King Kong
We went to see King Kong on Wednesday – and let me just say it is an amazingly good movie. Not as good as Polar Express – but very close – it is a different genre after all. Now let me say that I have a history with this movie. When I was little, my mom took Jodi, Jason and I to see the version of King Kong with Jessica Lange and Jeff Bridges. And I thought (and still think) that it is a good movie – though I haven’t seen it in quite some time and will have to rent it and watch it with Elijah soon. I distinctly remember that I cried at the end. I didn’t think it was right or fair that King Kong was killed by the men. I mean, he didn’t ask to come to the city. He was just being an ape – that was what he was – and man came to him, and caged him and moved him. And when he got out, they killed him. I was sobbing at the end of the movie. I also remember that my mom consoled me by saying that it wasn’t real blood but cherry syrup on King Kong. He wasn’t really dead, but acting. In retrospect, I have thought it a bit odd that she didn’t tell me that King Kong wasn’t real, but a robot – but instead that he was merely pretending to be dead, not really dead. And I suppose, I prefer keeping the belief that he was real and not really dead. Anyway, this movie makes all those feelings come right back.
On the island, King Kong fights dinosaurs (our original pull to the movie). But there are also really big, creepy, icky, squirmy bugs – and bunches of them. Enough of them that if RAID hadn’t been invented, you’d want it invented automatically -- And there’s King Kong and Ann. King Kong is such a wonderful person for a gorilla. You like him, understand that he’s just being the monkey that he is and can’t help himself. And when he climbs up the building whose name I have just forgotten in New York, you just want him to get down and find a better place to stay. As soon as the planes appeared, the tears started rolling. And by the end of the movie, I hated Mr. Denham who wanted to make money, and every person in New York who wanted him dead. Hell, in Jurassic Park 2 they just recaptured the t-rex and took him back to the island – and the t-rex does not evoke one single tender emotion at all – just fear and awe. But King Kong – can they take him back – no, no, no – King Kong they have to kill. I still wish he could have at least landed on Mr. Denham.
Anyway, if you haven’t seen, I would highly recommend it. It was a very good movie – one to see more than once, and one to buy when it comes out on DVD -
