King Kong

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King Kong

PG-13

Released Dec 14, 2005

3h 7m

Adventure

Action

Fantasy

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Popcornmeter

84%

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266 Reviews

50%

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250,000+ Ratings

Peter Jackson's expansive remake of the 1933 classic follows director Carl Denham (Jack Black) and his crew on a journey from New York City to the ominous Skull Island to film a new movie. Accompanying him are playwright Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody) and actress Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts), who is whisked away by the monstrous ape, Kong, after they reach the island. The crew encounters dinosaurs and other creatures as they race to rescue Ann, while the actress forms a bond with her simian captor.

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Critics Consensus

Featuring state-of-the-art special effects, terrific performances, and a majestic sense of spectacle, Peter Jackson's remake of King Kong is a potent epic that's faithful to the spirit of the 1933 original.

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Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

It clocks in at over three hours, but Peter Jackson's remake of the 1933 classic is gripping nonetheless.

May 29, 2011

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David Ansen

Newsweek

Kong is a showy, state-of-the-art popcorn movie, faithful to the spirit of the 1933 original but generously adrenalized with the best effects money can buy.

Nov 1, 2007

Full Review

Kim Newman

Sight & Sound

Despite admirable chest thumping and Watts' wonderfully enhanced scream, there is still only one true king.

Sep 28, 2006

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Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

Peter Jackson draws on the original 1933 classic in his 2005 remake of King Kong and the film is every bit the epic that one would expect.

Rated: 4.5/5

Sep 27, 2023

Full Review

Arnold Wayne Jones

Texas Triangle/TXT

The visual effects are glorious -- a circus of cliffhanging suspense sequences that go on and on and on. But rather than just padding the story with gummy exposition and silly action, Jackson delves deeply into the psychology of the characters.

Rated: 3.5/4

May 7, 2023

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

... an old-fashioned monster movie/jungle thriller pushed to the limits with new technology by a filmmaker with both the skill and the heart to recapture the thrills of his adolescent moviehouse dreams.

Jan 7, 2023

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Josh D

This is the best King Kong movie to date (meaning 2005) and a better Jurassic Park movie than most of the Jurassic Park movies. I’ve always found Skull Island to be the most interesting part of the King Kong story, and this movie delivers. The island itself is interesting, dangerous, and full of life. They did a great job creating its atmosphere. The characters in this movie are a huge improvement over previous iterations. Denham, Anne, Jack, and even Kong are way more fleshed out than they have been previously. All of the actors bring their A-game, and this is arguably Jack Black’s best role. Visually, this movie is stunning, with an incredible soundtrack to back it up. While the effects have aged some now, Kong himself looks incredible for the time. The movie wasn’t perfect. For one, it has an over three hour runtime. For the most part, it uses that time well, but during the last hour I really started to feel how long the movie was. The movie also really loves really cheesy slow motion. If they cut that out, I’m convinced the movie could have been closer to 2.5 hours. Also, the Skull Island natives feel *less* offensive than the earlier renditions, but they’re still not great. Overall, This is the best take on the classic King Kong story out there. If you have enough time to kill, it is definitely worth the watch.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/01/25

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Mitchell S

I have much respect for Peter Jackson in remaking his favorite movie. The effects are really cool, but they had a little too much of a field day with making it creepy. That 10 minute scene with the bugs lost it a lot of points in my book. It's worth at least one watch, but I prefer Kong: Skull Island.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/28/25

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TROY S

“King Kong” is a magnificent entertainment. It is like the flowering of all the possibilities in the original classic film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/08/25

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This Old G

Technically dazzling but way too long and a lot of overkill. Could have cut about 40 minutes off this movie. It's a typical example of how Peter Jackson over indulges.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/04/25

Full Review

David S

Very well made and entertaining. Interesting perspective was the natives living in fear of large beasts on the island....leads one to draw the conclusion what life would have been like had God allowed the dinosaurs to exist among us.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/26/25

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Bobby B

It honours the original with great characters but dodgy cgi.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/16/25

Full Review

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Peter Jackson

Director

Naomi Watts

Ann Darrow

Jack Black

Carl Denham

Adrien Brody

Jack Driscoll

Andy Serkis

King Kong

Jamie Bell

Jimmy

King Kong: Official Clip - Giant Bug Attack

2:57

King Kong: Official Clip - Human Sacrifice

2:59

King Kong: Official Clip - Dinosaur Stampede

2:56

King Kong: Official Movie Clip - Kong Battles the T-Rexes

2:57

King Kong: Official Clip - Kong's Rampage

2:54

King Kong: Official Clip - Climbing the Empire State Building

2:17

King Kong: Official Clip - The Fall of Kong

1:45

King Kong: Official Clip - Kong Rescues Ann

1:42

King Kong: Official Clip - Ice Skating in Central Park

1:34

King Kong: Official Clip - Kong Battles the Airplanes

2:39

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Synopsis

Peter Jackson's expansive remake of the 1933 classic follows director Carl Denham (Jack Black) and his crew on a journey from New York City to the ominous Skull Island to film a new movie. Accompanying him are playwright Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody) and actress Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts), who is whisked away by the monstrous ape, Kong, after they reach the island. The crew encounters dinosaurs and other creatures as they race to rescue Ann, while the actress forms a bond with her simian captor.

Director: Peter Jackson
Producer: Jan Blenkin, Carolynne Cunningham, Fran Walsh
Screenwriter: Merian C. Cooper, Edgar Wallace, Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson, Philippa Boyens
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Universal Pictures
Rating: PG-13 (Some Disturbing Images|Frightening Adventure Violence)
Genre: Adventure, Action, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 14, 2005, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 1, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $218.1M
Runtime: 3h 7m
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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