When I heard Peter Jackson’s latest film had a midnight showing I was at the theater faster than white on rice. This is the fourth film in the Lord of the Rings series based on the books by JK Rowling. The movie takes place about 50 years after the last film in New York City during The Great Depression. At first I was disappointed that none of the cast returned for this movie, but the new actors they brought in were excellent. Jack Black plays a hobbit who is trying to make a movie on Skull Island. He has in his possession a treasure map that he got from One Eyed Willy. Adrian Brody plays a mentally challenged man who writes the script for the movie. Some hot girl and the guy who used to be on the short lived series Early Edition are the actors in the movie. Black has an assistant too who is a really good actor. He’s like a young Tom Hanks.

So this ragtag bunch of adventurers find Skull Island where the people are all decendents of Gollum. They sacrifice the hot girl to Kong (a giant Gorilla) who plays with her like an anatomically correct Barbie doll. Team Venture head in to save her but then discover that Skull Island is also the same island where Jurassic Park took place. An hour of CG later and they not only rescue the girl but they capture Kong with a little help from Chlorophyll (more like Bore-aphyll!)

Back in the states, Jack Black becomes a huge star. Apparently in the 40s animal trappers were treated like celebrities. On opening night Kong becomes the total Hollywood diva and throws a big hissy fit causing many offscreen casulities. I won’t give away the ending but I will say that Kong and hot girl don’t live happily ever after. (Did I mention that the hot girl and Kong are in love? Really, I didn’t? I should have mentioned it because Peter Jackson will beat you over the head with that fact like Professor Plum with the lead pipe in the conservatory.)

Overall I thought the movie was very good. It didn’t have any of the magic or epic battles of the previous movies but it did have dinosaurs. And in the end that’s all that really matters.