King Kong (DVD)

King Kong (2005) starring Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody. Directed by Peter Jackson. Watts stars as Ann Darrow, the woman who wins Kong's heart. Jack Black plays Carl Denham, the showman who conceives the idea of putting Kong on display. Andy Serkis, who inhabited Gollum in the Lord of the Rings movies, here provides the convincing ape-like motion of King Kong. At a running time of three hours, the movie seems overlong, and the climactic scene atop the Empire State Building seems to go on forever. As another reviewer has said, however, this is the definitive version of "King Kong," and there would seem to be no reason to remake it again, ever -- or at least until films go 3-D. The special effects are fantastic, and the acting, especially by Watts, is terrific. Some scenes may be too intense for young children. Grade: A-