King Kong Reviews

maquiladora

First two reviews from AICN :

#1

If there is one thing this film should teach all of us is that there is no filmmaker alive better than Peter Jackson at giving us jaw-dropping moments. Not Lucas, not even Spielberg. The world he brings to life in this 3-hour epic labor of love is a true marvel.

#2

This is a film that lives up the hype and does establish Jackson in elite company. Jackson may have acheived more with this than the Rings trilogy. Wouldn't it be something if Jackson could get a B-monster movie Best Picture of the Year.

Daily Mail :

A picture I can only describe as jaw-droppingly brilliant: the most entertaining blockbuster movie this year.

Newsweek :

A surprisingly tender, even heartbreaking, film.

aidan_walsh

You're the guy who puts the quotes on the movie posters, aren't you?

maquiladora

aidan_walsh wrote:

You're the guy who puts the quotes on the movie posters, aren't you?

"Excellent. Yes - thats's who I am." - Maquiladora, ****

Tusky

Excellent..I was really really hoping that this would be good.

Supercell

Tusky wrote:

Excellent..I was really really hoping that this would be good.

Me too, eagerly waiting to watch this in the cinema!

Vokes

AintItCoolNews, Daily Mail, Newsweek.......meh.

Think I'll wait for Irish Times, Sunday Times and fellow boardster reviews.

KdjaCL

SofaKing wrote:

AintItCoolNews, Daily Mail, Newsweek.......meh.

Think I'll wait for Irish Times, Sunday Times and fellow boardster reviews.

It has a 50 foot monkey...... how can it be bad?


kdjac

i reckon it will be the best movie of the year

maquiladora

SofaKing wrote:

AintItCoolNews, Daily Mail, Newsweek.......meh.

Think I'll wait for Irish Times, Sunday Times and fellow boardster reviews.

*whistles* Wow, snobbery alert. Well Giles Hattersley wrote a long article for the The Sunday Times recently, and after seeing only a rough print of the film with unfinished effects, had this to say :

The work is extraordinary, promising to do for apes what Spielberg did for dinosaurs.

Vokes

Well, if Gilesy liked it, then its good enough for me

ShiverinEskimo

KdjaC wrote:

It has a 50 foot monkey...... how can it be bad?


kdjac

Now YOU should be the dude coming up with the poster slogans!!

Placebo

release date people ? is it 12th dec ?
i hope its good !

segadreamcast

15th I believe.

I get to see it on the 8th though - I'll be sure to share my verdict really looking forward to this... but AICN's review, in fairness, is being blatantly sycophantic towards Peter Jackson...probably because they're giant LotR fanboys/nerds there.

I'll be looking forward to what Empire says...

Tusky

NoelRock wrote:

15th I believe.

I get to see it on the 8th though - I'll be sure to share my verdict really looking forward to this... but AICN's review, in fairness, is being blatantly sycophantic towards Peter Jackson...probably because they're giant LotR fanboys/nerds there.

I'll be looking forward to what Empire says...

Why ? Empire give terrible reviews. Everything gets a 4.

segadreamcast

Tusky wrote:

Why ? Empire give terrible reviews. Everything gets a 4.

That's rubbish. Truly good movies get 5's...i.e. Brokeback Mountain.

I prefer it to the policy of other publications, which work within the rules of giving at least one movie a 5 every week/month.

maquiladora

The Dominion Post arts editor Tom Cardy, after previewing King Kong :

Jackson has done the impossible – he's made a film that's better than Lord of the Rings.

segadreamcast

maquiladora wrote:

The Dominion Post arts editor Tom Cardy, after previewing King Kong :

Ah of course, West Virginia's number three newspaper, the dominion post... :v: to be perfectly honest, I'd say he might've been swayed by...you know... getting this super-early preview of the movie. I don't mean to be too negative, I just hate people overhyping something like this; it ends up leading to overexpectations and - eventually - a disappointed public.

KdjaCL

NoelRock wrote:

Ah of course, West Virginia's number three newspaper, the dominion post... :v: to be perfectly honest, I'd say he might've been swayed by...you know... getting this super-early preview of the movie. I don't mean to be too negative, I just hate people overhyping something like this; it ends up leading to overexpectations and - eventually - a disappointed public.

Big monkey, big screen what more do you want for €7.50 ?
An Oscar for the monkey or Best Actress for teh T Rex

Its a big budget movie about a monkey, hardly one to need to read a review about.


kdjac

maquiladora

NoelRock wrote:

Ah of course, West Virginia's number three newspaper, the dominion post... :v: to be perfectly honest, I'd say he might've been swayed by...you know... getting this super-early preview of the movie. I don't mean to be too negative, I just hate people overhyping something like this; it ends up leading to overexpectations and - eventually - a disappointed public.

It's actually a New Zealand newspaper (bias alert), but still its healthy is hear positive reactions. And there is nothing "super-early" about seeing a film the day before its premiere, tomorrow.
I'm certainly looking forward to the film, I have been for over a year, but I do not buy into hype, I'm just simply relaying capsules from the few reviews that are around at the moment for the benefit of anyone curious as to whether it will be a disaster or worth going to see.

