# What's the pre-buzz on Peter Jackson's "King Kong"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 11, 2005, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-pre-buzz-on-peter-jacksons-king-kong/330607 "2005-11-11T19:19:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-pre-buzz-on-peter-jacksons-king-kong/330607/1 "2005-11-11T19:19:59Z")
I’m not going to register over at “Ain’t it Cool”, which is where I would usually look for uber-early movie talk, so I resort to the good Dopers. Anybody heard any early screening buzz on the quality of this film? I’m a big fan of the original KK, and I have high hopes for this one. Who’s in the know? ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-pre-buzz-on-peter-jacksons-king-kong/330607/2 "2005-11-11T19:25:49Z")
My pulled-out the ass guess is that it has some major flaws. It should have been hyped to death by now through teaser ads alone. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-pre-buzz-on-peter-jacksons-king-kong/330607/3 "2005-11-11T19:26:26Z")
It is 3 hours long (which seems a bit long to me) PJ changed composers at the last minute. the best place for Kong info is [www.kongisking.net](http://www.kongisking.net) I HIGHLY recommend watching the “8 weeks to go” pre-production diary this is some info on a pre-screening: [http://www.infilm.com.au/features/kingkongfirstlook.htm](http://www.infilm.com.au/features/kingkongfirstlook.htm) Brian ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-pre-buzz-on-peter-jacksons-king-kong/330607/4 "2005-11-11T19:26:58Z")
I haven’t heard anything, but if the latest [trailer](http://www.apple.com/trailers/universal/king_kong/) (Quicktime required) is anything to go by, it looks like Jackson has done a hell of a job. I know trailers can be very misleading, but even though I had to watch it on a tiny screen on my computer monitor, I was completely absorbed by it. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-pre-buzz-on-peter-jacksons-king-kong/330607/5 "2005-11-11T19:27:36Z")
_King Kong! You know the name of King Kong You know the fame of King Kong Ten times as big as a man!_ ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-pre-buzz-on-peter-jacksons-king-kong/330607/6 "2005-11-11T19:40:43Z")
I had heard (from a film director/movie-geek friend who follows such things very closely) that one early reviewer’s experience was this: The first 3 hours are OK, kind of boring … then the last 30 minutes will make you weep. So maybe you should just go watch another movie in that building and then (since KK will undoubtedly run longer than that movie) sneak in to see KK in the last 30 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-pre-buzz-on-peter-jacksons-king-kong/330607/7 "2005-11-11T20:19:16Z")
> [@Breakdancing Duck](#): > > 1. The idea that Black’s director character would find his star actress on a fucking street corner in NYC is beyond ludicrous, even for a movie of this type… I take it that you have not seen the original version. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-pre-buzz-on-peter-jacksons-king-kong/330607/8 "2005-11-11T20:22:01Z")
> [@adam yax](#): > > I take it that you have not seen the original version. There are actually people complaining on the IMDB messageboard that there’s a T-rex fight in the movie. Stupid Peter Jackson and his stupid additions to a classic story! ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-pre-buzz-on-peter-jacksons-king-kong/330607/9 "2005-11-11T21:28:38Z")
I feel safe in saying… Jack Black will be the worst part of this movie. And I am saying this as a fan of JAck Black’s film work. He is horribly miscast. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-pre-buzz-on-peter-jacksons-king-kong/330607/10 "2005-11-11T21:44:25Z")
I predict: It’s going to be great, with lots of fun and thrills and heart. The 3+ hours will zoom by and leave people wanting more. Jack Black’s going to be fantastic. The casting is perfect. It will be the biggest money-maker of the year, showing that once again, quality and box-office do sometimes come together. People who hate/are still pissed off at Peter Jackson are going to try and tear down the movie in every way possible. That anyone outside of the studio who says they’ve seen the whole movie is full of shit because it’s not finished yet. Jackson never shows his pictures to outsiders until the premiere. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-pre-buzz-on-peter-jacksons-king-kong/330607/11 "2005-11-11T21:50:02Z")
> [@toadspittle](#): > > . . . one early reviewer’s experience was this: The first 3 hours are OK, kind of boring … Boy, that first three hours will contain the scenes of the “virgin sacrifice”, KK’s first appearance and grabbing of Ann, and battles among dinosaurs, Kong, and hopefully a giant spider. Peter’d really have to screw up if he could make those scenes boring. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-pre-buzz-on-peter-jacksons-king-kong/330607/12 "2005-11-11T22:10:20Z")
