Blu-ray Movie Reviews

A desperate young actress, Ann Darrow (Fay Wray), and an ambitious and unscrupulous movie producer, Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong), 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.

Released at the height of the Great Depression, King Kong wowed packed movie houses across the country due to the vision of Merian C. Cooper with help from Hollywood legend David O. Selznick. Not only did the film mainstream the use of stop-motion animation it also revolutionized how a score became an integral part of the story.

Video Highlights

• VC-1/1080p encode on a BD-25 disc
• 1.37:1 aspect ratio
• Clean print
• Consistent contrast
• Adequate, but inconsistent detail
• Preserved grain

Audio Highlights

• DTS-HD MA 1.0 soundtrack
• Mostly intelligible dialog
• Steiner's score has never sounded better
• Limited dynamics

Given Warner's track record of restoration, I went into Kong with high expectations and was relatively pleased. Black levels are mostly inky but fine detail wavers from scene to scene. The audio track is limited to a mono but is faithful to the source material and offers decent dynamics.

Bonus Materials

• Feature Commentary by Ray Harryhausen and Ken Ralston with interview excerpts by Merian C. Cooper and Fay Wray
• I'm King Kong! The Exploits of Merian C. Cooper
• 7-Part Documentary RKP Production 601: The Making of Kong, The Eighth Wonder of the World
• Original Creation test footage with Ray Harryhausen commentary (HD)
• The Lost Spider Pit sequence (HD)
• Theatrical Trailer
• Digibook packaging

Although the special effects don't translate well to the 21st Century, Willis O'Brien's cutting edge stop-motion thrilled 1930s audiences and allowed them to suspend belief for 104 minutes from the agony of the Great Depression. While Peter Jackson's remake humanized the giant gorilla he failed to capture the adventure and romance of the original and is why I'll always prefer the original.

Release Date: September 28, 2010
Studio: Warner

Movie: 8/10
Picture: 7/10
Sound: 7/10

Review System

Source
Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player

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

Electronics
Onkyo Pro PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Panamax M5400PM 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