Henry's Asylum

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I had the opportunity to go see “King Kong”, last Sunday. Let me just say this – it’s a BIG movie. “Lord of the Rings” big. Which is understandable, since both were directed by Peter Jackson. There was a lot of initial speculation as to whether or not it was a wise decision to re-make a classic. But I can honestly say that it needed to be done. It was so breathtaking, that afterwards, I mentioned to my wife that “this is how the audience must have felt back in the 30’s when they saw the original”. First of all, there were hardly any missteps which is incredible for a film that’s nearly three hours long. It was also a stroke of genius to devote a sizable section of the film to character development. Every time one of the characters died, you really felt it as opposed to the “cannon fodder” approach that was taken in the original. The special effects were nothing short of “stunning”. The battle between Kong and the T-Rex’s as they’re falling though the vines (with Ann Darrow hanging on for dear life) was jaw dropping. The depiction of the natives sent chills up my spine as opposed to the ridiculous racist caricatures from the original. You may notice, that in a clever twist, the original native types are depicted in the later stage show. That actually made me laugh. All in all, a visual, technical and emotional masterpiece that should be viewed on the big screen, if you have the opportunity. Don’t miss it.

posted by hbrennan @ 11:25 AM