Viraj's Weblog

You gotta love interspecies love.

I'm one of the 2 on this earth that doesn't like Lord of the Rings. I believe I am missing the LOTR gene or something. I just can't get into that fantasyland crap, much less 4 hours of it. So naturally I wasn't a big fan of Peter Jackson or knew much of his capabilities. After seeing King Kong, I have much more respect for him. This movie is absolutely amazing, and is truly what a movie should be.

Indian (i.e. Bollywood) movies are known for their length and breadth in the number of emotions they try to eke out of the audience. It's hard for an American viewer to understand them, because the transition between emotions in scenes is so abrupt that it's almost cartoonish. When a movie can span every emotion and smoothly transition between them, that's real directorial skill. That's what King Kong does.

It's 3 hours long, but honestly it didn't feel long at all. That's again a director's skill in keeping the audience enthralled. I was reminded of the Indiana Jones movies, E.T., Close Encounters, and others that just captivated you. This movie's action sequences actually made me sweat in my seat. It's said this was Peter Jackson's labor of love, and it really shows.

It's really amazing how much science and our understanding of animals, especially apes, have contributed to this film. There is probably a stark difference just in this realm from the older version of the movie. When we see Kong and Naomi interacting in many scenes, we understand that Kong sees beauty in her, and is essentially trying to impress her. He goes through the animalistic alpha-male rituals to show his strength. He wants to possess her, and when she is taken away he gains enormous strength to get her back. It's as if he is unstoppable in his goal. I honestly thought of how much the mind can affect the body. That's love for you. Are humans really much different? We do the same things, but just in different ways. Sure we are less primitive, but that's only relatively speaking.

I noticed throughout the movie a connection between ape and human, almost as if Jackson is trying to show Darwin's thoughts. You can see in Kong's face and actions a struggle to reach humanity, and the end result proves this. You realize just how alone this so-called monster really is, and how much he struggles to find love. In the end he realizes the gap is too wide. But he gained the love he was searching for.

If I have any gripes, it has to do with what looks like actors in front of a blue screen. Don't get me wrong, the effects are amazing, but there are certain scenes where the physics just doesn't seem right. Another issue I had was during the dinosaur fight scene. I just couldn't imagine dinosaurs going through so much trouble for a meager piece of meat that is Naomi Watts. I mean she's hot and all, but come on...

I was not sure what to expect with Jack Black seriously acting. I was pleasantly surprised because he did really well.