King Kong *spoilers*
Tue Dec 13, 2005 11:09 am
Well, what can I say besides: 'Zomg teh fantastic!!'.
Peter Jacksons new movie manages to combine the original story line, excellent graphics, and that special Peter Jackson touch (i.e loads of horrid insects and bat things and other creepy crawlies that seem to hark back to Meet the Feebles. Particularly when the guy has his head slowly eaten by a slug pod). Oh, it's also really action indulgent
Through the middle of the movie it is really just one long seemingly endless action romp, you really cannot beat such things as gunning down raptors with a tommy gun, and the Kong vs TRex x4 fight. Every creature on Skull island, including Kong seems to have this never ending will to keep chasing humans. Maybe unintentionally, but when you see a T-Rex playing rope swing just to get a bite at the damsel in distress while precariously hanging over its impending doom, it is really funny.
What also makes for a decent laugh/tear is the interactions between King Kong and Ann, someone while on the boat mentions that the way in which a man expresses his love for a woman is by ignoring her. You'll notice Kong does this. However as not to be caught being too sappy, emotional scenes are often interupted by things such as mortar fire...
For those that have no idea (and from the NYtime article they don't), there were a couple of New Zealand thingies put in there that seemed to have gotten quite a bit larger. The alligator like creature eaten by the T-Rex appeared to be an enormous and toothy Tuatara (NZ native), while in the chasm of Everyoneiseatenbystuff 'Jack' is covered in enormous Wetas (also NZ native). This scene was slighty more effective considering I once woke up with one on my face at 3am. They are only slightly smaller in real life.
Overall I really enjoyed this movie, there were times when the CG began to get a little fuzzy (Sauropod stampede), but because the action just keeps on happening you really don't care. Or perhaps the real reason I found the movie enjoyable was because I saw Narnia earlier in the day, and really found it quite boring.
Peter Jacksons new movie manages to combine the original story line, excellent graphics, and that special Peter Jackson touch (i.e loads of horrid insects and bat things and other creepy crawlies that seem to hark back to Meet the Feebles. Particularly when the guy has his head slowly eaten by a slug pod). Oh, it's also really action indulgent
Through the middle of the movie it is really just one long seemingly endless action romp, you really cannot beat such things as gunning down raptors with a tommy gun, and the Kong vs TRex x4 fight. Every creature on Skull island, including Kong seems to have this never ending will to keep chasing humans. Maybe unintentionally, but when you see a T-Rex playing rope swing just to get a bite at the damsel in distress while precariously hanging over its impending doom, it is really funny.
What also makes for a decent laugh/tear is the interactions between King Kong and Ann, someone while on the boat mentions that the way in which a man expresses his love for a woman is by ignoring her. You'll notice Kong does this. However as not to be caught being too sappy, emotional scenes are often interupted by things such as mortar fire...
For those that have no idea (and from the NYtime article they don't), there were a couple of New Zealand thingies put in there that seemed to have gotten quite a bit larger. The alligator like creature eaten by the T-Rex appeared to be an enormous and toothy Tuatara (NZ native), while in the chasm of Everyoneiseatenbystuff 'Jack' is covered in enormous Wetas (also NZ native). This scene was slighty more effective considering I once woke up with one on my face at 3am. They are only slightly smaller in real life.
Overall I really enjoyed this movie, there were times when the CG began to get a little fuzzy (Sauropod stampede), but because the action just keeps on happening you really don't care. Or perhaps the real reason I found the movie enjoyable was because I saw Narnia earlier in the day, and really found it quite boring.
Tue Dec 13, 2005 9:35 pm
Ooh, it comes out tomorrow in America, right? All I know is that my family's going to see it as soon as possible. Who doesn't love a Peter Jackson film?
Wed Dec 14, 2005 12:18 am
Kong would so get Pwned by a Tyranosaurus Rex, let alone four!
i also notice they went early cretacous with the Rexen, and not the slightly absurd chickens of paradise that were the late Cretaceous ones
edit: Now that ive seen the film, and had a couple days to mull it over.
Incredibly diverga Raptors (way to big to be anything but a Utah raptor, which they obviously arent) Saurapods that die in hilarious manners, and Veranosaurus Rexen!
Dude.
Kong would still get PWNed.
Great film, i wooped and cheered when he got that first Bi-plane, and was drawn almost to tears in the closing moments.
Was still expecting Jack Black to make a joke though, great actor, pulls off egotystical and power-mad well doesnt he.
i also notice they went early cretacous with the Rexen, and not the slightly absurd chickens of paradise that were the late Cretaceous ones
edit: Now that ive seen the film, and had a couple days to mull it over.
Incredibly diverga Raptors (way to big to be anything but a Utah raptor, which they obviously arent) Saurapods that die in hilarious manners, and Veranosaurus Rexen!
Dude.
Kong would still get PWNed.
Great film, i wooped and cheered when he got that first Bi-plane, and was drawn almost to tears in the closing moments.
Was still expecting Jack Black to make a joke though, great actor, pulls off egotystical and power-mad well doesnt he.
Mon Dec 19, 2005 1:37 am
Particularly when the guy has his head slowly eaten by a slug pod
Goodness, don't remind me. Those insects and stuff were just...horrible. I'm not saying they were bad and should be removed from the movie, I'm just saying that they were horrible in that scary/gross ONG factor sort of way, and I think that was the point of them in which case they were absolutely brilliant. Giant insects and leech-slug-hagfish things *shudder*.
But wow. That movie was just...wow. You were just overwhelmed by the action and just immense hugeness and intensity of everything.
The characters were well portrayed too. I was surprised that I liked Ann well enough. Generally female characters in her situation tend to bore me but Naomi Watts played her very well. And with Carl Denham (they character Jack Black plays) I honestly didn't know whether to love or hate the guy with his stubborn, although perhaps misplaced, determination.
Mon Dec 19, 2005 3:14 am
Well I just saw it tonight.
I too have problems with the T-Rex fight. But not for the same reasons everyone else does. T-Rex's body according to studies done in the past 10 years were far more rigid then were portrayed. T-rex should not have been able to be as manoeverable as they were. They were far more rigid, and many of those speedy turns they made should have been impossible.
As well, their bites should have been far more damaging to Kong.
However, I think, all things considered, since we're talking about a movie with a giant gorilla... that we don't really need to pick apart the biochemistry of the animals involved (a gorilla that size would overheat and die, but whose counting?)
Same goes with the giant raptor things. Totally biochemically incorrectly built, too big, too faceted, too idiotic, but oh well.
The bugs were terrifying. I couldn't watch when they were eating the guy I had to cover my face with my sleeve and peek out at the edge of the screen.
It was sad. I must admit, I spent the whole movie going "Maybe he'll live, maybe he'll be OK." but then it's just like "what am I saying, he's gonna die, thats the point" and then he dies and it's just like "Darnit. He's dead".
I think the best actor in the movie, hands down was Kong. Andy did an awesome job of portraying Kong, and yeah. He went to Rwanda to study gorillas (I'm jealous), but yeah. Definately an awesome movie.
Very long though. But sad. And awesome. And sad.
I too have problems with the T-Rex fight. But not for the same reasons everyone else does. T-Rex's body according to studies done in the past 10 years were far more rigid then were portrayed. T-rex should not have been able to be as manoeverable as they were. They were far more rigid, and many of those speedy turns they made should have been impossible.
As well, their bites should have been far more damaging to Kong.
However, I think, all things considered, since we're talking about a movie with a giant gorilla... that we don't really need to pick apart the biochemistry of the animals involved (a gorilla that size would overheat and die, but whose counting?)
Same goes with the giant raptor things. Totally biochemically incorrectly built, too big, too faceted, too idiotic, but oh well.
The bugs were terrifying. I couldn't watch when they were eating the guy I had to cover my face with my sleeve and peek out at the edge of the screen.
It was sad. I must admit, I spent the whole movie going "Maybe he'll live, maybe he'll be OK." but then it's just like "what am I saying, he's gonna die, thats the point" and then he dies and it's just like "Darnit. He's dead".
I think the best actor in the movie, hands down was Kong. Andy did an awesome job of portraying Kong, and yeah. He went to Rwanda to study gorillas (I'm jealous), but yeah. Definately an awesome movie.
