King Kong is a 2005 epic adventure monster film co-written, produced, and directed by Peter Jackson. It is the eighth entry in the King Kong franchise and the second remake of the 1933 film of the same title, following the 1976 film. The film stars Andy Serkis, Naomi Watts, Jack Black, and Adrien Brody. Set in 1933, it follows the story of an ambitious filmmaker who coerces his cast and hired ship crew to travel to mysterious Skull Island. There, they encounter prehistoric creatures and a legendary giant gorilla known as Kong, whom they capture and take to New York City.
Development for the film began in early 1995, when Jackson was offered by Universal Pictures to direct the remake of the original 1933 film, but stalled the project in early 1997, as several ape and giant monster-related films were under production that time and Jackson planned to direct The Lord of the Rings film series. As the first two films in the trilogy became commercially successful, Universal approached Jackson in early 2003, expressing his interest to restart development on the project, which he eventually agreed. Filming for King Kong took place in New Zealand from September 2004 to March 2005. It is currently one of the most expensive films ever produced as its budget climbed from an initial $150 million to a then-record-breaking $207 million.
King Kong was premiered at New York City on December 5, 2005, and was theatrically released in Germany and United States on December 14. The film garnered mostly positive reviews from critics, and eventually appeared in several top ten lists for 2005; it received praise for the special effects, performances, sense of spectacle and comparison to the 1933 original, though some criticisms were focused on its 3-hour long run time. It was a commercial success, grossing over $562 million and became the fourth-highest-grossing film in Universal Pictures history at that time and the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2005. It also generated $100 million in DVD sales upon its home video release in March 2006. It won three Academy Awards for Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects. A tie-in video game was released alongside the film, which also became a commercial and critical success.
Cast[]
- Andy Serkis as Kong (motion capture), a 25-foot (7.6 m) prehistoric ape who is around 100–150 years old. He is the last of his species, Megaprimatus kong. and the possible descendant of the Chororapithecus.
- Serkis also plays Lumpy, the ship's cook, barber, and surgeon. A brave sailor, he warns Denham about rumors he has heard about Skull Island and Kong.
- Naomi Watts as Ann Darrow, a struggling vaudeville actress who is desperate for work. Carl first meets her when she tries to steal an apple from a fruit stand. Further into the voyage, she falls in love with Jack and forms a special relationship with Kong.
- Jack Black as Carl Denham, a film director who obtained the map to Skull Island. Due to his debts, Carl starts to lose his moral compass and obsesses over his film to the point that he disregards safety.