Peter Jackson's KING KONG: The Verdict - Page 5

Once A Villain · 12-21-2005, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Catbert

Improving on its good points and adding new good ones.

Indeed. That is the model for a successful remake to follow. Too bad Jackson's Kong improved on the original's good points, but added a bunch of its own "poor points". King Kong is a great two hour movie wrapped up in a three hour package... It did improve a lot of stuff, but they need to trim the fat they added...

Once A Villain · 12-21-2005, 10:05 PM

I just found this. Kinda funny...

12-22-2005, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Catbert

Improving on its good points and adding new good ones.

I hate when "new points" are added. Regardless of their quality.

Catbert · 12-22-2005, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SamNMax

I hate when "new points" are added. Regardless of their quality.

So?

12-22-2005, 05:33 PM

So 1933 > 2005

Kolzig · 12-24-2005, 01:24 AM

I got the 1933 version couple of days ago alongside with the Serenity dvd and Superman TAS vol. 2.

I haven't had the time to watch the original yet, but I'm hoping that tomorrow we will watch it when my friends come for a special Christmas sauna event to my parents house.

"When the cats are away, the mice will play."

*Melanie68* · 12-28-2005, 11:09 PM

So I just saw this tonight (wait... no... technically yesterday - the 28th). I liked it? Considering how cheesy the one with Jeff Bridges was, this was definitely awesome (and FYI, I've never seen the 1933 version). 1930s New York was spectacular, the jungle and village were spectacular, Kong was spectacular but it was so action heavy. Constant running, being in peril, fights, violence and death - it was too much for me. Some scenes I thought he could have shortened or gotten rid of:

Spoiler:
[*]The brontosaurus stampede and great brontosaurus pileup of 2005 - massively shorten to decrease the number of brontosaurus deaths.

Spoiler:
[*]The fight between Kong and the two T-Rex like dinosaurs in the vines - get rid of - too violent and sad. All of these animals are only trying to survive and if they need a Naomi hors d'oeuvres to do it, so be it. Can you blame them?

Spoiler:
[*]The bug scene - Ew, ew, ew. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Gross, gross, gross. Blech, blech, blech. - get rid of it. Too much, not needed, icky, icky, icky.

I liked all of the characters except Naomi Watts character. I have never much liked female characters whose only expression is being doey eyed and trying to look innocent, sexy and beautiful at the same time. The only time she redeemed herself in my eyes is in her scenes with Kong. I wish he would have focused more on the the courtship of the ape and less on the action. I always wondered why the villagers wanted a blond woman for Kong and why did she really fall for him? Was she anthropomorphizing? Was this a case of caring for an animal? Hmmm...

Maquisard · 12-28-2005, 11:31 PM

Funny, those scenes (in spoilers) were my favorite!

squarejawhero · 12-29-2005, 02:24 AM

Mira and I saw it on Monday and didn't like it much.

I thought it was a mess. The initial intro was great, but then the editing took an unfortunate center-stage after they stepped on the boat and the pacing became uneven and extraordinarily heavy-handed, with sections taking place at different times often at odds with the preceding piece. The section in the village had some abysmal slow-motion and in general, the movies compositing was terrible - particularly for a movie that relied on special effects. I've been watching Jurassic Park after picking up the trilogy for £12.99 (BARGAIN) and that film had far, far better compositing - even after 13 years.

So, with regards to seeing it on the big screen, wait for the DVD. At least then you won't notice the horrid discomforting errors between the CG and live action.

The tone of the film was also incredibly uneven, something Mira noted. It went from romance to comedy to horror far too often, and it seemed undecided as to what kind of film it was. As such it never gripped us, particularly when they dipped down into the canyon for the insect sequence. People were so busy dying left, right and center that we no longer cared who lived or died.

If they'd had stuck to the tone of the end of the movie (minus an ape spinning on its arse on ice - I paid a ticket for this?), then it could've been a real winner. As such, I wouldn't even say it would be good even if it was trimmed. Each section wildly differs in style. This is one beast better off putting down for good.

edit - to address Melanies points -

Spoiler:
Bronto scene - worst... compositing... ever... really, really bad. A terrible sequence that verged on the edge of comedy and pales in comparision to even the Lost World's dino stampede.

Spoiler:
Swinging dino's? Give me a break. Even if it's fantasy, there are lines you don't cross. This scene was more Emperors New Groove than anything and deflated the V-Rex fights overall intensity.

Spoiler:
I loved the bug scene but it was totally out of place. Another example of tone gone wrong.

Once A Villain · 12-29-2005, 02:44 AM

Well said, Melanie and squarejaw. With each passing day I dislike the new Kong more as well... Seeing it twice makes it even worse, believe me.

