King Kong is a tough movie to remake in this decade. Audiences come already full of expectations on a simple, clean story with a moral message about human nature during a time when society doesn’t seem to clamor for either. It’s probably also hard to make a lovable depression

Weta Digital did some fantastic work on this movie. Fighting with dinosaurs was exciting, the creepy crawlies were frightening and the depression era New York skyline was breathtaking. King Kong himself has actually swung across the uncanny valley, with stunning realism. Complex facial movements and realistic body movements along with intracately detailed texture were captivating. This is the opposite of bad computer generation as seen in The Hulk; digital Ethology seems a better description. Unlike the the original Kong who was so unrealistic, Weta’s hyper-real one allowed the plot follow the relationship between beast and beauty.

Hopefully the mixed reaction from audiences will cause the editing team to take a new approach next time. Many scenes felt drawn out beyond their what they needed to be for us to get the point. Perhaps some of the restraint put on Jack Black, who did his best straight man yet, could have been passed around.