King Kong - 2005 remake (DVD)

Whether or not you saw King Kong in theaters, the 2-Disc Widescreen Special Edition is a must-have monster. (The casual fan might go for the single-disk release, while the completist will definitely spend the extra $1.00 for the 2-Disc edition.)

Set in the 1930s, this is the story of a beautiful but down-and-out vaudeville actress named Ann Darrow (a luminous Naomi Watts) whose luck changes when she meets an ambitious, impetuous filmmaker, Carl Denham (a delightfully manic Jack Black). She and he, and a cast and crew, head for a remote island location where she discovers horror and humanity in a murderous yet sympathetic ape called Kong (portrayed by Andy Serkis).

The beauty and the beast follow their fates back to a gloriously deco New York City, where death and destruction await. (To read the theatrical review of King Kong, click here.)

With a banana boatload of additional release materials, you could spend hours on end with Kong and the gang and still not be done with the DVD. (The movie itself is 3 hours, 8 minutes).

King Kong Production Diaries - #55-67

Dozens of featurettes on everything you ever wanted to know about the making of King Kong, step-by-step from beginning to end. This is a collection from an official website, kongisking.net, which ran in real time throughout the production, then was pulled and put on disc in December 2005.

King Kong Post Production Diaries - #68-90

Includes footage from the press junket, the movie's red carpet world debut in New York's Times Square, and scenes from the premiere's after-party.

Skull Island: A Natural History

This seriously-presented mockumentary runs 17 minutes, and is one of the fluffier featurettes. But it's a welcome breather from the more intensely-densely detailed Production Diaries.

King Kong's New York, Circa 1933

For someone who loves the art deco era, this is easily the most informative and entertaining featurette on the disc. Stunning special effects meld with actual footage from the 1930s, and production designers talk about the experience of bringing the era back to life in the 21st century.

The Volkswagen Toureg & King Kong

Volkswagen has a deal with Universal (remember the V-Dub Kate Hudson drove in The Skeleton Key?), and so were we go with the tie-in featurette. It's a painless two minutes long.

The Wish You Were Here (a just under two-minute look at the city of New York) featurette and an Introduction from Director Peter Jackson (just under one minute) round out the featurettes.

Be sure and visit (or revisit) Horror.com's exclusive coverage from the movie's TV junket, and much more.

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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson