King Kong (5 Stars)

Today was the first time I've seen the extended version of "King Kong". The theatrical version shown in the cinemas is 187 minutes long, the extended version is 200 minutes long. The most noticeable addition is a battle against sea monsters on Skull Island. There are also other battles in the jungle that last longer in this version.

In my last review I praised the film unconditionally. Let me now tell you what I don't like about it. The jungle action on Skull Island is over-the-top, totally unrealistic in its excesses. There is no way that Carl Denham and his colleagues could have run between the legs of rampaging dinosaurs without being squashed. It's true that a couple of the minor characters are trod on, but the important cast are all spared. Just about every battle against the prehistoric monsters on the island is logically too much to survive.

Nevertheless, these small faults aren't enough to stop me considering this one of the best films ever made. It's a masterpiece.