Although I grow weary of the never-ending stream of remade movies, the latest version of "King Kong" is BIG in every way - and will make for a fun matinee. This third telling of the "King Kong" legend is one part pulp adventure, one part sappy period romance with some Jack Black thrown in to keep the story alive. Add a touch of Adrian Brody who shows up and walks after an ever-clean Naomi Watts, and then watch them play second fiddle to the oversized gorilla, who is the best actor of them all.

Andy Serkis, whose incredible performance as Gollum in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, out does himself as the motion capture artist for "King Kong". His body language conveyed as king of the jungle, says everything we need to hear to understand the many moods of Kong. For a glimpse of Serkis in his human form, he assumes the role of the ships' chef.

Overall, I can't get over how 'complete' the Kong vision of New York City in the 1930's is. "King Kong" is definitely one to see in theaters on the biggest screen you can find. Pack a lunch though cause the movie runs looonnnnggg... But you wont want to eat anything too grisly as you may lose your appetite mid-stream as the situation for the hapless heroes goes from bad to worse while getting lost on Skull Island. The gruesome fight scenes are as vicious and primal as the prehistoric beasties can be.

I am still curious why Kong keeps getting remade and my theory is that it taps into a timeless story theme that everyone can relate to. Because lets face it, despite what certain schools would say we all have a bit of the great ape in us. Kong's quest is what we all want in life. Able to get on, eat when hungry, and avoid the giant lizards that seem to get in the way of your quality time with the little woman who's rehearsing vaudeville routines at home.

And of course when you stuff a great ape into constraining ill fitted garb, and take them out for a night on Broadway, things are going to get a little crazy. and the ape may end up doing something like spinning on its butt with their sweetheart on a frozen pond in central park or screaming at the top of his lungs from the highest rooftop he can find. And at the end of it all, all the big guy really wants to do is catch a sunrise with the love of his life and remember what it was like back in the country side, the good old days. If it weren't for those annoying bi-planes.

As enjoyable as the new "King Kong" is, there's no surprises on the ride. The sheer spectacle may be entertaining but you know where the movie is going before the first reel even begins. Hoping that the next Peter Jackson epic is based on a new idea, for Movie Magazine this is Purple.

© 2006 - Purple - Air Date: 12/14/05