King Kong 

A scoundrel filmmaker, Carl Denham (Jack Black), travels on the ship Venture with a leading lady, Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts), and a playwright, Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody), to an uncharted island with hopes of using some "deserted" ruins as the backdrop for an adventure movie. But when he discovers a giant gorilla, Denham sees his ticket to the big time. Only problem is, the gorilla has kidnapped Darrow and is developing quite a thing for her. Plus, the island holds many more man-eating secrets for Denham, his crew and the sailors from the Venture.

The best thing about Peter Jackson is that he has always come across as film fan first and foremost. Many filmmakers profess to be lifelong film lovers, but Jackson's films actually manage to convey the childlike enthusiasm he clearly feels for the medium.

Where other directors talk about examining the human condition or addressing political concerns, Jackson cites the escapism of movies as a driving force. It's refreshingly unpretentious.

Considering this, you could say that King Kong is the ultimate Peter Jackson project - a remake of the original escapist/action/adventure/fantasy/monster movie, the film that inspired Jackson to make movies, which he first attempted to redo aged twelve.

Jackson achieved a lot across many areas of filmmaking with the Lord of the Rings movies, but his inner monster lover consistently shone through. This mischievous, playful side of Jackson spoke directly to my own film-loving tendencies.

The nine-year-old boy that developed such a strong bond with a giant gorilla with 1933's King Kong comes to the fore with this new film, and establishes Jackson as a director masterfully in touch with the exalted pleasure of losing yourself in a movie. He is perhaps only rivalled in this area by one S. Spielberg, but Jackson's anarchic spirit and lack of recurring paternal issues put him out in front.

His unabashed affection for the inherent joy of an action/adventure/monster film is present in every one of King Kong's multitudinous frames - not only is each scene staged with a ferocious, tension-spewing creativity, it's done in such a style that does not call attention to itself. You're in the film all the way, as opposed to being overly conscious that you're watching it. It effortlessly enraptures you in its masterfully designed, relentlessly kinetic world.

The grimier, more sadistic elements of Jackson's early films, which only got a passing nod in the Lord of the Rings movies, get more play in King Kong. The portrayal of the Skull Island natives cannot help but evoke certain scenes from Braindead, and some of the creatures bring the term "slimy with teeth" into the filmic vernacular. There are too many splendid death scenes to note, but the recreation of the notorious lost spider-pit sequence is fantastically gruesome.

The special effects techniques honed so finely on his last three films are even slicker now, and allow Jackson to enliven his endlessly creative ideas for staging gargantuan action scenes.

Of the many notable set-pieces, a Kong taking on three "V-Rex"s in a smackdown to end all smackdowns is a particular highlight. The seemingly endless battle continues as all the participants (and Ann) tumble down a vertiginous, vine-laden ravine.

PJ and his design team have indulged themselves in terms of the creatures and sets on display here. Not only have they lent the title creature a lived-in, weighty believability, they also present a zoological wonderland of outlandish creatures which are ably complemented by the uniquely savage landscapes.

It's important to note that as large a role as Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) plays in Kong, Jackson still very much believes in the effectiveness of a decent miniature set. The indefinable tangibility of this increasingly rare method lends verisimilitude and weight to the movie.

Beyond the wondrous "ride" aspects of the movie, Jackson very much achieves his stated goal of bringing pathos to the character of Kong and his relationship with Ann. The palpability of the bond that develops between them is a credit to Watts' wide-ranging acting abilities. The film gets a remarkable amount of emotional mileage out of this strain, and could be accused at times of perhaps heaping on the schmaltz. But the sweetness of their relationship ultimately overcomes any manly discomfort caused by the soppiness. Plus, there's always another great action scene just around the corner for those not buying into the gorilla/woman love story.

Is it wrong at this point to simply credit all the schmaltzy, emotional stuff in Jackson's films to his co-writers Fran Walsh and Phillipa Boyens, and attribute all the fun stuff to PJ? Because that's what I'm doing. But there are few filmmakers out there who can meld these elements so effectively.

Jack Black exercises considerable restraint, but more than a hint of his traditional manic persona shines through. It's arguably his most textured performance to date, and he is the film's most intriguing (human) character. Adrien Brody is appealing as the atypical man of action, but has the least interesting emotional arc of all the leads.

The supporting cast is populated by typically engaging character actors - standing out among them are Kyle Chandler (of the TV show Early Edition) as the arrogant actor Bruce Baxter and Thomas Kretschmann (The Pianist) as the effortlessly mysterious captain of the Venture.

Kong himself, created by combining CGI with a motion-capture performance by Andy Serkis, is an absolute masterpiece of special effects. Undoubtedly the greatest ever CGI character put to screen (besting even Gollum), he never ceases to appear totally real or engage the audience as a fully formed character.

The Lord of the Rings films may have succeeded on almost every level, but with Kong, it seems like Peter Jackson in his truest form is finally shining through. It's a Peter Jackson that is honest and unembarrassed about what kinds of movies he loves. A Peter Jackson that harkens back to his earlier, nastier movies, but still maintains a considerable amount of heart. A Peter Jackson that cackles at a gruesome death scene, marvels at a disturbing creature or fantasises about a heroic adventure. My Peter Jackson.

Rarely less than thrilling and never less than captivating for all of its wholly warranted 187 minutes, Peter Jackson's King Kong is freakishly good.

Highly recommended.

Dominic Corry

King Kong is in cinemas now.