King Kong '05 Extended Edition - Due 11/14 - Page 2

This movie was so long I fell asleep TWICE during it.

It was quite a spectacle, and very well made, but unbelievably bloated.

Think I'll take a pass on this one.

Whats a videotape?

But seriously, I cant even remember how long we waited for those rectangular boxes of static-ridden movie magic. In the case of V For Vendetta, its tricky when the first release of a DVD is a Special Edition straight out the gate. I wont buy it because I cant afford jack shit right now, but if I could then I would probably get it...

I'm also slightly glad that I'm not alone in not salivating over King Kong, for a while I felt like the only guy who just didnt like it. Not just PJ's version but the concept in general, I mean I recognize the original for the classic it is technically but story-wise it just doesnt do anything for me. Kudos to PJ for trying to build on the original with his remake but trying to make me feel for an ape that big is asking too much.

(Yeah I'd probably be in a plane trying to shoot it. So what!?)

Why would I want to watch a painfully over-long exhausting film with laughably bad characters and masturbatory action scenes again if I detested it the first time?

I can see watching a dense film like Brazil a second time to get more out of it- but Kong was simply a clumsy mess that repeat watchings will not improve.

There is a good movie in there, but it needs some serious editting. Something an extended edition isn't going to solve. Give me a version that has 40 minutes cut out of it and then I will watch it again.

Yeah, but that's all he does.

So, I missed it in the theatres. Without any kind of big home theatre set-up, is it worth it for me to still rent it?

It is certainly worth watching once, some of the effects and action are good enough to sit through the bloat.

Exactly. Get rid of the Jimmy/Mr. Hayes bullshit and the ludicrously overdramatic typing of SKULL ISLAND and replace those scenes with "swamp monster" or Phiranhadon or whatever... that would make me happy. Add in the beach scene as well.


In the spirit of Carl's attitude toward's his comrades' deaths, Denham could've dedicated the film to Kong and given the proceeds to "Kong's family"... or the Skull Island natives...

I do like the idea of Brody saying the last line poetically under his breath.

The official press release:

http://www.kongisking.net/perl/newsview/17/1153423812

13 minutes of footage added to the film with 40 minutes of seperate deleted scenes. I'll probably end up suckering someone into buying this for me as a Christmas gift.

That dinosaur chase was fantastic. Good thing they didn't cut that out either.

Can't tell if you're being sarcastic, Bob. I think the build up to the chase is great, but the chase itself is just pretty good. The effects seem a bit slapped together, but it could just be the way the live shots were staged or composited.

In a year where we are given such shit as "Little Man", the fact that people are bitching about a director trying too hard, and going overboard, totally amazes me.

You're comparing apples and oranges, Bark. That chase was laughable. A complete botch job that should have been cut out, or at least cut down so they would have the time to improve the effects.

I guess I don't mind the inconsistency of the effects so much, since I've invested enough with the characters (well, some of the characters.) But yeah, they're made all the more worse by the fact that some of the effects are amazing, which is to what Mad Kinski was probably referring.

All they need is one small scene with Jimmy upon their return to New York, something to give his arc some closure, and I think the first half would be dramatically improved. It would give all his scenes added purpose.

And this is coming from someone who enjoyed the film.

Agreed. What bothered me wasn't the presence of the Jimmy/Hayes arc per se, but the fact it went absolutely fucking nowhere.

The brontosaur stampede does suffer from some shoddy effects, but I think the scene is visceral enough to get a pass. Those dino's crushing each other really look like they hurt.

I must also completely disagree at the notion that PJ missed the point. The first time I ever saw the '33 Kong as a kid, I cried when the big guy died. Seeing it again a few years ago, I was baffled as to how unsympathetic Kong was portrayed. He's really just a TERRIBLE MONSTER out to rob our pretty white lady of her honour. Sure, there's unrequited love there, but it's from a TERRIBLE MONSTER.

The scene in Episode II in which Anakin complains that "they're all animals, and I killed them all" is (rightly) criticised for Padmé's rather unbelievable "there, there" sort of reaction. He just killed a bunch of people, lady, now's not the time to make smoochy! Same deal for Kong.

"I love you!" *KILL KILL KILL* "Why won't you love me?" *KILL KILL KILL*

I'm not sure what you're saying about the original movie here. Ann doesn't have any feelings for Kong. That's where the whole theme of unrequited love comes from. Because he keeps pursuing her, and she keeps running away.

What I meant to say was that, due to it being from a TERRIBLE MONSTER, the unrequited love portrayed doesn't exactly provoke any sympathy on my behalf (like Anakin's, who at that point had at least acted like a monster).

I think PJ did right by making Kong somewhat friendlier, although I still like the '33 film much better on a whole. Strangely enough, that one works almost as a horror film.

That would help a lot. Removing the ham-handed "Hearts of Darkness" discussion would also be nice.

Well, it made him easier for the audience to feel cuddly about, but I'm not so sure that's entirely a good thing. He's supposed to be a wild animal, and he should be primarily frightening and intimidating. Our sympathy for him comes from the fact that he's been put in an alien environment against his will, and is only doing what comes naturally.

I think PJ struck the balance fairly well, actually. Kong may have been a wild animal, but we also got some shots of him just chillin', eating giant bamboo and all that crap, which is of course what gorillas (who are also wild animals, last time I checked) occasionally do. Almost every scene the '33 Kong was in, he was killing something. Don't forget, '05 Kong flipped the fuck out at Ann a bunch of times as well: he certainly wasn't a De Laurentiis-Kong.

Edit for spelling.

