10 King Kong Movies Ranked Worst To Best
4. King Kong (2005)
Clocking in at over three hours, this second remake is the first $200 million Kong directed by an Oscar winner, with Oscar nominee Naomi Watts ensuring that the heroine isn’t the screaming bimbo from the 1976 version. Is it a better movie? Not really.
Running 84 minutes longer than the 1933 original, this version is as clunky as the original was graceful, largely because co-writer/director Peter Jackson insists on fleshing out ciphers to give them “depth.” The ugly truth about the Kong movies is that the people and their motivations aren’t important – don’t bore us, just get to Skull Island.
After spending too long with these characters (and discovering that all Adrien Brody’s Jack Driscoll really wants is to be respected as a playwright – ugh), the film finally lumbers to the island, but the wow factor is sadly when the King arrives. Willis O’Brien’s Kong might’ve only been a puppet, but this digital version is no improvement – where’s the awe and wonder in watching an animated monster stomp more animated monsters?