December 01, 2005
King Kong. When CGI is NOT the best option...
Posted by Jess in
Day to Day
The new version of King Kong is coming out. Sorry, but I'm just not buyin' it.
He's supposed to be big. Really big. We're supposed to not be able to believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big he really is. I mean, we may think Great Danes are big, but that's just peanuts to King Kong (sorry, Mr. Adams).
Purely based on the trailers I've seen, I just don't think this new version of King Kong looks that big. Or scary. Or even REAL. This is the same reason that I didn't want to see The Hulk. He was far more real and believable as a real person. And scarier, actually.
In all fairness, I did read the IMDB trivia list for the new 2005 version, and they mentioned that they specifically point out that this Kong is 25 feet tall, where he was specially mentioned to be 50 feet tall in the other movies. Okay, I admit I was wrong. But he's KING KONG, not Mighty Joe Young!
I never saw the original 1933 version, but the 1976 King Kong with Jessica Lange and Jeff Bridges will always be one of my favorite movies. I don't know why I will always have a soft spot in my heart for that Kong. I think it's because at the time, I was so young I couldn't recognize the kitch-factor of the movie itself, but I remembered it being so sad.
Anyone remember Dana Hersey's unmistakeable voice on "The Movie Loft", shown on WSBK-TV38 Boston? It always used to be shown on weekend afternoons.
Anyway, cut to the end of the movie where King Kong has just been shot down and plunged from the Empire State Building. Everyone's happy, and yet Jessica Lange's character is upset. King Kong's heart beats loudly, then slower, and slower, and then... stops. It's quiet.
I remember asking my parents why Lange's character is so sad that King Kong is dead. After all, he's a big ape that caused mass destruction and mayhem, right? He's dangerous! They answered that King Kong wasn't trying to hurt anyone, and he was just a really big ape, and that people didn't understand. King Kong doesn't know he's not supposed to crush buildings, he's just trying to get away from the people that are shooting at him.
So maybe this is the first time I learned that things or people aren't necessarily what they seem. Maybe this is the first time I learned that people (or things, or apes) that appeared to be bad, weren't really.
Or maybe I just really got a kick of "Bambi meets Godzilla" that The Movie Loft always showed with the movie.
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Comments
You like the 1976 version, haven't seen the original and feel free to mock the new version? Sorry, but your credibility is 0. WETA did a fantastic job but with your misconceptions about CGI, I feel you won't appreciate it.
I wasn't trying to mock the new version at all, sorry if it came out that way. It was more of an appreciation for 70's technology. It was THAT real back then that to me, so much so that it "out-reals" the new one based on what I've seen so far.
Anytime there's a remake, there's always going to be some comparison to the original; in my sake, I couldn't compare the "new" 1976 because I had never seen the original. So, to me, this remake compares against the "original" one I'd seen before. Which, is one of my favorite movies as I said.
And of course, I don't expect myself to have any credibility except that of a lazy-bum that loves to stay in and watch movies. :-)
I love movies, I love all the behind-the-scenes features, I love hearing what goes into making a movie. I'm sure I will appreciate what went into the CGI behind this movie - it's something I could never begin to have the patience to create. Maybe you'll understand me a little better if you read this quick three-sentence entry back from 2003:
http://www.mattandjess.net/blog/archives/000027.html
Will I still like my old 1976 Kong better? Probably. I already told you I have a soft spot for him for all sorts of reasons. I'm not going to take kindly to a new kid on the block. ;-)
Jess -- I haven't gotten to see the new movie yet. It's gotten some nice reviews. In any case, do yourself a favor. Next time you see the 1933 version in the TV listings watch it. It's part of American culture and a pretty good movie -- and great special effects for it's day.
David
