Peter Jackson's King Kong Blu-ray Thread

[Early Memphis]

The "100th Anniversary" slips are as useless as the "Essentials" slips in my book. They're not real slips and the fact that people pay extra for generic slips which are on countless movies is beyond me. They just take up more room - still, to each their own.

I finally saw this on Blu the other night and it is gorgeous! Although I still think they coulda/shoulda cut a lot of the first hour or so, I've never been so enthralled by the Kong scenes and never so "pulled in" with the Kong/Ann Darrow scenes - "creatively bankrupt" my a$$.

[Bluyoda]

Just finished watching this movie again, as I usually don't have enough time to sit through such an awfully long film (I always watch the extended version of KK).

This truly was a boy's wet dream come true. It's so obvious, that PJ just loves all these monsters, and creepy crawlies.

I love the jungle scenes. This is the film with the most delicious jungles ever put on film IMO. They are so lush and beautiful.

The VFX still hold up quite well, besides the digital doubles, some of the digital cars, the dinosaur chase with the raptors (they went completely overboard with that), the fire, etc..

I hate the part with the natives. Everything about it. I wish it weren't in the movie, but I understand why it has to be in it.

I don't care too much for the NY climax either. I enjoy the beginning until they get on the ship, and the jungle scenes, where there is one creature after another.

The PQ, and the SQ are mostly top notch, even though I still believe, that the German version is a bit better in terms of PQ, as I am quite convinced it doesn't have as many bandings as the U.S. edition. Still pretty darn good though, especially for such a long film.

I love those lizards, who attack her, when she runs away from Kong, before the T-rex battle. Those creatures in the jungle setting are just cool!

This film is pure indulgence on PJ's part, and I totally understand him.

This is a huge film, and I would love to know the number of VFX shots in this film.

EDIT: I just learned, that there are about 2400 VFX shots in the movie, trimmed down from 3800!!, that PJ had wanted at some point. Lol

[MacEachaidh]

Fully agree, bluyoda. It's also clear that PJ loves telling his stories in complete and careful detail — I don't agree myself with comments calling his films "bloated" and the like, though I think I understand why they're made. Personally, I love going on a journey with Peter Jackson, however long it takes.

I was really pleased that with the recent release of King Kong we got such a beautiful digibook. Finally, a bit of love for the film, in a material packaging sense.

Maybe I was expecting too much, but I was really hoping the re-release might have taken the opportunity to include some of the supplemental material from the DVD releases, maybe on a second or even a third disc; the Production Diaries would have been really welcome, even if only in SD resolution.

And the other thing I was really hoping for, no doubt unrealistically, was that they would go back and fix a couple of bits of graphic work that PJ admitted they ran out of time for and had to cut corners on — most particularly the bronto stampede. The compositing and lighting on that sequence just isn't right — especially on the pile-up, where the live action clearly just floats on top of the CG — and it throws me out of the film for a minute or two every time I watch it. I gather PJ doesn't like to go back and revisit past work, and prefers to move on to the Next Big Thing, but he's such a perfectionist in other respects I would have been happy for him to get a bit OCD about the scene he never had time to complete in the first place. Or maybe it would have been just too expensive.

Ah well.

[Early Memphis]

Hey, I like the film and the creatures are incredible - and perhaps bloated is insulting (see Kim Kardashian), but perhaps a little Weight Watchers planning would've been in order here (again, see Ms. K). Editing the overly-long (mostly) boring first third of the movie would've left viewers sharper and more involved when the action begins to pick up on Skull Island. "Pure indulgence" is a kind way of saying self-indulgent, and it's completely unnecessary. Writers always love their words but editing is a critical skill in all writing, be it books or movies or anything else. Telling a story crisply leaves a viewer/reader fired up and wanting another go, not exhausted and, sorry, feeling ... bloated.

[Bluyoda]

Originally Posted by MacEachaidh

Fully agree, bluyoda. It's also clear that PJ loves telling his stories in complete and careful detail — I don't agree myself with comments calling his films "bloated" and the like, though I think I understand why they're made. Personally, I love going on a journey with Peter Jackson, however long it takes.

I was really pleased that with the recent release of King Kong we got such a beautiful digibook. Finally, a bit of love for the film, in a material packaging sense.

Maybe I was expecting too much, but I was really hoping the re-release might have taken the opportunity to include some of the supplemental material from the DVD releases, maybe on a second or even a third disc; the Production Diaries would have been really welcome, even if only in SD resolution.

