers. The ape - when not disturbed by human intruders or T-rexes trying to devour his girl - is tender and child-like.
He would die for the woman he loves. No wonder the girl falls for him instead of the skinny playwright.
If you go to the movies only once a year, King Kong is the film you should watch. It is the ultimate popcorn movie that makes you want to watch it again as soon as the credits start rolling.
The movie is now showing
