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6. King Kong - The V-Rex Battle

“(Sound that a V-Rex makes)”

The epic brawl between King Kong and a trio of dinosaurs in Peter Jackson’s 2005 remake is an exercise in upping the ante. We begin with Ann Darrow hiding from one Foetedon (big-ass iguana-lookin’ mofo), then two. Then, after a brief foreshadowing of the nasty insect sequence to come, we upgrade to one V-Rex (Skull Island’s extra-evolutionary answer to a T-Rex), then two. Finally, by the time Kong arrives on the scene, Jackson throws in a third V-Rex for good measure.

Jackson refuses to be satisfied with an already sensational premise. He begins with a remake of the classic 1933 battle between Kong and a Tyrannosaur. Giant ape vs. giant lizard. Fair enough. But then he starts asking questions. What if Kong had to take on two of those guys? If two, why not three? Who’d see that coming? And instead of Ann waiting safely in a tree screaming the whole time, what if Kong had to hold her while fighting? (This produces the single most bad-ass move by a giant ape in film history - the mid-battle hand-to-foot blonde toss.)

Most storytellers at this point would say, “You know what? We’ve got a pretty good scene here. Let’s get lunch.” But Jackson says, “Oh, and then they fall into a giant patchwork of vines.”

For all his innovation, Jackson doesn’t forget where Kong comes from. At the end of the sequence, he returns to the simplicity of the original fight, bringing it back down to one giant animal enters, one giant animal leaves, and goes so far as to give Kong the same finishing move - that sickhouse jaw break.

There’s no lack of visual technique at work here. Jackson takes his time with his reveals, introducing each new danger in unexpected ways. And rather than allow his CG creatures play on a static stage, he keeps the camerawork fluid while maintaining the geography of the action.

Aside from proving that CG action choreography can be just as sophisticated as in any martial arts film, the scene also establishes a core dramatic element on which the rest of the film will rely - how much Kong and Ann mean to each other. I’ll pause while you snicker.

But, seriously, dude, how many people would you take a V-Rex chomp for? Or two? Or three? (They chew on his arm a LOT.) But Kong never lets go. He defends Ann to the end, demonstrating that she’s not just another pretty face in a bone necklace that he’ll eventually crush absent-mindedly once he becomes bored with her.

And after seeing Kong pwn that last V-Rex, Ann looks like she’s ready to bear his uncomfortably large ape spawn. I know he’s unemployed, but he’s got his own place and, unlike everyone else on the island, he doesn’t just see her as food.

Kong, of course, plays the moment like a champ. He’s all “You’re looking well,” and then starts to walk away making her chase him. Yeah, that fucker’s read The Game.

See also: The rest of the Skull Island sequence of King Kong, The first T-Rex attack in Jurrasic Park, Final battle in Destroy All Monsters, pretty much anything Ray Harryhausen was involved in.

Next: A film with the classic subtitled dialogue, “Situation with babies bad.”