King Kong (2005)

It takes Peter Jackson so long to reach Skull Island that the boat deserves its own credit. 187 minutes total, and the first act is New York, the Depression, a ship, a crew, a cook and a kid reading Heart of Darkness, all before anyone meets a giant ape. Once Kong shows up, though, the movie remembers why you came. Andy Serkis gives him real eyes, real moods, a whole personality, and Naomi Watts sells a friendship with a gorilla the size of a building better than most actors sell one with a person. The jungle brawl where Kong fights a pile of dinosaurs while juggling Ann is wild. Then the bug pit hits and drags on for no reason, and the dinosaur stampede looks like a video game cutscene. Jack Black is fine as a showman who never listens. A reported $207 million budget turned into $556.9 million worldwide, so the ape paid his rent. A 6.8 because the best hour is a 9 trapped inside three. $893 says you pause for a snack before the boat even lands.

What works: Andy Serkis and Naomi Watts make Kong and Ann a real pair, and the dinosaur brawl in the jungle is a monster movie dream.

What doesn’t: It takes forever to reach the island, the bug pit drags, and some of the stampede effects look like a game.

Who it’s for: Monster movie fans with a free afternoon and a very patient couch.