Blu-ray Movie Reviews

A desperate young actress, Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts), and an ambitious and unscrupulous movie producer, Carl Denham (Jack Black), travel to a mysterious jungle island to shoot a film. There they discover an extraordinary lost world and encounter Kong, a gigantic, savage gorilla who becomes enthralled with the leading lady. Their mutual empathy and affection eventually leads to the beast's tragic downfall.

After the success of his Lord of the Rings trilogy, director Peter Jackson could choose whatever he wanted as his next project, and he chose to remake King Kong. I've seen this version three times, and while I enjoy certain aspects of the production, it's too damn long at 187 minutes (or 200 if you choose the extended version available through seamless branching). The character development in the first act is superb, but once the crew arrives on Skull Island, the story takes a backseat to the CGI, which isn't a good thing. The big ape looks fantastic with lifelike facial expressions and impeccable attention to detail, but the stampede scene is a polar opposite and looks wildly unrealistic and fake. When Kong finally makes it to New York, the story picks up the pace and delivers an emotional ending.

King Kong was impressive on HD DVD, and it looks equally good on Blu-ray. The attention to detail is amazing from the intricate hair on Kong to the skyline of New York City. Color saturation is top-notch, especially in the rich tropical jungles of Skull Island and the yellow cabs in the city. Flesh tones are accurate and consistent throughout. In fact, my only complaint is some minor banding in the fog while the ship approaches the island.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack improves an already impressive Dolby Digital Plus track found on the HD DVD. The Oscar-winning sound design utilizes every speaker to its fullest potential. There are numerous demo-worthy scenes to pick from, but the climactic battle is probably the best I've heard on Blu-ray, with the planes and bullets flying seamlessly around the room. When Kong reacts with his patented roar, the thunderous bass shakes the foundation and rattles the windows—wow! The softer passages aren't lost either, with intelligible dialog and encompassing ambience from the hustle and bustle of the city to flying insects in the jungle.

The bonus features include a commentary with director/writer Peter Jackson and co-writer/co-producer Philippa Boyens (extended version only), and two U-Control features. One is a PIP experience with cast and crew interviews and behind-the scenes footage, and the other is a comparison between the concept art and the final result.

Fans of the film clamored for an extended version release on HD DVD but were disappointed with the theatrical version only. This Blu-ray offers the extended version, an impressive video encode, and the best audio track I've heard on Blu-ray. The film is a bit too long for my liking, but the audio is too good to pass up. Recommended.

Release Date: January 20, 2009

Movie: 6/10
Picture: 9/10
Sound: 10/10

Review System

Source
Panasonic DMP-BD55

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo Pro PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 Amplifier
Belkin PF60 power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Acoustical treatments from GIK Acoustics