DVD Review HTF Review: King Kong (2005). Very highly recommended (1 Viewer)

[John Swarce]

One scene in the movie that I was bit disappointed in (sound wise) was the ice pond sequence. I watched this at the theater and when the artillery shell hit the ice, I jumped out of my seat. When played through my home system, I didn't get the same "wow" effect. Maybe the bass was over-cooked at the theater, but there are some other scenes in the movie that do shake the house.

John

 

[ClaytonMG]

I noticed a possible flaw on my DVD.

Possible spoiler...

In the scene when they attempt to capture Kong, right as he bursts through the doors after the whole slow motion scene, the audio appears to slow down and the score has a digital gltich in it it sounds like.


Anyone else notice that? The only way to actually hear the actual glitch is to take out the center channel. But you can still hear it slow down a little.

 

[Mark Talmadge]

I'm a bit disappointed in Universal and disgusted that they could even think of charging extra money for the bopnus features are generally free extras on other DVD's. I'm so pissed over this. I purchased the standard Widescreen and lo and behold, no extras whatsoever.

I never thought they could screw their customers over like this. To charge premium prices for bonus features? And from what I've been hearing recently, there isn't going to be any new footage added to the film as we saw with the Lord of the Rings Extended Editions.

 

[Mark Talmadge]

I'm a bit disappointed in Universal and disgusted that they could even think of charging extra money for the bopnus features are generally free extras on other DVD's. I'm so pissed over this. I purchased the standard Widescreen and lo and behold, no extras whatsoever.

I never thought they could screw their customers over like this. To charge premium prices for bonus features? And from what I've been hearing recently, there isn't going to be any new footage added to the film as we saw with the Lord of the Rings Extended Editions.

 

[Tino]

You heard wrong.

 

[TheBat]

has anyone found the easter egg on the king kong dvd? I know the 4 digit number for it, but I would like to know how to access it from the site.

thanks.

Jacob

 

[Sam Posten]

Clayton, I didnt notice any glitches like that, I can take another look at that scene if you like.

As for the value of these disks, if I remember right Best Buy had the Single disk for $16 and the double for $22, and I know a LOT of retailers had that beat and the online guys trounced it. I think its a fine value when viewed against what other studios are asking today. I didnt think twice when I purchased this set.

Sam

 

[Travis Brashear]

Originally posted by Tino:
Why single out Universal?

Not to speak on someone else's behalf, but I would imagine it's because we're only discussing a Universal title in this particular thread.

 

[Frank_T]

That's the point: they didn't. It's on the menu. Sure, it's text today. Tomorrow, it's a Volkswagon logo. Next day, it's the logo and "Sponsored by...", etc.


Ok, I'll stop ranting on this. Apparently I'm the only one here who is disturbed and upset by this trend.

---

The rumor mill is churning out a rumor of a 3-4 disc set due in latter half of '06 (reported on the Digital Bits)

 

[TravisR]

The way the original post is written it acts like King Kong is the only title to do something like this. And it's not like there's any features listed as being on the one disc, why would anyone expect what isn't listed?

 

[Tino]

Bingo!

 

[LCD22]

Is there suppose to be a booklet with the 2-disc set?

 

[Travis Brashear]

Nope.

 

[Malcolm R]

Well, you know how some people are.

It was VERY well publicized that the only extras were going to be on the 2-disc version, and that an extended director's cut was very likely around the holiday season with a completely new set of extras.

Also, as mentioned, this is not something new that began with KK. Wasn't Master & Commander, over a year ago, the beginning of this trend? Since then there've been many titles that have gone this route.

I'd imagine it was also a major wish of the large rental chains so they didn't need to order special cases and keep track of all the extra discs.

Clayton--I didn't notice that glitch either. Perhaps you just have a bad copy. If it's not too late, you might exchange it.

The only oddities I've seen are a couple of frames on the Venture that didn't seem to be color graded correctly (it's almost like the lights dim for a second).

 

[Paul Arnette]

Well, I can assure you that you are not the only one. However, I find the general lack of reaction you are getting to this issue, as well as the general lack of outcry over the watermarking even more disturbing.

It seems to me that the studios will continue to make the DVD experience more like the current theatrical movie experience (forced ad wise) until those of us who thought we'd found a safe-haven in home theater will have to look elsewhere again.

Edited to add:

Part of me thinks this dumbing-down of DVD is being done, in part, to make Blu-Ray and HD-DVD even more appealing to the early adopter. I wouldn't classify myself as an early adopter though, certainly more so than most of the people I know. However, even this perceived, on my part, 'dumbing-down' won't make me adopt an HD home theater format until the format war is resolved.

