‘King Kong’ big on effects, but not on storytelling

The special effects in “King Kong” take computer-animated graphics to the next level. Animals, bugs and humans interact with each other in terrifying and funny ways. The 50-foot ape, however, is the film’s biggest attraction.

Kong knows he is the king of the jungle. His every action confirms his self-perception, from beating his tight, rippling chest to ward off his enemies to engaging in battle even when outnumbered. Kong is also semi-enlightened, enjoying his daily routine of kicking back and admiring the sunset and being entertained by a vaudeville comedy dance routine. Seeing that the silverback has feelings and a sense of humor humanizes Kong, letting audiences identify and root for him. With the majority of the three-hour film dedicated to specials effects, there is little space left over for character development, and the story line ultimately gets stretched too thin.

New York during the Depression is as much a jungle as the one the handful of characters travel to. Everyone fights to survive. Out-of-work stage performer Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) and playwright Jack Dillion (Adrian Brody) trek all over the city looking for work, food and money to pay the rent.

Carl Denham (Jack Black) is also broke, but at least he’s working as a film director. His latest film in the works, however, is on the verge of being killed off by the studio’s production team. To avoid being fired, Carl flees their offices and the island of New York, shipping out to Skull Island, taking Ann, Jack and a host of others along to help finish making his movie. Seeing King Kong in the jungle, however, makes Carl see dollars signs. He hatches the grandiose scheme of capturing then marketing the ape as the eighth wonder of the world to gullible masses of ticket-buying curiosity seekers back in America. What he forgets to figure into his get-rich-quick scam is the price he and the ship’s crew will have to pay to snare Kong.

Deadly obstacles stand between them and the beast. The natives kidnap Ann, serving her up as a midnight snack for Kong in lieu of serving up one of their own. As Ann finds clever ways to keep Kong from killing her, the crew sets out to rescue her and capture Kong. They encounter pint-sized natives, huge spiders, friendly and not-so-friendly dinosaurs, along with humongous flying bats.

The special effects during the man versus oversized beasts and bug scenes are eye-popping entertainment and scary fun. However, the multiple fight and flight scenes ultimately fail to merge with the story line in a fluid manner. For example, the natives, insects and animals attack the crew as they make their way into the island to rescue Ann but magically disappear as the crew makes its escape. In one scene, the overgrown predators shift from attacking Ann and Jack to helping them safely get away. Once safely home, Carl, Ann, Jack and Kong face far greater dangers than they left behind on Skull Island.

Jack Black tackles the role of the super-sized egomaniacal film director with his signature rambunctious bad-boy antics. He flashes his eyebrows and uses a winning smile as a means of cajoling others to help him in his hair-brained schemes. Although Black is receiving the most publicity in the studio’s efforts to attract viewers, it’s actually the beauty captured by the beast that stands out as the most memorable character in the film. The key to making Kong human rests on Naomi Watts. She uses facial expressions along with ear-piercing screams to express her range of feelings for her captor. Her emotions move from terror to desperation to awe and finally love. Her ability to convey her feelings allows the audience to see the gentler side to Kong before the inevitable tragic turns of events expresses his darker side.

“King Kong” is a nostalgic story complete with melodrama, lots of forewarning of impending doom, cliffhangers and romance. The action adventure is also a tragedy steeped in violence and countless deaths that are a tad more numerous and graphic than previous PG-13 films. “King Kong” is a must-see for fans of special effects movies, providing them something new. Fans of costume period pieces will enjoy the film because they are treated to something old and familiar. “King Kong” is one of those rare movies that works best on the big screen at your local theater.

* PEGGY J. ROGERS produces commercial videos and documentaries.

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