And the other thing I was really hoping for, no doubt unrealistically, was that they would go back and fix a couple of bits of graphic work that PJ admitted they ran out of time for and had to cut corners on — most particularly the bronto stampede. The compositing and lighting on that sequence just isn't right — especially on the pile-up, where the live action clearly just floats on top of the CG — and it throws me out of the film for a minute or two every time I watch it. I gather PJ doesn't like to go back and revisit past work, and prefers to move on to the Next Big Thing, but he's such a perfectionist in other respects I would have been happy for him to get a bit OCD about the scene he never had time to complete in the first place. Or maybe it would have been just too expensive.

Ah well.

Digibook? You are referring to the original classic KK here, aren't you?

Yep, that sequence is just ridiculous, and looks really fake. I didn't know, that PJ had admitted running out of time.

Originally Posted by Early Memphis

Hey, I like the film and the creatures are incredible - and perhaps bloated is insulting (see Kim Kardashian), but perhaps a little Weight Watchers planning would've been in order here (again, see Ms. K). Editing the overly-long (mostly) boring first third of the movie would've left viewers sharper and more involved when the action begins to pick up on Skull Island. "Pure indulgence" is a kind way of saying self-indulgent, and it's completely unnecessary. Writers always love their words but editing is a critical skill in all writing, be it books or movies or anything else. Telling a story crisply leaves a viewer/reader fired up and wanting another go, not exhausted and, sorry, feeling ... bloated.

I think the part up until they reach the island is quite well paced. I just can't stand the native people there.

They should have just made it in the jungles. Of course, it would have been a very different film then.

With "pure indulgence", I meant that PJ really fulfilled his childhood fantasies, and I think he deserved it, after working on those lame LOTR movies for so long.

I truly felt his honesty and love for the material, and that's what I like most about the film.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by Bluyoda

Digibook? You are referring to the original classic KK here, aren't you?

He means this one: http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/King-Kong-Blu-ray/52812/

[MacEachaidh]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

He means this one: http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/King-Kong-Blu-ray/52812/

Actually, this one , since I'm in Australia and bought it locally:



but it's the same as the UK release, and really nicely done. The disc itself is identical worldwide, and region-free.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by MacEachaidh

Actually, this one , since I'm in Australia and bought it locally:



but it's the same as the UK release, and really nicely done. The disc itself is identical worldwide, and region-free.

dangit, It was a toss-up between linking to the UK or AU page, as I knew you were from one of them lol. It's a really nice looking digibook, I wish we got them here in the US, but I'll probably import the UK one when it comes down in price again.

[Early Memphis]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

dangit, It was a toss-up between linking to the UK or AU page, as I knew you were from one of them lol. It's a really nice looking digibook, I wish we got them here in the US, but I'll probably import the UK one when it comes down in price again.

Hey, MifuneFan, how do you know it's "a really nice looking digibook"? Is there (hopefully) a preview someplace?

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by Early Memphis

Hey, MifuneFan, how do you know it's "a really nice looking digibook"? Is there (hopefully) a preview someplace?

There's a few previews of it on youtube. Plenty of written info in it, and some great photos too.

King Kong (2005) Blu-Ray Digibook Unboxing! - YouTube

[Early Memphis]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

There's a few previews of it on youtube. Plenty of written info in it, and some great photos too.

King Kong (2005) Blu-Ray Digibook Unboxing! - YouTube

Thanks again, MifuneFan!

Not that it gets it down to £10.25 (which was its lowest price), but I put 2 items in the Amazon UK "basket" which were £17.00 & £7.75 (£24.75 total), and, without showing why, it sub-totaled them to only £20.63 > £24.70 w/shipping to the U.S.?

The Kong DigiBook alone showed up as £14.17, not £17.00? Gotta be some kind of sale but I haven't figured it out yet. Thanks again!

[MacEachaidh]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

dangit, It was a toss-up between linking to the UK or AU page, as I knew you were from one of them lol.

Much of a muchness, as they say.

Originally Posted by Early Memphis

Hey, MifuneFan, how do you know it's "a really nice looking digibook"? Is there (hopefully) a preview someplace?

What am I, chopped liver?

You could have asked me, since I actually have a copy.

[Early Memphis]

Originally Posted by MacEachaidh

Much of a muchness, as they say.

What am I, chopped liver?

You could have asked me, since I actually have a copy.

Ouch! ... No, but he always seems to have great info. You obviously knew enough to get one (and it is really nice), but that didn't mean you knew of any previews and ... But I'll check with you next time, I promise, mate.

