The brilliant mind that brought us the famous “Lord of The Rings,” Peter Jackson, not only looks better than he did while directing those pictures, but also gives us an even better epic. That is, at roughly the same length. Through various interviews and behind the scenes work on “Kong,” Jackson explains he’s been fascinated by Cooper’s 1933 film ever since he was a child. Remaking one of your favorite films takes a lot of guts to do, especially if you are afraid of ruining it. If anything, Jackson has improved this film in so many ways.

The opening credits in the film appear identical to the original film, black italicized credits on a black and white surface, with dark curtains hanging at the sides. The film’s original score is also similar to the original, composed by last minute new choice James Newton Howard, after Shore had left, and Mel Wesson. In the depression era New York City, 1933, everyone is desperate for food and a job. All the characters in the film have been written with great personalities, which I believe suit the actor in which was chosen. Jack Black for instance, playing Carl Denham, the greatly determined filmmaker who will put virtually anything on the line for the production of his film. Though Denham doesn’t know where he’s going with it. Black we all know from his films is a funny and energetic guy, probably one of the last you could consider for this role. He can very humorous throughout the film, and yet the darker side can prevail in various parts of it, the changing of personality is strong in many of the characters. Naomi Watts’ performance towers over everyone and with the loving side of Kong, no longer a creepy pervert, but a big loveable person, she presents many romantic scenes with the beast.

The beginning of the film is a little slow, and probably the first fifty minutes they have not even arrived on the island, so if your children get restless, get a sitter. Once again, the depression is affecting everyone, from filmmakers to vaudeville stars. Carl Denham (Jack Black) is fighting with his employers over whether they wish to fund him for the changes of his new film. They easily turn him down, considering him nothing more than a joke. But the determined filmmaker refuses to be stopped, even without funding or the leading lady, who has decided to back out of the project. “We have three hours to find a new leading lady, or we’re finished,” says Denham.

Denham eventually meets Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts), a vaudeville actress who has just been put out of business. Within a few hours, the screenwriter, stage writer Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody) has been informed. Denham eager to depart right away gathers everything and everyone and sets a course to a place called Skull Island. Jack and Ann have a quick fling that doesn’t really turn into anything at all, the crush just motivates Jack to search harder while on the island. Practically kidnapping Jack, and lying to the crew, the boat gets lost in a dense fog. The crew, including Captain Englehorn (Thomas Krettschmann), first mate Hayes (Evan Parke), and an unknown crew mate, Jimmy (Jamie Bell), as well as many others, grow suspicious of their whereabouts. Denham does a little shooting on the boat, and some of the written dialogue for one of the scenes in his movie is exactly the same when Fay Wray—as Ann—talked alone with Bruce Cabot, playing Jack. Eventually the boat crashes into a humongous wall throwing everyone about the boat. They had reached Skull Island. While on the first visit to the island they have a nasty run in with some natives who don’t have a problem using brutal violence on intruders, one of the crew members was impaled by a spear. Back on the ship, while everyone is desperate to find a way home, the natives kidnap Ann and take her back to the island. Hearing screams, and realizing Ann is gone, the crew goes back to the island and discover her being suspended on a crane like mechanism, only does Denham sees what she has been given to. A giant twenty-five foot gorilla, called by the natives “Kong.” And so, the search begins…

I guess one could say, there are two half-plots to this movie, the shooting of a picture and the relationship between Ann and Kong. Without one another, it is just Vaudeville, just a few acts for means of entertainment. Luckily, both of these half-plots intertwine well and actually seem to create a “hyper-epic.” On the island, the film crew party encounters many horrible, yet edge of your seat dangers. Stampedes of Brontosaurs through a ravine smash each other into the walls like a bunch of kids after a new “Harry Potter” book. While at the same time the film crew is chased by raptors, so many are crushed and eaten all at once. For those of you with a phobia of bugs and creepy crawlies, good news for you, there’s a gross-out onslaught of them while the film crew is resting. In Cooper’s film, there was actually a bug scene removed. After falling from the log turned by Kong, a famous scene, Denham’s camera is ruined and the film exposed. But he has a new idea of how he can make money. Black and Brody’s character don’t change heroically, but they don’t have to, they came out to shoot a film and that was what they were determined to, and Brody from the start was interested in Ann and through his own persona ventures to look for her.

After getting some screaming out of her system, Ann gets to know Kong, and after realizing he doesn’t mean any harm, she starts to enjoy his company and they enjoy a sunset. Interestingly and this actually makes this film greater than the 70s version and the 33 version is that, the ape is no longer a big creepy thing; he’s sort of a lovesick individual. There are a few affectionate scenes in this film, the sunset scene, the tri-rex scene, the central park scene, and the empire state building scene. In the second, Kong fights off three attacking T-rexes (called V-rexes, by Jackson because they are more evolved), and puts Ann on his back after defeating them. In the central park scene, something moving and totally original, Kong and Ann play in the snow and spin around on the ice in central park. But probably the most heart filled, heartbreaking and moving scene is on top of the empire state building. Ann climbs on top of the building with Kong and screams at the dogfight to stop shooting at him. When Kong is finally killed and slips away from Ann and falls off the building, you may cry (I sort of did), because Jackson easily makes this one of the saddest scenes in film history.

I am very happy that Jackson decided to set the film in 1933, the characters can easily be kept the same, obviously it was more expensive, but 1933 seems like a perfect time for Kong. The Empire State building was I believe the biggest and most impressive building of the time, and it’s the depression, one of the most vulnerable times of America’s history. Kong has also evolved through the history of cinema. In 1933 he was nothing more than an 18-inch metal skeleton covered in clay and fur used in stop motion. In 1976, a body-suit, battling jets on top of the World Trade Center. And now in 2005, we get a remarkable CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) creature. Jackson arrogantly, though he does have bragging rights, shows off his creativity and “look what I can do” sequences.

With everything that this film has, it will be near impossible to do another remake that will top this one. We can most likely expect a multi-disc extended directors cut that will be even longer than the current running time of 187 minutes. This film is one of the greatest of the year, with fantastic directing, writing, acting, special effects and story; it has right to call itself “King.” The plot can be summed up in the original inspiring Arabian proverb: “And lo, the beast looked upon the face of beauty, and it stayed its hand from killing, and from that day, it was one as dead.” I consider this film even better than “Return of the King,” so who knows, Jackson could once again sweep the Oscars. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Kong! One of wonders of the year!

Rated PG-13 for frightening adventure violence and some disturbing images. Running Time 187 minutes.