DVD 

Review
Available now!

From 20th Century Fox

Home Entertainment

Movie

I had missed King Kong when it was in the theaters.  I also missed it when it first came out on DVD.  After watching the extended edition, I am really mad at myself for waiting so long.  I have been a huge fan of Peter Jackson since the Frightners.  A lot of people have critized this movie for being too long.  I loved every minute of it.  The special effects were mind blowing.  I never watched the original King Kong, but now I am going to go out and pick up that DVD up as well.  For those of you who don’t know, the movie is about a film maker Carl Denham (Jack Black) who is not doing well with his movies.  He comes into possession of a map that leads to a mysterious island.  He plans to shoot his movie there.  What he does not plan is that the island is inhabited and savages kidnap his leading lady and offer her as a sacrifice to a giant Gorilla named King Kong.  King Kong actually ends up emotionally attached to Naomi Watts character and protects her from the other creatures on the island.  Once the film that Carl Denham had been shooting gets ruined, he decides to capture Kong and bring him back to New York .  As I am sure you can guess that does not turn out well.  I loved the movie, wished it could go on longer and I am definitely recommending it.

9 out of 10

Video

The video looks spectacular.  The movie is presented in a 2:35:1 aspect ratio.  I have to say it looks fantastic.  The movie is spanned over two discs, which definitely keeps the bitrate up. Colours come across rich and vibrant, sucking you deeper into Kong’s world.  The lush tropical jungle that is Skull Island looks fantastic.  You would be hard pressed to find a better looking dvd this year.

10 out of 10

Audio

Again I have nothing but good things to say about the Dolby Digital 5.1 track presented here.  When Kong roars so do your speakers.  Dialogue comes across nice and clear and every little sound you would expect to hear in the jungle fades into the background, making you truly believe you are there.  It is a near reference quality disc.

9 out of 10

Extras

  • Disc One
    • Anamorphic widescreen presentation (2.35:1) of the Extended Edition of King Kong (Part One)
    • Audio commentary by Peter Jackson and Philippa Boyens
    • Deleted scenes
    • Featurette: "The Eighth Blunder of the World"
    • Featurette: "A Night in Vaudeville"
    • Featurette: "King Kong Homage"
    • The Missing Production Diary: "Production Day #59"

  • Disc Two
    • Anamorphic widescreen presentation (2.35:1) of the Extended Edition of King Kong (Part Two)
    • Audio commentary by Peter Jackson and Philippa Boyens
    • Pre-Visualization Animatics
    • Short film: "The Present"
    • Trailers
    • Weta Collectibles
    • DVD-ROM: 1996 & 2005 scripts for King Kong

  • Disc Three
    • Introduction by Peter Jackson
    • Documentary: "Recreating The Eighth Wonder: The Making of King Kong"
    • Conceptual Design Video Galleries

As you can see there is a lot of material.  On disc one Peter Jackson does not disappoint with what is a very informative commentary.  The Eighth Blunder of the World” is not your typical blooper reel.  This one is much funnier.  The Missing Production Diary is a lot of fun, and you can tell the actors had a great time making it.  King Kong Homage, details how they used some of the dialogue from the 1933 movie in this version.  A Night in Vaudeville is basically more of what you see at the beginning of the movie.

On disc two you have the pre-vis and a short film that was shot for Peter’s birthday.  Also you have three trailers for the film and a feature on some of the collectibles Weta workshop made.  Plus you have access to the scripts for 1996 and 2005 on your computer.

Disc 3 was my favorite as it has a 3 hour long documentary on the making of King Kong.  I absolutely loved this, and it takes you behind everything imaginable.  Like the making of the miniatures in the film, to creating King Kong, to the everyday stuff that happens on set.  Lastly you have the conceptual design video galleries, which is basically artwork set to the sounds of the soundtrack.  It will take you awhile to get through all this material, but it is so worth it.

10 out of 10

Overall

If you haven’t seen the film yet, you must watch this DVD.  I think it’s the best DVD I have reviewed this year.  It has some of the most incredible special effects you will see in a film, plus some of the greatest behind the scenes footage. 

9.5 out 10

Definitely Recommended