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| Starring: Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Colin Hanks, Jamie
Bell, Andy Serkis Directed by:
Peter Jackson |
Theatrical Release: 2005
HD DVD Release: 2006
Released by: UniversalDolby Digital
Plus 5.1
Widescreen |
Peter Jackson’s mammoth retelling of
the Kong story neatly divides into three acts. Act I is exposition, including introducing
most of the main characters in New York, c. 1933, and a subsequent ocean voyage to
find Skull Island. Act II takes place on Skull Island, where Kong is discovered and
finally subdued. This is development. Act III takes place back in New York, where a
chained Kong is exhibited as the 8th Wonder of the World, escapes, and ends up on the top
of the Chrysler Building, where he’s shot down by airplanes. This act is
recapitulation and summation.
| Speaking of the Chrysler Building...  It was the highest building in New York
during the time period in which Jackson’s King Kong is set. The Empire State
Building was yet to come, as were the twin towers of the World Trade Center. As we all
know, those are there no more because of the terrorists who crashed two planes into them
on Sept 11th, 2001. Oliver Stone has commemorated the event with World Trade Center
(***1/2), a harrowing movie that Paramount has released on HD DVD. Director Stone
chose to concentrate more on the triumph of the human spirit than on graphic deaths, as
the story focuses on two policemen who survive the collapse of the buildings but are
trapped in the debris. Much of the story is set underground and is very dark, but the
excellent HD DVD transfer shows remarkable detail nevertheless. Colors in outdoor
scenes are pumped up to a point that would be impossible on an SD disc without breaking
up. Paramount has chosen to offer the release on two discs, so the movie itself gets
almost all of disc one for the best possible video. The Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 soundtrack
adds a lot to the images on screen. The collapse of the building is very scary, with
sounds, awful sounds, that put one in the scene. Disc 2 has HD documentaries and extras.
One graphic documentary involves actual survivors. At the end of this DVD set I felt a
profound sadness. I especially felt it at the end of the actual movie. I would imagine
that any New Yorker seeing it would burst out in tears. So, it might be the kind of
release you watch once and pass on, but you must see it at least that one time.
...Rad Bennett
radb@hometheatersound.com |
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Here is the problem with the movie. Act I is exceptionally
well done, Act III is perfect to the last detail, but Act II is too long and includes too
many bogus CGI shots that look like CGI. The dinosaur stampede, in particular, is
weak. You never sense that the actors and dinos are in the same place but that the actors
are just huffing and puffing in front of a blue screen, and the beasts added in later.
But when Kong delivers, it really delivers. The
"romance" between Kong and Ann Darrow is believable fairy tale stuff and
genuinely heartbreaking. The scenes in New York stun with authenticity. CGI is used well
in these scenes to give us a window on a world long gone. The finale at the top of the
Chrysler Building will have you on the edge of your seat. As redemption for that bogus
dinosaur stampede, the fights between Kong and several Tyrannosaurus Rex are thrilling and
as realistic as CGI can be at this stage of its evolution.
I would give the movie a healthy 3.5. But this is a review
of the DVD and that makes a difference, as just about every scene on the disc is HD
demonstration material. It is one of the very best HD DVDs of the year, as it is so
listed elsewhere in this issue. The picture has all the detail you could want. The
billboards in Times Square in Act III are all legible, though many are quite small. The
hair of Kong’s fur is very realistic. The long pans of Manhattan are so detailed you
feel that you could pinpoint any location, as if you were using a detailed 21st-century
satellite map.
The picture is wonderful, but the sound is flawless. For
some odd reason, Universal did not release Kong with a Dolby TrueHD soundtrack. The
Dolby Digital Plus track is so good I didn’t miss True that much. Those who say that
there isn’t a difference between Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus need to hear
this movie. The big scenes all have oomph and plenty of focused, floor- shaking bass, but
it might be the atmospheric effects that are best. When the cast is in the jungle, you
are in the jungle, when they are in New York, you are in New York. Tiny details
emerge from all over the 360-degree sound field. There is a lot of imaging to the side
where there are no speakers. The first time the party encounters insects on Skull Island I
instinctively slapped my head because the buzzing of one flying wasp was actually at
my left ear. This soundtrack mix is the best I have heard at producing depth.
There are almost no extras. There’s Universal’s
"U Control" feature. When you see the U Control symbol on your screen, you can
flip in some screen commentary on still frames, but that’s it. No commentary, no
trailer, no featurettes. To get those, you have to buy the multiple-disc SD version. But
picture and sound are the big news here. Once you have seen and heard Kong in a
good home theater, you might not ever be happy with SD again. |