Very long though. But sad. And awesome. And sad.
Mon Dec 19, 2005 3:33 am
ahoteinrun wrote:Well I just saw it tonight.
I too have problems with the T-Rex fight. But not for the same reasons everyone else does. T-Rex's body according to studies done in the past 10 years were far more rigid then were portrayed. T-rex should not have been able to be as manoeverable as they were. They were far more rigid, and many of those speedy turns they made should have been impossible.
As well, their bites should have been far more damaging to Kong.
A mistake on my part, according to the 'Expedition to Skull island '1935' (just before the island sank due to crust movemt), they are V-Rexes, not T-Rexes and have evolved to cope with life on the island accordingly.
Last edited by Christopher on Mon Dec 19, 2005 7:09 am, edited 1 time in total.
Mon Dec 19, 2005 3:43 am
If you go to the Kong website you can find a bestiary of the creatures in the movie. Those leech things are evolved tapeworms. Ewww.
Mon Dec 19, 2005 5:43 am
Christopher wrote:ahoteinrun wrote:Well I just saw it tonight.
I too have problems with the T-Rex fight. But not for the same reasons everyone else does. T-Rex's body according to studies done in the past 10 years were far more rigid then were portrayed. T-rex should not have been able to be as manoeverable as they were. They were far more rigid, and many of those speedy turns they made should have been impossible.
As well, their bites should have been far more damaging to Kong.
A mistake on my part, according to the 'Expedition to Skull island '1937' (just before the island sank due to crust movemt), they are V-Rexes, not T-Rexes and have evolved to cope with life on the island accordingly.
I'd still have issues with their balance, and their biochemistry despite them being V-Rexes. But i'm just mean like that.
What is this "expedition to skull island?"
I'd really like to get more information on Kong himself and the species of ape that he is. If anyone could direct me to such a place where information on that exists (or outside sources, for this, I may be willing to buy to get knowledge, odd), that would be wonderful!
Mon Dec 19, 2005 6:21 am
The giant bugs were well done and thoroughly creeped me out (I'm deathly afraid of bugs). However, giant bugs in movies and books tend to irritate me. The reason bugs have the body structure they do is because they're small. That structure cannot be sustained if they go over a certain size. Their innards would collapse.
Mon Dec 19, 2005 7:02 am
ahoteinrun wrote:I'd still have issues with their balance, and their biochemistry despite them being V-Rexes. But i'm just mean like that.
What is this "expedition to skull island?"
I'd really like to get more information on Kong himself and the species of ape that he is. If anyone could direct me to such a place where information on that exists (or outside sources, for this, I may be willing to buy to get knowledge, odd), that would be wonderful!
I don't know if you can get your hands on it, but here in NZ it's stockpiled at every book store. I've read through it and it's great. Oh, and Spira, in real life a giant weta can get up to a maximum of 20cm long. Though the ones in the movie were more like 80-100cm and more evil.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/141650 ... e&n=283155
THE WORLD OF KONG
A Natural History of Skull Island
It was an uncharted island somewhere off the coast of Sumatra, it was a land whispered about by merchants and sailors. It was a place so unbelievable that no one dared believe in its existence. Except one man, the extraordinary showman Carl Denham. Many will, of course, remember his show on Broadway and its tragic ending. But New York is not where the story ended, it is where it began.
In 1935 a joint expedition of several prominent universities and organizations called Project Legacy was launched. Its stated mission goal was to create the first of several field guides to Skull Island, a land filled with creatures existing outside of their time, where dinosaurs roamed, evolved, and still lived. Only a year later it was discovered that the island was doomed; the geological forces that had formed the island were now tearing it apart. There were only seven more abbreviated expeditions to the island before its destruction and the start of World War II.
The journals, sketches, and detailed notes of the scientists who braved Skull Island would have continued to gather dust on shelves across the planet were it not for the work of the authors of this book. Here for the first time is their work, collected in a comprehensive edition of the natural history of this lost island. Here is The World of Kong.
Mon Dec 19, 2005 9:03 am
and leech-slug-hagfish things *shudder*
You just named three of my ten favorite animals...whatever you're talking about, I can't wait to see it!
