KING KONG (2005, 1933) Kicks keister

As a kid, I was awed by the 1933 version. As an adult, I’m amused by how primitive it looks today, though still fun to watch. But the latest KING KONG gives me back my awwwwww - at least for the special effects. Naomi Watts is in full wattage, but Jack Black is a dark smudge on otherwise pretty bright casting. The real star of the show of course is Kong, the biggest, toughest, and most emotive ape you ever saw on the screen. The first third of the movie is glacially low, and the love connection between ape and girl is weird and slightly icky. But the action sequences - and there are lots - are magnificently conceived and beyond exciting. (Trivia note: In the Atlanta burning scene in GONE WITH THE WIND, part of what's burning is the pair of giant gates through which we first see Kong in the original version.)