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Kong Too Fast?: Way Way OT except For Ferdinand / RE: (TV) Tot ally OT: King Kong review for Jay



I sped-read your review (always are well written and informative).  This is
not a criticism of the review, but a rant about my beloved Kong.

I promised myself because of my work-load that I'd try to keep my comments
pretty simple----even if it meant my prose being more homely than usual.

I hope in my hasty reading I didn't miss something you said related to what
I complain about below.

When discussing film or music I usually *try* to  go out of my way to avoid
coming across as an old-fuddy, someone who's constantly telling people 25
years younger than me, how much better bands and movies were when I was
their age------ (e.g.,  Franz Ferdinand or The Strokes vs. Television , or
the 1970's/Robert Mitchum "The Big Sleep"[?] vs Bogart's 'version') except,
of course, when I post about music to this list :>) ).

I also attempt to not let nostalgia muddy my analysis.

>Andy Serkis -- the body under Gollum's digital skin in "The Lord of the
Rings" -- gives Kong enough personality, enough 
>soul, to make you believe he'd tumble for Watts's Ann Darrow, ......

Unlike you I haven't seen the movie (but will)---I've only seen the trailers
about half-a-dozen times on tv, and Naomi Watts on Letterman with a long
clip. 

But what really puzzles me (I'll be honest--disturbs me) is how
'un-naturally' this Kong creature *moves around*.

Why would director, Peter Jackson, who supposedly worships the 1933 movie,
and is said to have over his life-time acquired a large collection of
memorabilia of the original Kong, and who has a history for being a stickler
for realism in the special effects in his movies, create a creature that
does not move more life-like?  

Given that technology  of special effects has become so advanced (and often
seamless), why oh freakin' why does this Kong Kong's move his body faster
than a neutrino?.  (Even if Kong were to drink, ***proportionately by
body-weight***, as much coffee as I sometimes drink---he still,
wouldn't/could't move that fast!) 

If I was a betting man, I'd wager that despite the state of the art, the
film-makers encountered  (unforseen?) problems with both Serkis' own
kinematics, and with the special effects themselves [although another part
of me thinks such a hypothesis is totally ludicrous given Jackson's skills
and budget].  

To mask/hide these deficiencies it was decided it would be necessary to
speed up Kong's movements (whether it was body-throwing T-Rex or flinging
automobiles around like toys).

But at least to my eyes and brain, the creature's/movie's big weakness is
that they've gone overboard in speeding him up---it looks pretty darn
unreal/un-natural for a 24' ape----albeit he's King Kong.  (I'm not looking
for a homage or a slowed down Kong as in the original, but even in those
Spielberg dinosaur movies, the effects and movements were impressive and
natural ---including the fast-moving Raptors [confession: not a fan of the
Jurassic movies]. 

In the 1933 version, the limitations of the special effects employed for
when Kong moved, presented Merriam and Cooper with a completely different
set of difficulties, e.g., the 'strange *jerkiness*
(non-analogue/discreteness :>)) of Kong's movements, (the model's  body
movements), or the viewer being able to see the fur on Kong's back
constantly moving due to the filmmakers having to touch/move the model
between each (or several) frame(s) of film.  I 've got to admit that the
'jerkiness and moving-fur never bothered me as a kid (or now)---it even
added to the dread I felt as a kid every time Kong appeared.

Some might counter that today's generation of moviegoers wants everything
fast------true, but I'd argue that, if anything, their long exposure to
movies' special effects resulting in they're having much higher standards
than my generation's were,  would make today's kids and young adults want a
Kong that doesn't move about so darn quick. 

	Leo


		

  

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