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Many people have noticed the rather impressive transformation of director Peter Jackson. In his frequent appearances affiliated with his Oscar-winning Lord of the Rings films, he was, let's say, a man befitting the big screen. But now, thanks to what must be an effective diet, he's hardly the man he used to be.

According to many film critics, Jackson's newest film—King Kong—could stand to lose a few pounds as well.

Jackson's lifelong dream of remaking King Kong has finally been fulfilled, and as you might expect, critics are celebrating it as a triumph of special effects. The San Diego Film Critics even honored King Kong as the Best Picture of 2005. But in spite of Andy Serkis' incredible collaboration with the special effects team, the reunion of the Lord of the Rings screenwriting team, the extraordinary talents of Adrien Brody and Naomi Watts, and the popularity of Jack Black, Christian film critics have some reservations about this season's 100-pound-gorilla.

"King Kong ultimately makes you consider whether or not it's possible to have too much of a good thing," says Russ Breimeier (Christianity Today Movies). "Do we need every action sequence, every scene of character development, every self-indulgent camera shot to establish mood? Viewers may disagree on the answer to that question, but most will agree it is worth seeing. There are some truly stunning sights to behold here, none more so than 'the eighth wonder of the world' himself, but you'll have to endure a lot of tedium and repetition to get to them."

Steven D. Greydanus (Decent Films) has mixed feelings about the result: "Lacking even a loose idea to organize the story around, King Kong ultimately boils down to escapist action-adventure spectacle, Kong and Ann's oddly touching relationship, and not much else. And even the escapist action-adventure spectacle is really only thrilling when it's about Kong and Ann." But he concludes, "Still, when it is about Kong and Ann, it's a mighty thing, and I cared about this beast and his beauty right up to the end."

Bob Smithouser (Plugged In) says the movie will "cement Jackson's status as a 21st century Steven Spielberg, a master at creating heartfelt, effects-filled blockbusters at a time when been-there, seen-that audiences aren't easily impressed. But what would've made this escapist adventure even better is a little old-fashioned restraint."

Josh Hurst (Reveal) calls it "a thrilling, mostly pleasant holiday blockbuster that almost makes its three-hour running time worth it. … It's a mighty large time investment, and not all of it pays off. But there's ultimately a lot to love about Jackson's rendering of Kong."

Christian Hamaker (Crosswalk) says, "King Kong does deliver plenty of thrills. However, as a promised emotional tour-de-force, it falls short. … For all of the technical prowess on display in Jackson's film, the original, running a relatively lean 100 minutes, remains a model of efficient storytelling, with at least as much emotional resonance as Jackson's bloated, but still effective, remake."

David DiCerto (Catholic News Service) disagrees: "Jackson's greatest achievement isn't stampeding brontosauruses or eye-filling re-creations of Depression-era New York—astounding though they are—but his strong sense of storytelling and sure-handedness (for the most part) in making the special effects serve the narrative, never losing sight of the fable's emotional core."

Todd Patrick (Christian Spotlight) is enthusiastic. "It is everything that George Lucas's second Star Wars trilogy should have been, but wasn't. Is it a bit overindulgent? Yes, it is. It takes its time setting up and expanding on all its characters, then plunges us into two hours of nonstop action-adventure, reminiscent of the Indiana Jones trilogy or the first Star Wars trilogy. … Jackson is, in my opinion, the undisputed king of the blockbuster, dethroning Spielberg and early Lucas, and kicking to the curb the shoddy work of Michael Bay, Jerry Bruckheimer, John Woo, and all the other modern-day blockbuster posers out there who are all flash and no depth."

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December (Web-only) 2005, Vol. 49