It probably doesn't help that I've seen so many good new movies around the same time. Brokeback Mountain, Munich, Capote, Good Night, and Good Luck...all of them are much better than Kong.

squarejawhero · 12-29-2005, 03:09 AM

Still got to see those films. Keep buying DVD's at the moment...

... including 4 Walt Disney treasure collections at Play.com at £5.99 each and the first seasons of X-Files and Arrested Development at £12.99... wtf is with these sales? Crazy prices!

Kolzig · 12-29-2005, 03:46 AM

Oh crap, now that those Treasures dvds popped into my mind, I remembered that I have that Chronological Donald dvd. I checked my shelves, but can't seem to find it!

Nooooooo! I've lost it!

*Melanie68* · 12-29-2005, 06:48 AM

At Squarsie - it's so funny you didn't like the ice scene, I actually did.

I thought it was good he got to do something fun before all hell broke loose.

Yea, I know, I'm weird.

I also have a pretty good bug phobia so those bugs were real enough to me to creep me out. EEEKKK!!

The ending, of course, was so sad.

Even if you know it, it still affects you.

Once A Villain · 12-29-2005, 10:27 AM

squarejaw, I hear ya. I buy too many DVDs for sure...

By the way, King Kong has something going for it. The videogame for XBox 360 is pretty fun. Ha ha. Not to change the subject or anything, but I got Condemned (best of the bunch IMO), Perfect Dark Zero, Call of Duty 2, Quake IV, and Kong for the 360. Kong is pretty cool as a game.

squarejawhero · 12-29-2005, 11:09 AM

You got a 360? Lucky chap! I'm hopefully gonna get my 360 soon to replace this jap one, which my Dad is going to nick as a DVD player/media center... along with Dead Or Alive and PDZ, lucky fella!

But yeah, I've got PGR3 (unusable on this system), Condemned (FANTASTIC game! Very cinematic) and COD2 on it. I also picked up Jade Empire for Xbox, supposedly "region free". Yeah right.

So looking forward to it after Trep's enthusiastic rambling!

Dasilva · 12-29-2005, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Once A Villain

I just found this. Kinda funny...

Haha! That was great.

Once A Villain · 12-29-2005, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by squarejawhero

I also picked up Jade Empire for Xbox, supposedly "region free". Yeah right.

So looking forward to it after Trep's enthusiastic rambling!

I usually agree with Trep's ramblings. I shared his glowing opinion on Syberia (and its subtle depths). Unfortunately, I thought Jade Empire sucked. It was really fun for a while, but eventually it just gets dumb. Horrible story, endless expository dialogue, etc. But I suppose some people might enjoy it...ugh. I also disliked Fable though, and Trep liked that. Perhaps we just don't have similar opinions when it comes to RPGs. I like mine in the true MMORPG style, like Oblivion is going to be. I also like MMORPGs themselves (or at least I did until I realized they were ruining my life and quit playing them). I loved Everquest 2 and Final Fantasy 11.

Ninja Dodo · 12-31-2005, 06:40 AM

I agree with a lot of what's been said. Some bits felt redundant, some effects were just not well-integrated... but all the scenes with Kong I loved.

Spoiler:
...especially the fight with the T-Rexes and the bit where Kong breaks loose, sees Driscoll and you can see him thinking "You!"

Matt M · 12-31-2005, 07:37 AM

Well I thought the 2005 version of Kong was fantasic with just a few minor wiggles

Henke · 12-31-2005, 07:53 AM

I was suprised at how much I liked the new King Kong.

The only really big complaint I have is that the "action sequences" were waaaaaaaaay to long. They were amazing but after around 15 minutes you can't get much more out of watching people being chased by dinosaurs in the jungle (and it goes on for hours).

Since the rest of the movie was really good all the way through (the characters, the atmosphere, the story ect.) I wonder why they choose to dedicate half the movie to show of the digital effects. But don't get me wrong, the effects were truly great and had their natural part in the movie but the sequences which only had visual effects was simply to long.

The movie was still really good IMO. In fact, after this I'm thinking of becoming a full time Peter Jackson-fan.

