Fridae

Kong is indeed King — the film is a modern masterpiece that
marries state-of-the-art special effects with strong old-fashioned
storytelling. Not only does it treat the eyes to splendiferous sights
of lost islands and prehistoric animals, it also steals your heart
with the utterly believable relationship between a lonely gorilla
and a woman who chose to be its friend.

The always-watchable Naomi Watts plays Ann, an actress who joins
a voyage across the Pacific Ocean with a movie director (Jack Black)
and writer (Adrien Brody). Upon reaching Skull Island, they make
the most startling discoveries — from gruesome giant bats
to fierce T-Rexes. More importantly, Ann meets a 25-foot-tall gorilla
whose painful solitude she immediately recognizes and tries to assuage.

The movie director comes up with a money-making idea to catch the
ape and bring it back to New York for rich people to gawk at. But,
as any movie buff will tell you, all this will lead to that classic
and unforgettable image of an angry ape clinging to the top of the
Empire State Building — an image from a b&w 1933 film that's
been rendered even more spectacular in this 2005 version.

Yet what's most memorable about this $US200-million movie is not
its CGI parts. Certainly, its computer-hatched creatures and action
sequences will keep you glued to the screen. But it is the film's
quiet moments shared by King Kong and Ann that will stick to your
mind. When they are just hanging out and enjoying the scenery, the
film conveys the same message that LGBTs have been telling the world
for years — that love knows no bounds.