Peter Jackson’s modern King Kong does justice to the 1933 classic

In the past 30 years, special effects have evolved from trick photography and tiny models to elaborate motion-capture animation and computer-generated characters. And it seems as though the gap between technological innovations is shrinking; the next new technique is obsolete almost as soon as it’s revealed, as someone, somewhere, finds a better, faster, cheaper way to do it, dropping a once-rare effect into the hands of any would-be filmmaker.

(Seriously – watch “CSI” or one of its clones, and you’ll see where they’ve lifted half a dozen effect styles from the “The Matrix” movies. It’s staggering.)

The end result, though, is jaded audiences. Hollywood, you’ve got us hooked on the mind-blowing drug that is Really Cool Special Effects. But we need it in higher and higher doses now, because the same-old just doesn’t give us that thrill anymore.

I saw evidence of this when I was skimming the Internet Movie Database for information on Peter Jackson’s upcoming remake of the legendary adventure movie, “King Kong.” On some talk-back boards, a couple of would-be critics were already badmouthing the film, because Jackson’s version of the giant ape was (according to them) too realistic. From their perspective, Kong should be a 100-foot-tall, semi-humanoid ape who could walk upright like a man and go toe-to-toe with Godzilla.

That was enough to break me out of my jaded mentality. Mess with Kong? Are you kidding?!

King Kong – the giant gorilla, not the movie – is an icon. Unless you’re a die-hard fan, it’s unlikely you recall much about the original 1933 movie, other than it featured Fay Wray as the screaming starlet and that Kong climbed the Empire State Building at the end. And that’s a shame, because “King Kong” – the movie, not the giant gorilla – actually is more deserving of that iconic status. “Kong” is the forefather of all great action-adventure movies, with a larger-than-life story, an outstanding use of both special effects and music to drive the suspense and a pace that seldom lets up.

What Jackson intends to do with his retelling of Kong’s story is to pay homage to his favorite film and its groundbreaking role in cinematic history. But unlike the flimsy, modernized 1976 remake (with Jessica Lange as the damsel and the Twin Towers as a much-larger Kong’s urban jungle gym) the new “King Kong” places the action right back in 1933, well before audiences – real or fictional – weren’t jaded at the sight of a gorilla taller than a house.

Naomi Watts takes her turn as the naive Ann Darrow, a struggling actress looking for a break. She’s persuaded by showboating (but equally struggling) filmmaker Carl Denham (Jack Black) to accompany his film crew to the mysterious Skull Island, where legend suggests incredible creatures lurk in unexplored jungles. Denham intends to shoot a modern-day “beauty and the beast” tale – with a real beast. Denham’s harebrained scheme is going remarkably well ... until his leading lady is kidnapped by natives and set upon a sacrificial altar. When Darrow is carried off – and after some persuasion from his screenwriter, Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody), Denham determines the movie goes where Darrow goes, so it’s off through the jungle to save her.

Countless harrowing moments later, the film crew emerges (not unscathed!) from Skull Island’s dark interior, weighed down considerably by an incarcerated gorilla that’s as big as a bus. Denham is giddy with avarice; he can scrap his movie and just exhibit Kong back in the states. Driscoll is thrilled that he’s got the attention of the beautiful starlet. But Darrow is nervous; the big ape stirred her empathy back in the jungle, and she can’t help but feel anxious for him. Her fears, of course, are not unfounded. Soon enough, the volatile combination of human hubris, simian rage and way too many flashbulbs exploding sets the “Eighth Wonder of the World” running amok in Manhattan, desperate to escape his tormentors.

Jackson’s King Kong is a mere 25 feet tall. Larger than any real gorilla that man has ever found, to be sure, but hardly a building-crushing behemoth. So when he finally climbs atop the Empire State Building, he appears small against the backdrop of man’s sprawling construction, impotent against technology that buzzes and stings around him. It’s a keen metaphor for modern movies. With big-budget studios routinely destroying the world (or at least a few major cities) a few times a year, the tragic fate of one oversized ape seems innocuous, a sideshow.

But then you remember him in his own world, undiminished, fighting tooth and claw against dinosaurs, pounding his chest and thundering his rage through the jungle, where he was King, and suddenly all those other films, with their galactic-scale menaces, seem passionless and empty.

It’s enough to leave you feeling a bit jaded.

The location of Skull Island remains a mystery, and the secrets of its rainforest are best left unexplored. Closer to home, though, the enticing and exotic menu at the recently expanded Cafe Brasil all but demands exploration. The beefy stew called feijoada is perfect winter fare, served up in Kong-worthy portions. And Café Brasil’s new rodizio dish, barbecued meat cut off long metal swords for each patron, is sure to delight all of your senses. Denham’s film crew, left to the dubious concoctions of Lumpy, the ship’s cook, would have mutinied for food this good.