Sure, three hours is quite a time investment that Peter Jackson demands from his audience with “King Kong”. But it pays off. Because, as we find out in our four-star FILMSTARTS review, Jackson has impressively cemented his reputation as a sensational event cinema director. The cast was also top notch. In addition to Naomi Watts (“Mulholland Drive”) and Oscar winner Adrien Brody (“The Pianist”), there were comedian Jack Black (“Jumanji”) in a rare serious role, Jamie Bell (“Rocketman”) and Thomas Kretschmann van Dessau (“Balloon”). “) in front of the camera.
King Kong airs today, May 31, 2023, at 8:15 PM on Nitro. If the date does not suit you or if you want to do without commercial breaks, you will unfortunately have to dig into your pockets. Because none of the popular streaming services currently have the movie on the flat rate schedule.
However, it’s worth checking online retailers like Amazon. Because in addition to the regular DVD / Blu-ray editions, there is a 4K / UltraHD double disc. This includes the “Extended Cut” which is a good quarter of an hour longer and also many hours of bonus material in the form of “making-ofs”, unreleased scenes, etc. Alternatively, a paid stream is available at the same location.
“King Kong” on Nitro: That’s the story
New York, 1933: Filmmaker Carl Denham (Jack Black) is not only in a creative, but above all in a financial crisis. Therefore, his next work should be a sensation. For this he hires ship captain Englehorn (Thomas Kretschman) to take him and his crew to the legendary Skull Island, said to be home to the most incredible creatures. Also present are actress Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) and screenwriter Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody).
After weeks of odyssey, they finally arrive at their destination. But soon problems arise. The archaic-looking natives are extremely hostile and kill some of Denham’s associates and kidnap Ann. It turns out to be a sacrifice to the ruler of Skull Island: the giant gorilla King Kong, who is even afraid of the dinosaurs and other prehistoric predators that still exist there…
Peter Jackson’s most personal film
At the age of nine, Jackson decided he wanted to be a filmmaker. The impetus was the 1933 black-and-white spectacle “King Kong and the White Woman”, which the budding cinema genius had seen on TV. Decades later, right after landing a hit with the horror comedy The Frighteners, the New Zealander wanted to bring his own version of the story to the screens. But then the production of his “Lord of the Rings” trilogy got in the way.
After the resounding success of the Tolkien adaptations, the time had finally come. Jackson was awarded an all-time record budget of $207 million for “King Kong”. – an amount that he again exceeded by a whopping 32 million. When King Kong hit theaters worldwide in 2005, it grossed nearly $600 million. The film won three Oscars and numerous other awards – mostly for technical aspects such as special effects or sound.
In 2013, it was revealed that a sequel planned to be titled “Skull Island” was being worked on. Jackson was on board as producer, while this time Adam Wingard (“You’re Next”) would direct. The project was later shelved when Universal Studios lost the rights to the King Kong character to Warner Bros. With “Kong: Skull Island” they realized their own blockbuster, without Jackson’s participation. However, Wingard was able to take the director’s chair for Godzilla Vs.Kong at least a few years later. In 2024, he follows “Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire”.
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