King Kong (2005)

There's a moment in Peter Jackson's King Kong where the big ape and Ann Darrow watch the sun set over a frozen Central Park, and it's genuinely beautiful. Tender, strange, and earned. It's exactly the kind of moment that reminds you why this film exists, and why Jackson so desperately wanted to make it. The tragedy is that you have to wade through about forty minutes of dinosaurs piling on top of each other to get there.

This is a film I find genuinely difficult to rate, because it contains some of the most impressive creature work ever put on screen and also some of the most exhausting action sequences I've sat through. Andy Serkis's motion-capture performance as Kong is extraordinary. I don't say that lightly. There's real feeling in those eyes, real weight in the way Kong moves and reacts, and the bond that forms between him and Naomi Watts is surprisingly affecting. Watts herself is excellent throughout, bringing warmth and intelligence to a role that could easily have been window dressing. When the film trusts those two, it sings.

Peter Jackson's love for the 1930s original is written all over every frame. The period detail in New York is gorgeous, the score draws beautifully on Max Steiner's classic work, and Skull Island is a genuinely nightmarish creation: bioluminescent jungles, ancient ruins, and creatures that feel like they belong somewhere between a fever dream and a natural history museum. As a technical achievement, it's staggering. For sheer spectacle and craft, I'd put it right up there with the best of Jackson's output, and given that The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) exists, that's saying something.

But here's the problem: Jackson can't stop himself. The Tyrannosaurus chase sequence goes on and on and then on a bit more, until what started as exciting becomes almost comedic in its excess. The pile-up of set pieces in the middle of the film drains tension rather than building it. By the time things should be reaching a fever pitch, I was checking how much runtime was left. That's not a good sign.

Jack Black is another issue. He's not terrible, exactly, but his Carl Denham lurches between charismatic showman and raving lunatic without ever quite convincing me he's a real person. The supporting human cast are mostly there to get eaten or look worried, and beyond Watts, none of them make much of an impression. The emotional throughline is Kong and Ann, which is fine when the film commits to it, but the bloated runtime means you're frequently yanked away from what actually works and dumped back into another action sequence that didn't need to be there.

It's a familiar Jackson problem, honestly. I have enormous affection for his ambition, but ambition without restraint eventually collapses under its own weight. You can see the same pattern across his later work, and if you've read my thoughts on The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014), you'll know this isn't an isolated incident. When Jackson trusts his story and his characters, he's one of the best. When he trusts his special effects budget instead, the cracks start to show.

What you're left with is a film that's beautiful, bold, and technically brilliant, but also about forty-five minutes too long and emotionally uneven in ways that matter. The moments that work really work. Kong's death still lands. The sunset on the ice still lands. Watts's performance throughout is something worth seeing. But the film surrounding those moments drags badly enough that I couldn't in good conscience call it a great film, only a great film hiding inside a longer, less disciplined one.

Two and a half stars. Worth watching, absolutely, but maybe have the remote nearby.

Rating: ★★½  | Year: 2005  | Watched: 2025-10-28

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Where to watch

Watch in the UK
Stream: Amazon Prime Video · Disney Plus · Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi

Watch in the US
Stream: Netflix · Netflix Standard with Ads
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Physical: Amazon US

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Related on Movies With Macca

More from Peter Jackson: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014) · The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) · The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) · The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
More from New Zealand: What We Do in the Shadows (2014) · Mortal Engines (2018) · 'Aho'eitu (2015) · Atoll People (1970)
More from the 2000s: Kirikou and the Wild Beasts (2005) · Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) · Daredevil (2003) · Apocalypto (2006)
More adventure: Alice in Wonderland (1951) · The Eagle (1925) · Louisiana Story (1948) · The General (1926)
More drama: Viy (1967) · Wonder (2017) · A Better Tomorrow (1986) · Beautiful Boy (2018)