[glow11]

Originally Posted by Early Memphis

The Kong DigiBook alone showed up as £14.17, not £17.00? Gotta be some kind of sale but I haven't figured it out yet. Thanks again!

That is likely amazon removing the UK taxes from it since taxes are included in the price but do not get charged when shipping to the U.S. so it is usually removed at checkout.

[MacEachaidh]

Originally Posted by Early Memphis

Ouch! ... No, but he always seems to have great info. You obviously knew enough to get one (and it is really nice), but that didn't mean you knew of any previews and ... But I'll check with you next time, I promise, mate.

No worries, mate. And yes, I agree with you about MifuneFan — I wasn't meaning to take anything away from him at all.

The digibook is pretty gorgeous. Its contents seem to rise above the advertorial-style bumpf that digibooks often seem to be filled with, though to be honest I would have been happy to see a couple of more technical articles in there, especially since the disc misses out on the behind-the-scenes supplements that came in the deluxe DVD set. Maybe the average person doesn't really care for such things, I don't know, but PJ and WETA seem to have a knack of making that stuff interesting, and catching the sense of what really happens in the production workshops. If such material wasn't going to be on the disc, then I wish some of it had been in the digibook, where most of the graphics — while gorgeous — are either conception artwork or shots from the film, which you can see just by watching the film.

OK. I love the concept and feel of digibooks, and generally buy them in preference to the amaray version when I can, but I rarely feel they quite measure up to the potential of their format. Sounds confused, eh? Maybe you were right to ask MifuneFan in the first place!

[Bluyoda]

Oh, wow! I didn't know about that. Pretty nifty looking digibook there, but without any additional special features, it's of no real interest to me.

[Early Memphis]

Originally Posted by glow11

That is likely amazon removing the UK taxes from it since taxes are included in the price but do not get charged when shipping to the U.S. so it is usually removed at checkout.

I thought about that but in the past it hasn't been the case, the item price has been as listed. However, this time the order page shows:

King Kong - Limited Edition Digibook [Blu-ray] [2005]
by Naomi Watts
£17.00

and then:

Items: £14.17
Postage & Packing: £3.08
Total before VAT: £17.25
VAT: £0.00

My previous 3-for-£17 order showed an accurate (as posted) sub-total with the sale discount listed separately:

Item(s) Subtotal: £20.62
Postage & Packing: £5.06
Total before VAT: £25.68
VAT: £0.00
Total: £25.68
Promotion Applied: -£3.62
Total for this Delivery: £22.06

Like I said, never seen it before, but ...

[Early Memphis]

Originally Posted by MacEachaidh

... The digibook is pretty gorgeous. Its contents seem to rise above the advertorial-style bumpf that digibooks often seem to be filled with, though to be honest I would have been happy to see a couple of more technical articles in there, especially since the disc misses out on the behind-the-scenes supplements that came in the deluxe DVD set. Maybe the average person doesn't really care for such things, I don't know, but PJ and WETA seem to have a knack of making that stuff interesting, and catching the sense of what really happens in the production workshops. If such material wasn't going to be on the disc, then I wish some of it had been in the digibook, where most of the graphics — while gorgeous — are either conception artwork or shots from the film, which you can see just by watching the film ...

I definitely agree, although what should've been included was at least one supplemental BD full of extras. And, as you know, that would only include a small portion of the available material. As it stands now, I moved my U.S. Blu-ray to a 4-pak Viva Elite case and put my 3 "Deluxe Extended" DVDs in with it - but there's no place for them in the DigiBook if I were to get it. I assume the DigiBook is bigger than a standard Blu case, is it as large as the "Deluxe Extended" DVD case?

See, told ya I'd have a question for ya, mate! Lotsa folks here tell me I'm full of ... questions.

[MacEachaidh]

Yeah, it's a downside of digibooks that you can't tuck other discs inside if there's no tray or slot for them. But it's the first time I've seen this title get packaging that I thought did the film justice (I know, what's on the disc is what really matters, but if there are options to choose between, I always choose the packaging that pleases me and that's at a price I'm willing to pay — just like I choose the edition of a book that I like the most even though it doesn't change the story that's inside), so I chose to get it. The Deluxe DVD case has nice packaging too — we got a cardboard digipak, what did you get? — so I don't mind that being on my shelf.

But the BD digibook is nothing like a DVD case in size, though like all digibooks, it's slightly larger than a standard BD amaray. The Kong 2005 one is the same width and height as the Kong 1933 one — so, the same as WB digibooks.