KING KONG (2-DISC WIDESCREEN SPECIAL EDITION) (2005)

King Kong (2-Disc Widescreen Special Edition) (2005)

Starring: Naomi Watts, Jack Black
Directors: Peter Jackson

Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only)
Available Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)

DVD Features:

The Volkswagen Toureg & King Kong
Wish You Were Here
Special Introduction by Peter Jackson
Post-Production Diaries: Director Peter Jackson takes you on an unforgettable journey revealing virtually every aspect of post-production with nearly three hours of exclusive behind the scenes footage.
Kong's New York, 1933 - 1930s New York comes alive in this fascinating piece that explores vaudeville, the skyscraper boom, the construction of the Empire State building and more.
Skull Island: A Natural History - Travel to treacherous Skull Island with Peter Jackson and his crew
The Volkswagen Toureg & King Kong
Wish You Were Here
Post-Production Diaries: Director Peter Jackson takes you on an unforgettable journey revealing virtually every aspect of post-production with nearly three hours of exclusive behind the scenes footage.
Kong's New York, 1933 - 1930s New York comes alive in this fascinating piece that explores vaudeville, the skyscraper boom, the construction of the Empire State building and more.
Skull Island: A Natural History - Travel to treacherous Skull Island with Peter Jackson and his crew

Movie: * * * ½
Disc: * * * ½

THE DISCS: With so many hefty multiple disc DVD “special” editions flooding the market, it is not uncommon nowadays to spend more time watching the bonus “making of” features on such a disc than watching the movie itself.

This is the case on this two-disc widescreen edition: no mean feat when one considers that King Kong (the movie) itself clocks in at more than three hours! With a total running time of 213 minutes, you’ll spend more time watching the various documentaries, “production diaries” and other features on this disc than on director Peter Jackson of Lord of the Rings fame’s already overlong flick.

Both exhaustive — and exhausting — the so-called “production diaries” are short snippets made during Kong’s lengthy post-filming production focusing on various aspects technical aspects of the film. At about 158 minutes they make up the bulk of the special features. As far as such “making of” features go they are probably the most accurate ones I have ever seen in presenting the sheer effort, scale and logistics that go into making a multi-million dollar special effects heavy blockbuster.

Making of features usually feature on the filming itself: the stars standing in front of green screen sets, etc. However, the post-filming production process — adding special effects, sound effects, soundtrack music, editing, etc. — in making a movie like King Kong nowadays take up much more time than the actual filming. It was this process that the newly thin director Peter Jackson wanted to carry across with these production diaries. And they succeed amiably: after watching them all you’ll feel as if you yourself have actually worked on the movie as a crewmember!

In addition to the production diaries, there are two lengthy documentaries rounding out the discs, namely “Kong’s New York” (38 minutes long) and “Skull Island: A Natural History” (17 minutes).

A historical look at depression era New York, “Kong’s New York” is easily the better of the two features especially if you’re interested in history. The documentary features all kinds of historical facts that the film’s writers unearthed while doing research for the screenplay. Shanty towns in Central Park! Cops violently putting down anti-Capitalist street riots! Who could have guessed?

“Skull Island: A Natural History” is a mockumentary detailing some of the thinking that went into creating the mythical island and its many denizens – both human and non-human.

WORTH IT? A mixture between Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park at times, this King Kong is a rousing adventure. This outsized DVD is tailored to fit and if DVDs are all about entertainment and thrills, then King Kong 2-Disc Widescreen Special Edition is the reason they invented those shiny little discs we so love. Easily one of the best DVDs of the year thus far...

RECOMMENDATION: Buy it!

NOTE: Did director Peter Jackson lose some weight! In these featurettes the man known for being as corpulent as Francis Ford Coppola is positively thin! If he didn’t command $20 million salaries (what he got paid for directing King Kong) he can always make a living writing diet books . . .