 

[DavidPla]

And only time will tell when the EXACT same things starts happening to those formats as well.

 

[Antony James]

I too was a little peeved at the psuedo-advert on the main page...just like I was back when Hulk had some ads for softdrink and junk.

But as long as they're not forced ads, I'll not complain too much.

 

[Sam Davatchi]

Has this been mentioned?



http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4874888.stm

Also I didn't know that it beat Narnia in 2 places!

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

I'm sorry, but how can one claim that dvd is being "dumbed down" when we are dealing with a referrance example like King Kong?

I mean come on now, it's not as if Universal purposfully botched-up the film transfer itself.

If the ads bother you, that's understandable, they do suck and I don't like them anymore than you guys do, but it's hardly worth getting too bent out of shape about IMO and it certaintly isn't going to prompt me to run into the arms of Blu-Ray until i'm good and ready.

People are losing focus of what's important here, we have this incredible film in stellar dvd quality, in it's OAR and sports a great audio mix, who cares about anything else?

As far as i'm concerned, as long as the studios continue to give us presentations of their films like the one we got for King Kong, I couldn't care less about ads, forced or otherwise.

Honestly, where are your priorities, folks? Mine reside with the film presentations themselves, but that's just me, i'm crazy like that.

 

[Steve Tannehill]

Box-Office Blockbuster King Kong Roars on DVD

Mega Hit Amasses a King-Sized $100 Million in Consumer Spending
The Largest First Six-Day Sell-Through on DVD
in Universal Studios History

Film Continues its Record-Breaking Success as Universal Pictures’
Fourth-Highest Grossing Film of All Time


Universal City, California, April 3, 2006 –King Kong ascended to extraordinary heights in its first six days in release, selling more than 6.5 million DVDs, the largest six-day performance in Universal Studios history. Fans snatched the blockbuster adventure film off shelves, generating $100 million in consumer spending for the Universal Studios Home Entertainment release.

The spectacular first-week DVD sales continue King Kong's astonishing commercial success as the studio’s fourth-highest grossing film in the studio’s 94-year history. To date, the film has amassed approximately $550 million in ticket sales worldwide, following on the heels of Jurassic Park, E.T. and The Lost World: Jurassic Park.

"Hands down, Peter Jackson’s King Kong ranks as one of Universal's biggest and most successful cinematic triumphs of all time," said Craig Kornblau, President, Universal Studios Home Entertainment. "Home entertainment consumers recognize the singular-event status of this spectacular breakthrough motion picture which has been further bolstered by the film’s stunning technical achievements including its Oscar® win for best visual effects."

The latest larger-than-life spectacle from visionary filmmaker Peter Jackson (the Lord of the Rings trilogy), King Kong enthralled audiences and critics alike, garnering three Oscars® at the 2006 Academy Awards® and appearing on countless "Best Movies of the Year" lists.

Both the original theatrical version and the Special Collectors Edition two-disc set of the King Kong DVD boast collectible package artwork specially created by WETA Digital Ltd., the production company behind the film's impressive Oscar®-winning visual effects. The DVD release of King Kong was supported by unparalleled cross-promotional opportunities with an array of prominent partners including Papa John's Pizza, Glad, Hostess, Orville Redenbacher's® Gourmet® Microwave Popcorn, Kellogg's, Nestle, Toshiba, Chase and Kodak EasyShare.

King Kong recounts the eternal tale of beauty and the beast, with a script by three-time Academy Award® winner Jackson and his longtime collaborators and fellow Oscar® winners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. Oscar® nominee Naomi Watts (21 Grams), Jack Black (School of Rock), Oscar® winner Adrien Brody (The Pianist), Colin Hanks (Orange County) and Andy Serkis (the Lord of the Rings trilogy) headline this must-see spectacular, with a cast of mind-boggling, mythical creatures and an arsenal of spectacular visual innovations backing them up.

The Special Collector's Edition DVD features an exclusive glimpse of the creation of King Kong's two unique worlds -- Skull Island, a land forgotten by time, where the actress Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) and the giant, savage ape known as King Kong forge their tragic bond, and 1930's New York City, a different, but not less perilous, kind of jungle. Other extras include almost three hours of exclusive behind the scenes footage with director Jackson, as he finalizes every aspect of post production on this groundbreaking film. The single disc version is available at $29.98 SRP and the two-disc Special Edition is priced at $30.98 SRP

Universal Studios Home Entertainment is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is a part of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% owned by Vivendi Universal.