I have absolute confidence that Peter Jackson’s _Kong_ will kick ass. I’ve been geeking out over '30s entertainment for a couple of decades now, and everything that I’ve seen so far suggests to me that Jackson has gotten everything “just so.” That’s the important thing, to me. Jack Black miscast? No way. He’s perfect, in every single way that Gwyneth Paltrow wasn’t in _Sky Captain_. (Don’t get me started.) The art direction is nailed, the special effects and production design are flawless. The scripts that I’ve read are totally solid. I will be very surprised if the performance and direction turn out to be disappointing. The 1933 _King Kong_ is a special movie – it (obviously) has major “B” elements, but it’s got more soul than any other “monster” picture. I trust Peter Jackson to hit the right notes to bring out the soul (sorry for the cheese) of this story – what makes it an enduring classic. He turned the trick with LOTR, making what made the series to inspiring to a subset of geeks apparent to the general population, resulting in millions of people going “Oh, _now_ I get it!” Expect the same thing here. People who relate to _King Kong_ through the various remakes or whatever has soaked into their consciousness through cultural osmosis will understand why this movie is still a big deal seventy years later. and be just as gobsmacked as the impoverished folk who previously equated Tolkien with Ralph Bakshi’s interpretations. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-pre-buzz-on-peter-jacksons-king-kong/330607/13 "2005-11-11T22:30:37Z")
**Larry Mudd.** I’m lowering my expectations with the secret hope of being proven very, very wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-pre-buzz-on-peter-jacksons-king-kong/330607/14 "2005-11-11T23:30:11Z")
> [@Push You Down](#): > > I feel safe in saying… Jack Black will be the worst part of this movie. And I am saying this as a fan of JAck Black’s film work. He is horribly miscast. I take it you haven’t seen the original version. He seems absolutely perfect for the part of Carl Denham. ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-pre-buzz-on-peter-jacksons-king-kong/330607/15 "2005-11-11T23:33:42Z")
> [@Larry Mudd](#): > > People who relate to _King Kong_ through the various remakes or whatever has soaked into their consciousness through cultural osmosis will understand why this movie is still a big deal seventy years later. and be just as gobsmacked as the impoverished folk who previously equated Tolkien with Ralph Bakshi’s interpretations. “When Bakshi’s Balrog die, nobody cry. But when \*my \* Balrog die, everyone cry.” ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-pre-buzz-on-peter-jacksons-king-kong/330607/16 "2005-11-11T23:35:23Z")
I have a hard time believing (a) it can achieve the simple magic and majesty of the first one, or (b) it could possibly be any worse than the second. As long as it’s fun and not stupid, I’ll be fine. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-pre-buzz-on-peter-jacksons-king-kong/330607/17 "2005-11-11T23:49:55Z")
The trailer looks great. That snippet of Kong on the ESB, leaping and swatting a helicopter is awesome. To me three hours makes it more attractive, not less and we know that PJ knows how to direct a big budged SFX film while still telling a compelling story with real heart and emotional payoff. The most memorable moments from the LOTR movie are not the effects but are earned from the characters and the story (what had more effect on you, the giant elephants in the battle scene or “My friends, you bow to no one?”) The original King Kong is reportedly Peter Jackson’s favorite movie and his dream project. I’m very optimistic about this project and I’m usually as cynical as it gets about these CGI blockbusters. What I’ve seen in the trailers has not disappointed me. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-pre-buzz-on-peter-jacksons-king-kong/330607/18 "2005-11-11T23:50:32Z")
> [@Breakdancing Duck](#): > > 1. The idea that Black’s director character would find his star actress on a fucking street corner in NYC is beyond ludicrous, even for a movie of this type. That kind of thing could never [happen in real life](http://www.nndb.com/people/489/000022423/)😉 ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-pre-buzz-on-peter-jacksons-king-kong/330607/19 "2005-11-12T00:12:57Z")
> [@Breakdancing Duck](#): > > The idea that Black’s director character would find his star actress on a fucking street corner in NYC is beyond ludicrous, even for a movie of this type. Dude, its a movie about a giant monkey who fights dinosaurs. Where the director discovers his actress is the least unrealistic thing about it. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-pre-buzz-on-peter-jacksons-king-kong/330607/20 "2005-11-12T00:25:26Z")
If you disliked _Lord of the Rings_, you will not like _Kong_. If you loved _Lord of the Rings_, you will love _Kong_. If you were initially very skeptical about _Lord of the Rings_, until you saw it and then you changed your mind around completely, and you are currently skeptical about _Kong_, then you will have your mind changed again. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-pre-buzz-on-peter-jacksons-king-kong/330607.md?page=2)