Does the 2005 King Kong remake hold up?

Let’s find out:

So we start off by meeting Ann Darrow (a fantastic Naomi Watts), and…

The writing and Watts’ acting makes Ann more than a screaming damsel-in-distress in this one. Plus, Ann’s relationship with King Kong gets more development.

We then meet Carl Denham (a fun Jack Black). Ann is going to be in Carl’s movie. Jack Driscoll (a fantastic Adrien Brody) is writing the movie, and…

Jack is definitely an improvement on John Driscoll in the original King Kong. John was a misogynist.

Bruce Baxter (a fun Kyle Chandler, essentially playing a live-action version of Gaston from Beauty and the Beast) is in Carl’s movie. 

Carl’s movie is partially filming on the SS Venture. Captain Englehorn (Thomas Kretschmann) is the captain of the SS Venture. People believe that Carl wants to film in Singapore; but, he is really filming on Skull Island. Ann and Jack become a couple. 

Anyway, the group makes it to Skull Island. Natives off Mike (Craig Hall). The natives sacrifice Ann to King Kong and Carl becomes obsessed with King Kong. 

Englehorn, Hayes (Evan Parke), Carl, Jack, Baxter, Herb (John Sumner), Preston (Colin Hanks) and Jimmy (who is Hayes’ surrogate son) (Jamie Bell) look for Ann. The group gets entangled with some dinosaurs and Herb gets offed. Baxter soon has enough of this. While this is going on, Ann bonds with Kong.

Kong goes after the group and Hayes is offed. Kong rescues Ann from some dinosaurs. The group ends up doing battle with Jeff Goldblum from The Fly; but, Englehorn and Baxter save Carl, Jack, Preston and Jimmy. Jack finds Ann, he (narrowly) escapes with her and Carl uses chloroform to subdue Kong and take him back to New York.

Time passes. Carl is holding a Kong-starring show in New York City during the winter. Baxter and an Ann impersonator are in the show. Kong gets irritated by the cameras and he escapes. 

Empire State Building time!

Planes shoot down Kong, Kong dies, Ann and Jack reconcile, Carl delivers the famous line and he (Carl) goes home to re-examine his priorities.

King Kong is an excellent remake; but, it is slightly on the long side.

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