I loved the film, I agree it’s a bit long and some characters are pointless, but I really do think this movie was the best blockbuster of 2005. This DVD edition looks pretty solid too. I was actually hoping the production diaries would be included, as I didn’t buy the 2 disc edition just because of I thought I would have to pay again for the same thing (sigh)
(I do think the original Kong was a far better movie for it’s time, but the way all the Kong/Ann stuff is handled in the remake is just fucking brilliant)

This reminds me, did anyone else get the production diaries for free upon purchasing the film? I did not expect that. I'm not talking about the post-prod diaries included on the film's second disc either, an actual other DVD case marked "Production Diaries".

Nah, you have a scene in NYC with Jimmy on the Venture, watching Denham and the others leaving, the captain comes up to him and says, "We cast off in an hour, make ready," and Jimmy keeps staring. Then he takes the book from his pocket, tosses it overboard into the water, and walks down the gangplank. The captain shouts, "Jimmy, where are you going?" and he says without looking back, "Away from here" or something equally life-changing.

Works for me. But I still feel a little force-fed on the earlier Jimmy/Hayes stuff. Course, putting a scene in between Kong getting anesthetized and his Broadway premiere may force Jackson to show how Kong got on and off the boat... It could be done if the timing was right, I guess. Like having the scene just as a flatbed with Kong on it drove away from the docks.

EDIT: added thoughts to avoid double-post

Well, for one, I don't think you can knock the spectacle. I mean, Kong fighting those dinosaurs should be worth the purchase alone. And Naomi Watts is just stunning- not only is she unspeakably beautiful in this film, but her performance is a marvel- you honestly believe she's fighting her feelings, however askew they may be, for this giant ape.

The rest of it is gravy, really. I liked the enhancement of the bit during the show commemorating their return to NYC, and Kong is an immensely expressive creature. I still can't believe they got that level of expression and emotion from computer effects.

We talked about this in the original Kong thread. The problem with the line is that it doesn't fit this time. Love didn't kill Kong in this one. Love was fine for him considering Ann was reciprocating it. The problem was the fucking Airplanes ...and human greed.

I know they included it as homage. That doesn't mean it fits contextually.

Other than that I thought the movie was great.

At Comic Con on Friday, they had a video message from Peter Jackson reporting from Wellington, introducing this Extended Edition. He talked about the fact that they couldnt show some of the stuff in the previously relased diaries, and that they are glad to be able to offer the same in-depth stuff on Kong as they did for Lord of the Rings EE's, as well as bloopers that they wish they could've done for LOTR.

Then they showed the river scene. It had a couple of great moments, and some tension like the spider-pit, although not a lot, as you know the ones who are going to get it are like the Star Trek red-shirts. Denham has a good part in it, and the scene has a great ending. Perfect for his character.

It was a little disheartening that the scene was about 8 minutes long, more or less. Knowing that they've added 13 minutes, it doesn't leave much else on a grander scale that they could add. They had a clip of Kong pursuing the men that looked pretty sweet.

Nevertheless, I will still most likely get this.

(Also, the video message was PJ driving in his car to the studio. As he's ending the spiel, he says how's he's reaching the studio now, and the camera has to cut off, because of the secret production that they are working on. I thought for sure there'd be some sort of Halo tid-bit, but no. The camera shut off. Disappointing.)

If you didn't know this EE was coming, you apparently don't know anything about how DVD works these days. Some paltry little 2 disc edition with EPK pieces from the man who released the LOTR:EE? No.

As for the film itself, extended is now what this film needs. Everything at the end, and portion of the middle are great. But what an interminable lead-in. The human characters are nowhere near compelling enough to sustain the hour and a half build-up to Kong's appearance, and the dinosaur stampede reminded me of the AOTC assembly line bit which felt more like a video game level than a movie scene. It's got soaring highs, and some crushingly dull lows.

Particulary from Peter Jackson.
To be fair, he has been open about an extended edition of Kong coming out.

I though that scene was a part of the 40 minute "deleted scenes" segment on the DVD (?) At least I hope so. I would have prefered those 13 minutes to be those little moments and details spread all over the 3 hours of the film. Anyway thanks for the info!

Well actually it did in a way... if he didn’t try to protect Ann in the first place he wouldn’t get caught.
“And lo the beast looked upon the face of Beauty, and Beauty stayed his hand, and from that day forward, he was as one dead."
(Actually the Arabian proverb works more for the remake than for the original movie....the 33 Kong is not really a beauty and the beast tale as a tale like that requires the beauty to be the only one who understands the beast and 33 Ann definitely does not.)

Dvd Review: King Kong Extended Edition

http://www.creature-corner.com/?type=reviews&id=1978

Didn't know if some Chewers checked out the Creature-corner message boards. And since it's kinda a cross-genre flick, I thought I'd post in here as well in case anyone was curious.

In the Deleted Scnes, not in the actual movie.

Not if you want all the materials.
I don't recall any. Mostly Skull Island.
Originally intended for a Fay Wray cameo (old woman passing by on the street). She died while the film was being made, but PJ & Naomi met her & gor her "blessing" for what it's worth.
You should be pleased.

As a Naomi Watts fan, I thought that only her performance and Kong were worthwhile to watch, but after watching it once I can only stomach Act 3 due to the sluggish nature of the two previous acts. And I wish Brody's character would've brought the farm, because for some reason his character annoys the hell out of me. I was rooting for Kong to catch up to his car and smash it into pieces.

As for the ending, it was okay until Jack Black uttered that line that ruined the moment for me. I don't care where that line came from, PJ should've taken it out of the movie.

I dug this DVD a bunch. Most of the added bits are great and the film's length is something I don't mind (I watched it in chunks.) Plus, Denham is a bit more slimy in this cut.

nice bump.

I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. The new scenes had quite a bit of action. Jimmy still kills me though.