I agree with your observations. I, too, thought it was up to an hour too long. I especially disagreed with the need for roughly 40 minutes worth of stampeding through the jungle underfoot of the beasts. Why were there so many of them and why were they stampeding?
Just a note about the final scenes. The New York action took place in winter. I've been in New York City in Winter and went to the top of the Empire State Building. On the open 86th floor observation area I was wearing a heavy navy peacoat and dress blues plus gloves and was nontheless quite cold. The wind cut right through me. But Ann Darrow made it to the very top and stands there exposed to that wind in a low-cut light dress, but shows no signs of discomfort or fear of falling from that great height, even after Kong fell to his death. Also, the preceding scenes were clearly in the evening before midnight. So how did it sudenly become daylight (perhaps dawn)when the planes were circling above?
Having said all this, I considered the best part of the film to be the New York episodes at the beginning and end of the film. I think Mr. Jackson got so involved in the truly magnificent CGI that he lost track of the story-telling and apparently did not realize how bloated the film had become. With considerably more attention to editing, this would have been a much better film.
I liked Jack Black's role a lot. He never hit a wrong note.
Agreement plus
Just a note about the final scenes. The New York action took place in winter. I've been in New York City in Winter and went to the top of the Empire State Building. On the open 86th floor observation area I was wearing a heavy navy peacoat and dress blues plus gloves and was nontheless quite cold. The wind cut right through me. But Ann Darrow made it to the very top and stands there exposed to that wind in a low-cut light dress, but shows no signs of discomfort or fear of falling from that great height, even after Kong fell to his death. Also, the preceding scenes were clearly in the evening before midnight. So how did it sudenly become daylight (perhaps dawn)when the planes were circling above?
Having said all this, I considered the best part of the film to be the New York episodes at the beginning and end of the film. I think Mr. Jackson got so involved in the truly magnificent CGI that he lost track of the story-telling and apparently did not realize how bloated the film had become. With considerably more attention to editing, this would have been a much better film.
I liked Jack Black's role a lot. He never hit a wrong note.