Elessar

I'm delighted this film is impressing the reviewers.

I'm heading to the press screening on Thursday, cant wait!

Might even post a review if I get around to it.

segadreamcast

KdjaC wrote:

Big monkey, big screen what more do you want for €7.50 ?
An Oscar for the monkey or Best Actress for teh T Rex

Its a big budget movie about a monkey, hardly one to need to read a review about.


kdjac

Opinions like this allow moviemakers to get away with 'The Day After Tomorrow'. "its a big wave - what more could you ask for?!?!?!?!?! !!!"

It's from New Zealand actually

Apologies. Didn't think there'd be more than one 'Dominion Post'...! And yeah, I would consider today's review to be a bit early, considering the U.S. press screenings are only happening today/tomorrow...

Cinematical.com have hit the nail on the head:

2nd King Kong review 1st to use bad gorilla metaphors

Posted Dec 2, 2005, 10:32 AM ET by Karina Longworth
Filed under: Peter Jackson, Remakes and Sequels, Critical Thought & Trends, Newsstand, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
kingkong.jpgEarlier this week, the first "review" of Peter Jackson's King Kong hit the web, in the form of a pay-for-play puff piece by Devin Gordon of Newsweek. The second review of the film, courtesy of The Daily Mail, is essentially exactly what you'd expect from a tabloid take on a major cultural event: lots of production trivia ("The Kong busts took a long time to make. Just punching in the 40,000 yak hairs took three and a half weeks for each one") crap analogies ("Jackson opens his movie with Al Jolson singing "I'm Sitting On Top Of The World". And that's where the director is - with the competition far, far below") and a few cringingly awful turns of phrase ("King Kong truly is an 8,000lb gorilla of a movie"). In short: another empty rave. When's someone going to step up and take this film seriously? We see the film on Monday, but for the sake of the state of criticism, I hope someone beats us to it.

sprinkles

Really looking forward to this one. PJ brought an amazing world to life in LOTR , soemthing that was thought impossible and look how it turned out. Only the hardcore LORT fanboys could find real fault and his work on this seems to have continued int he same vein. I played the game and the scenery looked really amazing, then I took a look at the trailer and it looks like he's gone and done it again.

"And the best actor award goes to ............KONG!!!"

p~b

i have a feeling kong will get the lifetime achievement award at the mtv movie awards this year

Tusky

NoelRock wrote:

That's rubbish. Truly good movies get 5's...i.e. Brokeback Mountain.

I prefer it to the policy of other publications, which work within the rules of giving at least one movie a 5 every week/month.

Empire is good if you think of the reviews as 'how much you will enjoy a movie" rather than how good the movie actually is. Alot of the time, its way off the mark imo.

RuggieBear

NoelRock wrote:

That's rubbish. Truly good movies get 5's...i.e. Brokeback Mountain.

I prefer it to the policy of other publications, which work within the rules of giving at least one movie a 5 every week/month.

Tbh, I have to agree with Tusky. Not one film in Empire gets less than 3 stars. Anyway i'm sure the gay cowboy film will be really good too.

I'm actually not looking forward to King Kong that much. I want an action movie not some sort of Great Ape melodrama weepy.;)

Kingp35

I for one have been waiting for this movie for a long time. I am a huge fan f the original and have been ever since I saw it when I was about 7. THought Kong was the coolest thing in the world.

I was delighted when I heard the great PJ would be doing a remake and the trailers look fantastic. To be honest I dont really care about reviews I only care what I think about the movie.

First The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe and then King Kong, a great 2 weeks for movies

maquiladora

Alright so want you to discredit NZ newspapers and the earlier Newsweek "review" and the fan reviews from AICN. The fine.

Here is today's 5 star review from The Times of London, by Kevin Maher :

That Jackson’s King Kong upgrades the now hammy original with wit, heart and humour is a pleasant surprise. That it does so by reinventing the action blockbuster, in form and emotional impact, is nothing less than an act of cinematic alchemy.

....

What we are left with is an outstanding film imbued with childlike wonder, both at the mysteries of human intimacy and at the seemingly limitless possibilities of the medium.

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,14936-1904842,00.html#startcontent

qz

Oh God I can't wait to see this. I'm pretty pissed though that I can't see it on the 15th - big long dentist appointment.



But maybe I'll see it at nighttime......... qz you genius!

maquiladora

NoelRock wrote:

Apologies. Didn't think there'd be more than one 'Dominion Post'...! And yeah, I would consider today's review to be a bit early, considering the U.S. press screenings are only happening today/tomorrow...

Dear oh dear, you seem to be in a habit of getting your facts wrong.
The first press screening was held last Wednesday in New York where over 100 reporters and critics were invited :

If moviegoers respond as positively to the film as the press did Wednesday night following its world-premiere screening here

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1133477415685&call_pageid=968867495754&col=969483191630

feckidyparp

This thread is gas. you can spot the artsy fartsy and the smash em up folk a mile away. I am the latter. KOOOOOOOONNNNNNNGGGG.

Sangre

Tusky wrote:

Empire is good if you think of the reviews as 'how much you will enjoy a movie" rather than how good the movie actually is. Alot of the time, its way off the mark imo.

Is there a difference?