We topped off our Christmas day/first night of Hanukkah with the 3-hour "King Kong" at the Pavillion.

At our Hanukkah lox and bagels brunch, my cousins, who had seen the film the previous day, could not say enough bad things about the movie.  "Horrible," one cousin said. "Way too long," said another. "Stupid," said a third.

My cousin’s son did, however, enjoy it.

So off we went. I was pretty sure I was going to hate it. Husband really wanted to see it and thought it would be worthwhile. Daughter kept saying, "Why does everyone say we shouldn’t see this movie. I want to see it," she said. Son wouldn’t even cease napping in order to schlep over to the Pavillion in the rain to see the spectacle.

There is something about a 3-hour movie. You settle in for the long haul and prepare to get really wrapped up in the show or get comfy for a looooooooong nap.

Surprise. Surprise. Right from the start, I found the computer-created scenes of New York City during the Depression very compelling. Naomi Watts, as a down-at-the-heels depression era vaudevillian and Jack Black, as a maniacally driven movie director, are really fun to watch. 

I realized pretty soon that the film is as much homage to the original King Kong and its subtext of the little guy triumphing over the double threat of the depression and on-coming European menace as it is a contemporary attempt at a blockbuster. And yes, beauty conquers the beast in what is an erotically charged relationship between a woman and a super-sized Kong.

The film also reminded me that even if computer effects take over Hollywood, there is still a need for great actors who know how to act with blue screens as their co-stars.

Leeches, dinosaurs, huge insects, and more, the middle section of the film on Skull Island is quite a scary/joy ride. But it would be pretty awful if we didn’t care about the actors and their characters. 

The cast is great. The beautiful Naomi Watts, could have been a silent movie star with her wonderful facial expressions and expressivity. Her big eyes and looks of longing communicate affection for the big ape in a moving and real way. Jack Black, Adrian Brody, and a crew of great character actors, do a lot with their roles, as well. Andy Cirkus, as the motion actor for Kong, is incredible and makes this computer ape into the highly emotional, big baby he is.

The last hour of the film, the New York section, is worth the price of admission. You’ve seen it before but it is well worth seeing again: Naomi and Kong on the tip of the Empire State Building…

Luckily, my suspension of disbelief was established hours before. The occasional thought: wouldn’t she be cold in that summer dress in the dead of winter in Central Park?; How does she run through the jungle with bare feet?; Wouldn’t she be terribly injured or dead by now…

Ah, but those were but small blips of distance during what was is basically a very entertaining experience. Peter Jackson, who is a obsessive student of one of the most popular films of all time, remakes it with all the computer bells and whistles money can buy.

He also had the smarts to cast a great slew of actors and to not use his special effects at the expense of narrative, pacing, and a great respect for the original.