View Poll Results: So, which version of King Kong is really King?
The 1933 version! It's a classic, the stop motion animation had charm, and it wasn't too long...	5	13.16%
The 1976 version! It didn't have lame dinosaurs, and I like the "man in a furry suit" look...	2	5.26%
The 2005 version! Kong finally seems real, and the bond between Ann and the ape is richer here...	21	55.26%
Kong who? Who cares about any of these?! Godzilla is King of the Monsters!	10	26.32%
Voters: 38. You may not vote on this poll

12-21-2005, 10:05 PM	#82
Once A Villain OUATIJ Creator Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 1,640	I just found this. Kinda funny... Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Ben Co-Founder Abborado Studios Lead Designer - Once Upon a Time in Japan: Earth

12-22-2005, 05:33 PM	#85
SamNMax Guest Posts: n/a	So 1933 > 2005 Share Share this post on Twitter

12-24-2005, 01:24 AM	#86
Kolzig The Reggienator Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Vaasa, Finland Posts: 5,519	I got the 1933 version couple of days ago alongside with the Serenity dvd and Superman TAS vol. 2. I haven't had the time to watch the original yet, but I'm hoping that tomorrow we will watch it when my friends come for a special Christmas sauna event to my parents house. "When the cats are away, the mice will play." Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ "The old standby, that never got old in the first place. We come back to them weekly, nightly, for hours at a time--and they always deliver. They are pure, timeless, and often taken for granted." - Nick Breckon - Shacknews My gamesale list updated 26.8.2007 Hey, dear people please buy my games, I need money to conquer Europe! Or do something similar.

12-28-2005, 11:09 PM	#87
Melanie68 Super Moderator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 8,907	So I just saw this tonight (wait... no... technically yesterday - the 28th). I liked it? Considering how cheesy the one with Jeff Bridges was, this was definitely awesome (and FYI, I've never seen the 1933 version). 1930s New York was spectacular, the jungle and village were spectacular, Kong was spectacular but it was so action heavy. Constant running, being in peril, fights, violence and death - it was too much for me. Some scenes I thought he could have shortened or gotten rid of: Spoiler: []The brontosaurus stampede and great brontosaurus pileup of 2005 - massively shorten to decrease the number of brontosaurus deaths. Spoiler: []The fight between Kong and the two T-Rex like dinosaurs in the vines - get rid of - too violent and sad. All of these animals are only trying to survive and if they need a Naomi hors d'oeuvres to do it, so be it. Can you blame them? Spoiler: [*]The bug scene - Ew, ew, ew. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Gross, gross, gross. Blech, blech, blech. - get rid of it. Too much, not needed, icky, icky, icky. I liked all of the characters except Naomi Watts character. I have never much liked female characters whose only expression is being doey eyed and trying to look innocent, sexy and beautiful at the same time. The only time she redeemed herself in my eyes is in her scenes with Kong. I wish he would have focused more on the the courtship of the ape and less on the action. I always wondered why the villagers wanted a blond woman for Kong and why did she really fall for him? Was she anthropomorphizing? Was this a case of caring for an animal? Hmmm... Share Share this post on Twitter

12-28-2005, 11:31 PM	#88
Maquisard Citizen of Bizarro World Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Htrae Posts: 4,219	Funny, those scenes (in spoilers) were my favorite! Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ By no rocket’s blue shade am no shells dead down there, Gave no proof all day long that the flag was unwhere! No say does am spar-strangled shroud hang limply! Under land of no free! Am us home coward-leeee! ~Excerpt from the Bizarro Anthem

12-29-2005, 02:24 AM	#89
squarejawhero Epinionated. Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: London Posts: 5,841	Mira and I saw it on Monday and didn't like it much. I thought it was a mess. The initial intro was great, but then the editing took an unfortunate center-stage after they stepped on the boat and the pacing became uneven and extraordinarily heavy-handed, with sections taking place at different times often at odds with the preceding piece. The section in the village had some abysmal slow-motion and in general, the movies compositing was terrible - particularly for a movie that relied on special effects. I've been watching Jurassic Park after picking up the trilogy for £12.99 (BARGAIN) and that film had far, far better compositing - even after 13 years. So, with regards to seeing it on the big screen, wait for the DVD. At least then you won't notice the horrid discomforting errors between the CG and live action. The tone of the film was also incredibly uneven, something Mira noted. It went from romance to comedy to horror far too often, and it seemed undecided as to what kind of film it was. As such it never gripped us, particularly when they dipped down into the canyon for the insect sequence. People were so busy dying left, right and center that we no longer cared who lived or died. If they'd had stuck to the tone of the end of the movie (minus an ape spinning on its arse on ice - I paid a ticket for this?), then it could've been a real winner. As such, I wouldn't even say it would be good even if it was trimmed. Each section wildly differs in style. This is one beast better off putting down for good. edit - to address Melanies points - Spoiler: Bronto scene - worst... compositing... ever... really, really bad. A terrible sequence that verged on the edge of comedy and pales in comparision to even the Lost World's dino stampede. Spoiler: Swinging dino's? Give me a break. Even if it's fantasy, there are lines you don't cross. This scene was more Emperors New Groove than anything and deflated the V-Rex fights overall intensity. Spoiler: I loved the bug scene but it was totally out of place. Another example of tone gone wrong. Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Starter of Thread Must Die. Last edited by squarejawhero; 12-29-2005 at 02:33 AM.

