King Kong (2005) - 7

Having not seen the previous versions of this film I can only compare it to other films in general. But I am assuming that the CGI is better now than it was in 1933 or 1976. CGI is one of the things that makes this film worth it; it makes the film larger than life which is the main point. Peter Jackson really pulls this film off. It is an interesting story and told well. I think one of the main themes in the film is that our current culture is one that sees the world as controllable. Rather than recognizing the beauty and mystery of life we tend to reduce life and definitions within a set of properties in order to control it. I think that the best line in the film is when the playwright Jack says of Carl (whose idea it was to bring Kong to NYC): "Carl has an unfailing ability to destroy the things he loves." I don't think that the casting (Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Naomi Watts) was as great as some people have said, but the story is good enough to help the actors give good performances. The film is long (3 hours), but ultimately a good combination of entertainment and story.