King Kong Blu-ray Review

The video quality of the "King Kong" Blu-ray presentation is commendable, showcasing the film in both its theatrical and extended versions. The transfer is consistent with the original Blu-ray release, ensuring that the visual fidelity remains intact. The 1080p high-definition video ensures a crisp and clear viewing experience, with vibrant colors and deep contrasts. Although it does not feature enhancements like 4K UHD or HDR, the existing clarity and detail of the picture hold up well for a movie of its era.

One notable aspect of this release is the robust set of features accompanying the main presentation. The Picture-in-Picture mode provides an engaging viewing alternative, integrating condensed versions of interviews and behind-the-scenes content seamlessly with the film. Art Galleries add another layer of depth, playing along with the main feature to offer an immersive experience. The set includes standard Universal BD options such as My Scenes, U-Control, BD-Live, and a User Guide, enhancing navigability and interactivity.

From an audio perspective, Disc Two remains a duplicate of the original DVD release and maintains an English 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack with optional subtitles in English SDH, French, and Spanish. Additionally, the disc includes niche content such as a Volkswagen Touareg commercial directed by the "King Kong" team and a tourism tie-in segment titled "Wish You Were Here," which adds a touch of commercial flair and historical context to the package.

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The Blu-ray presentation of "King Kong" excels in both its theatrical and extended versions, maintaining an exceptional level of detail and consistency. The audio presentation is remarkable, featuring three options: English 5.1 DTS-HD and Spanish & French 5.1 DTS Digital Surround. The soundscape offers strong dynamics and aggressive speaker-to-speaker activity, which are particularly notable during the film's action sequences. The bass response is exceptionally deep, adding a palpable sense of power to explosions and other low-frequency effects, while the score is reproduced with impressive clarity and richness. Dialogue remains crystal-clear throughout, ensuring that every piece of spoken content is easily discernible.

Moreover, the sound design creates a fully-enveloping ambience that immerses the viewer entirely within the film's world. The audio's precision renders subtle details with accuracy, from background noises to environmental sounds, further enhancing the viewing experience. The inclusion of subtitles in English SDH, Spanish, and French adds to the accessibility of this release, ensuring it can be enjoyed by a broad audience. Overall, the audio quality of "King Kong" on Blu-ray presents a flawless experience that aligns perfectly with the high visual standards of the film's transfer.

The Blu-ray extras for "King Kong" are comprehensive and illuminating, offering an in-depth dive into every aspect of the film’s creation. The extensive supplemental package amplifies the viewing experience, providing a detailed account of the production process, from conceptual design to post-production. The range of content is impressive, with various sections organized into manageable sub-sections that allow for an easier navigation through the massive amount of material. Fans and film enthusiasts alike will find this collection invaluable for its educational insights and entertainment value, capturing the essence of the filmmaking journey with precision and thoroughness.

Extras included in this disc:

• Audio Commentary: Director/Co-Writer Peter Jackson and Co-Writer/Producer Philippa Boyens.
• 2006 Introductions By Peter Jackson: Introduction to the extras package by the director.
• Recreating the Eighth Wonder: An eight-part feature detailing the making of King Kong.
• The Origins of King Kong: Insights into the inspiration and changes from earlier versions.
• Production Diaries: Comprehensive behind-the-scenes footage organized by date and location.
• Deleted Scenes: With intros by Peter Jackson.
• The Eighth Blunder of the World: Gag reel.
• The Making of a Shot: The T-Rex Fight: Breakdown of the T-Rex fight scene.
• Skull Island: A Natural History: Mockumentary on Skull Island’s fauna.
• Kong's New York, 1938: Depiction and recreation of 1930s New York.
• A Night in Vaudeville: Footage and behind-the-scenes from film's vaudeville montage.
• King Kong Homage: Comparison between classic and new Kong scenes.
• Pre-Visualization Animatics: Early animated versions of special effect scenes.
• Conceptual Design Video Galleries: Artwork, storyboards, and miniatures.
• The Present: Making-of segment on a birthday film for Peter Jackson.
• WETA Collectibles: Showcase of film collectibles and miniatures.
• Trailers: Including teaser, theatrical, and Cinemedia trailers.

Peter Jackson, celebrated for his work on The Lord of the Rings trilogy, tackled the ambitious project of remaking his favorite film, the iconic King Kong (1933). Released in 2005, Jackson's rendition brought a grand narrative and memorable action sequences that doubled its budget in U.S. box office returns. Despite commercial success, critiques emerged among a minority of viewers who found elements of the film unsatisfactory. Fast forward to the present, and the Universal re-release offers enthusiasts an Ultimate Edition Blu-ray comprising an enriching bonus disc filled with extensive content previously available only on multi-disc DVD sets.

The Blu-ray set features the same primary disc as the 2009 release, utilizing a VC-1 transfer complemented by a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. While some may argue technical advancements have been made since its original release, the preservation of the high-definition video transfer and robust audio quality ensures a visually stunning and immersive auditory experience. This combination of remarkable storytelling and technical excellence guarantees that Jackson's King Kong continues to resonate with audiences and remains a formidable entry in modern cinema.

This Blu-ray edition exemplifies both nostalgia and technical prowess, meticulously capturing the grandeur and emotional depth that Jackson infused into his remake. Despite its polarizing reception, the film’s sweeping cinematography, enhanced by the re-release’s polished audiovisual presentation, defends its place within the cinematic landscape. This comprehensive package affords both new viewers and dedicated fans a thoroughly enhanced viewing experience that aligns with Jackson's original creative vision.

The Blu-ray re-release of "King Kong" directed by Peter Jackson is a masterful blend of high-quality video and audio presentations, along with an extensive array of supplemental content. This edition stands out for its exceptional clarity and sound, preserving the grandeur of the King Kong experience even years after its initial release. The visual fidelity is impeccable, showcasing rich color palettes and sharp details in both action-packed scenes and intricate character moments. Similarly, the audio presentation remains robust, delivering an immersive soundscape that is both dynamic and nuanced.

This edition is dubbed as the Ultimate Edition for good reason. It amalgamates all the valuable content from previous DVD and Blu-ray editions, including comprehensive behind-the-scenes footage, commentary tracks, and detailed production diaries. The sheer volume of extras can be overwhelming but is blissful for the true fans and cinephiles who relish in-depth explorations of film craftsmanship. This collection serves as a definitive version, perfect for anyone looking to consolidate their "King Kong" library into a single purchase. However, those who already possess the previous editions may find this repackage offers little in terms of new material apart from the convenience factor.

In conclusion, this re-release of "King Kong" is fantastic. The video and audio presentations hold up all these years later and the new-to-Blu-ray extra content is enormous, a massive undertaking to watch, let alone review. All that said, it's essentially just a repackage that blends the old DVD and the old Blu-ray, so those who already own both have no reason to upgrade. It's a shame that Universal didn't up the ante and include a UHD release — the film would undoubtedly look stellar in 4K and sound even better with an Atmos/DTS:X soundtrack (probably the latter with Universal) — but this is nevertheless an amazing release that offers a great movie, high-end technical presentations, and tons of extras. Highly recommended.