12-29-2005, 02:44 AM	#90
Once A Villain OUATIJ Creator Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 1,640	Well said, Melanie and squarejaw. With each passing day I dislike the new Kong more as well... Seeing it twice makes it even worse, believe me. It probably doesn't help that I've seen so many good new movies around the same time. Brokeback Mountain, Munich, Capote, Good Night, and Good Luck...all of them are much better than Kong. Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Ben Co-Founder Abborado Studios Lead Designer - Once Upon a Time in Japan: Earth

12-29-2005, 03:09 AM	#91
squarejawhero Epinionated. Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: London Posts: 5,841	Still got to see those films. Keep buying DVD's at the moment... ... including 4 Walt Disney treasure collections at Play.com at £5.99 each and the first seasons of X-Files and Arrested Development at £12.99... wtf is with these sales? Crazy prices! Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Starter of Thread Must Die.

12-29-2005, 03:46 AM	#92
Kolzig The Reggienator Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Vaasa, Finland Posts: 5,519	Oh crap, now that those Treasures dvds popped into my mind, I remembered that I have that Chronological Donald dvd. I checked my shelves, but can't seem to find it! Nooooooo! I've lost it! Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ "The old standby, that never got old in the first place. We come back to them weekly, nightly, for hours at a time--and they always deliver. They are pure, timeless, and often taken for granted." - Nick Breckon - Shacknews My gamesale list updated 26.8.2007 Hey, dear people please buy my games, I need money to conquer Europe! Or do something similar.

12-29-2005, 06:48 AM	#93
Melanie68 Super Moderator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 8,907	At Squarsie - it's so funny you didn't like the ice scene, I actually did. I thought it was good he got to do something fun before all hell broke loose. Yea, I know, I'm weird. I also have a pretty good bug phobia so those bugs were real enough to me to creep me out. EEEKKK!! The ending, of course, was so sad. Even if you know it, it still affects you. Share Share this post on Twitter

12-29-2005, 10:27 AM	#94
Once A Villain OUATIJ Creator Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 1,640	squarejaw, I hear ya. I buy too many DVDs for sure... By the way, King Kong has something going for it. The videogame for XBox 360 is pretty fun. Ha ha. Not to change the subject or anything, but I got Condemned (best of the bunch IMO), Perfect Dark Zero, Call of Duty 2, Quake IV, and Kong for the 360. Kong is pretty cool as a game. Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Ben Co-Founder Abborado Studios Lead Designer - Once Upon a Time in Japan: Earth

12-29-2005, 11:09 AM	#95
squarejawhero Epinionated. Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: London Posts: 5,841	You got a 360? Lucky chap! I'm hopefully gonna get my 360 soon to replace this jap one, which my Dad is going to nick as a DVD player/media center... along with Dead Or Alive and PDZ, lucky fella! But yeah, I've got PGR3 (unusable on this system), Condemned (FANTASTIC game! Very cinematic) and COD2 on it. I also picked up Jade Empire for Xbox, supposedly "region free". Yeah right. So looking forward to it after Trep's enthusiastic rambling! Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Starter of Thread Must Die.

12-31-2005, 06:40 AM	#98
Ninja Dodo Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 2,459	I agree with a lot of what's been said. Some bits felt redundant, some effects were just not well-integrated... but all the scenes with Kong I loved. Spoiler: ...especially the fight with the T-Rexes and the bit where Kong breaks loose, sees Driscoll and you can see him thinking "You!" Share Share this post on Twitter

12-31-2005, 07:37 AM	#99
Matt M Broken Sword Fan Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 42	Well I thought the 2005 version of Kong was fantasic with just a few minor wiggles Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ "Paris in the Fall, The city holds many memories for me: of cafes, of music, of love... and of death."

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12-31-2005, 07:53 AM	#100
Henke Headbanger Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: The North Posts: 2,233	I was suprised at how much I liked the new King Kong. The only really big complaint I have is that the "action sequences" were waaaaaaaaay to long. They were amazing but after around 15 minutes you can't get much more out of watching people being chased by dinosaurs in the jungle (and it goes on for hours). Since the rest of the movie was really good all the way through (the characters, the atmosphere, the story ect.) I wonder why they choose to dedicate half the movie to show of the digital effects. But don't get me wrong, the effects were truly great and had their natural part in the movie but the sequences which only had visual effects was simply to long. The movie was still really good IMO. In fact, after this I'm thinking of becoming a full time Peter Jackson-fan. Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ NP: Botanicula, Catherine, Dear Esther, Okami Last edited by Henke; 12-31-2005 at 08:04 AM.