Actually, hearing early on that there'd be giant insects is all that sold me on this movie. Until then I thought "why do we need another Kong?"...but insects sell me on anything.
The bugs were terrifying. I couldn't watch when they were eating the guy I had to cover my face with my sleeve and peek out at the edge of the screen.
LOL...did you know that the original King Kong had a scene where a man is devoured alive by giant spiders? And that this scene was removed because audiences at the time found it too horrific to watch? To think there was a time when a movie director would consider that a BAD thing...
in real life a giant weta can get up to a maximum of 20cm long. Though the ones in the movie were more like 80-100cm and more evil.
Is that........is that weta.......a PET!?
I thought all species of weta were completely illegal due to their near-extinction status? I would do anything to own an insect that large. Or even see one, actually.
Amusingly enough they hired the toy/collectible company "Weta" to do the action figures
The giant bugs were well done and thoroughly creeped me out (I'm deathly afraid of bugs). However, giant bugs in movies and books tend to irritate me. The reason bugs have the body structure they do is because they're small. That structure cannot be sustained if they go over a certain size. Their innards would collapse.
All they really need are lungs, a circulatory systems, an internal supporting structure, and actual skin/flesh beneath the exoskeleton. It isn't too far-fetched that they might eventually evolve these things. In some of my own creative works insects evolved a sophisticated variation of crustacean booklungs while their original trachea became a thick, basket-like "pseudo-skeleton".
Tue Dec 20, 2005 2:04 am
I saw it and I cried like a baby. I NEVER cry during movies, but I had a Passion-of-the-Christ like bawlfest over Kong.
Me:
LEAVE HIM ALONE!!! STOP SHOOTING HIM!!! *dissolves into a snivelling mess*
Dad: Stop blubbering. I can barely hear the gunfire!
Yes, some of the Kong & Anne parts were a teeny bit sappy, but overall, he saved it from being obnoxious. And as for the whole T-Rex vs Kong scene, I could care less about how anatomically accurate it was. It was awesome.
That T-Rex got himself PWN3D.
Oh, and I thought the part where he was picking up random blondes and then tossing them aside when they weren't Anne was hilarious. Reminded me of my uncle eating ribs.
Me:
LEAVE HIM ALONE!!! STOP SHOOTING HIM!!! *dissolves into a snivelling mess*
Dad: Stop blubbering. I can barely hear the gunfire!
Yes, some of the Kong & Anne parts were a teeny bit sappy, but overall, he saved it from being obnoxious. And as for the whole T-Rex vs Kong scene, I could care less about how anatomically accurate it was. It was awesome.
That T-Rex got himself PWN3D.
Oh, and I thought the part where he was picking up random blondes and then tossing them aside when they weren't Anne was hilarious. Reminded me of my uncle eating ribs.
Tue Dec 20, 2005 10:37 pm
Alright, ill challenge anyone on this forum to a fight. You have to wrap your arms around your sides and only use your head. You'd get battered.
A giant kong would easily beat a t-rex.
A giant kong would easily beat a t-rex.
Tue Dec 20, 2005 11:43 pm
Hauntingly great movie. Jackson did the original proud. Also, Andy Serkis proves their is life after gollum. May well be the best character actor in the world today.
Favourite bit : The light fading in Kongs eyes. I thought that was inspired.
Favourite bit : The light fading in Kongs eyes. I thought that was inspired.
Tue Dec 20, 2005 11:53 pm
I think this film is the best I have seen in at least two years, I just don't have the words to describe the hugeness and awesomeness of this film.
I just didn't want it to end. And although I cry in most films (I cried in the last HP film for goodness sake!) this is one of the very few films that has gone past that and actually upset me - even though I knew it was coming. I was still choked up for an hour afterwards. The lights went up in the cinema and everyone just left real quietly.
It's a masterpiece.
I just didn't want it to end. And although I cry in most films (I cried in the last HP film for goodness sake!) this is one of the very few films that has gone past that and actually upset me - even though I knew it was coming. I was still choked up for an hour afterwards. The lights went up in the cinema and everyone just left real quietly.
It's a masterpiece.