What Is It?
Yes, it is another re-make of the 1933's gorilla film, but it is also the return of Peter Jackson. His quest for the eighth wonder of the world is his quest to show that "Lord of the Rings" was not a fluke.
How Was It?
The cast is wonderful. Naomi Watts adds a lot to the Fay Ray part. She does not scream when it's not necessary, and her character is developed to a real person. She is also a vaudevillian, so the fact that she can do back flips later actually makes sense. Adrian Brody is also wonderful. Jack Black is.... well, he's not that great, but so well typecast that it doesn't matter. The special effects range from great to silly. There is a scene where the characters run with a group of stampeding brontosauruses. Most people, though between the great legs, never even get stepped on, which is explained by the obvious blue screen effect. The effects here were not only lame, the activity impossible, and the whole thing pointless, but the scene was also just long enough for you to contemplate all these issues (as well as the rising cost of movie tickets and the fact that you could have picked up the original King Kong at the library for free). Ok, I'm not sure I thought all that during the brontosauruses stampede, but I was provided with many other opportunities to contemplate a slue of subjects during the 3+ hours that Jackson uses to tell a story that's less than 2 hours. Jackson seems to have invented the "Extended Edition" movie. This would be a great time for him to pioneer the "Reduced edition". He seems to be in love with his footage and effects, and cannot cut out anything.
The battle cry here is "Because We Can!"
Is It Good For Kids?
I think kids, especially boys, would love to watch all the monsters fight, followed by the monkey tarring up New York (I'm sorry, was that a spoiler? Well I won't tell you which building he climbs.). Still, kids who are entertained by the action will be very bored with the attempts at emotionalism. (I believe the chatty child who sat behind me would agree.)
The other great thing is that, when pitching the movie idea, there is a crude question about the movie including topless women. Jack Black explains that art is not about nudie shows. This is actually carried through the movie we are watching. Though our heroine is chased through the jungle with clothing being ripped and soaked, she still never shows us anything we should not be looking at.
The problem will really be whether or not the violence and scary natives are too intense for your child individually.
You can check Screenit.com for a breakdown of what is on the screen.
What About Spiritual Issues?
There are two.
First, the cuss words of choice here are always names of God. I believe only one major character did not do this. I would have liked this movie much better if they'd just used the "S" word or something. (Exodus 20:7)
The other unfortunate use of dialogue is when (in another pointless scene) the crew is recessed and pronounces "Thank God". The characters are chastised and told that they should instead thank the guy who went for help.
What Is Your Recommendations?
This seems to be a hypocritical film. It suggests that big wild beast films are pointless and that there is more entertainment value (beauty) in a sunset. So take their advice and watch a sunset.
I think the extra hour of pointless movie and the misuse of God's name are enough to not bother with this film. If you do have a need to see this, I would suggest that you just rent the original for now, and grab the DVD at the rental place in a couple of months.
The monkey is cool, but it's no talking lion.
