Hey folks, Harry here... Seems yesterday was pretty much about as perfect a fucking day as one could hope for. Along with the national news about Congress, Darth Rumsfeld fate, Britney Spears' tragic announcement, the coming of a new Spider-Man 3 trailer (though I hear there's zero Venom in it) and just... various happy things like a brilliant Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert double show.... well, I also got in the mail the DVD set to the Star Trek Animated Series... and then... lo, my eyes beheld the 3 DVD set for KING KONG Extended Edition and I swooned. Seriously - could the day get better?
First - let's start with the sole complaint. I really dislike the way the dvds are laid out in the plastic container. DVD 1 is hidden behind the insert - and isn't immediately obvious. Making one think, briefly - that Disc 1 is missing. Thus causing one to hyperventilate, grip one's heaving bosom and then there's the dizzy spell and the pain in the left arm.
After that - it's pretty damn sweet. The 3 hr and 21 minute cut of the film actually plays shorter in my mind. Like what happened with the expanded editions of THE LORD OF THE RINGS, I honestly just feel that the film flows better at the longer cut.
I think most people will fall gobsmacked in love with the Raft sequence. It doesn't have the "ick" factor of the Bug Crevice, but it's genuinely great. I also like the new first encounter with the dinosaur - whose classification isn't in my noggin at this moment. But there's a subtle thing that's added in this first action scene and later in the raft scene that further colors Denham's character to being merely an exploitation bastard. He is constantly shooting. Capturing the initial creature's death... then later... something worse. I feel this actually furthers Peter's take on the Denham character as a more loathsome person. I still prefer the original Denham in the 1933 film.
However, I really feel that my favorite scene that has been added into the film isn't a big whiz-bang moment... it's just a classic bit of Peter fun. In New York, after Kong has broken out - and after the "Ice Scene" - the Military attack sequence is a bit expanded. You see more of Kong killing our Nation's Bests... but that isn't what did it for me, there's a scene in a back of a military vehicle with a tough as nails Sergeant - who looks an awful like J.K. Simmons, but I really don't think it is him. Anyway - he's doing a bit to fire up his troops - some denegrating anti-monkey talk... and it's just a great little hilarious bit that adds an awful lot of character to that sequence.
Over all, I do feel the Action that has been added has made the film better, mainly because it is sprinkled with flavorful moments of Character. Here... you'll like Jack Driscoll quite a bit more as he is more heroic in the film. Denham is more unlikable, because his character is more clearly drawn. Lastly - it doesn't add much to the overall running time, but it does make this the better movie.
As for the extras... The "Eighth Blunder Of The World" gag reel is the best gag reel in the history of DVD gag reels. From King Kong's Cannonball... to Jack Black stealing my chair, that Peter stole from me. Trust me - you'll love this gag reel. It's very R-Rated and very funny.
Then the original storyboards are just lovely on their own - and the "Making of King Kong" is as great as you would hope for by the team behind LORD OF THE RINGS' stunning documentaries. This is exactly what we have come to expect from Peter and crew. Great work and a much improved film in my eyes.
