'King Kong' preview

Time Out witnesses 15 minutes of footage from the film and grabs an exclusive interview with star Andy Serkis.

Nov 10 2005

Time Out was invited to a very exciting preview screening of 15 minutes from 'King Kong' this morning.

Taking place at London's Soho Hotel, in the presence of 'King Kong' himself, Andy Serkis, we were treated to the amazing trailer that hit the internet last week, followed by a short featurette in which director Peter Jackson explains his passion for the project, and finally an excerpt from the film itself.

And all we can say is WOW. This pulsating footage hasn't just whetted out appetite for 'King Kong', it's got us reaching for a tea towel to mop up the drool.

The scene in question takes place on Skull Island, and features Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) attempting to escape first from Kong, and then from a dangerous delegation of dinosaurs.

What follows is quite the most breathtaking passage of film we've seen all year. Forget the Martian invasion from 'War of the Worlds' or the Jedi/Sith face off from 'Episode III' – for the year's most spectacular set piece, look no further than 'King Kong'.

A sensational chase that ends in the prehistoric fight to end all fights, we don't want to give too much away, but Jackson and his effects team have really outdone themselves this time, and audiences will never have seen anything quite like this before.

When it was all over, and TO had time to pick our jaw up off the floor, we managed to grab a word with Serkis, whose physical movements were motion captured to create the big screen Kong.

On why he decided to accept the role of the giant gorilla, the actor explained: 'It was great to be able to bring a big emotional arc to a character that seemingly is just a monster.

'Most people will be thinking at the moment that it's just another monster movie, and hopefully they'll really be able to connect with Kong in the way that I connected with the gorillas I spent time with during my research.'

Serkis revealed that he hasn't seen the full film, as it hasn't actually been finished yet, but when asked if he was as excited about this one as he was about 'The Lord of the Rings', he said: 'Oh yes. More so in fact. This is driven entirely by Pete's love and passion for 'King Kong', and it has been infectious – it's rubbed off on all of us.'

And based on just 15 minutes from the film's three-hour run time, that same enthusiasm has already rubbed off on Time Out – forget school-boy wizards and strangely spacious wardrobes – 'King Kong' will be the family film to beat come Christmas, and it will doubtless have box office tills ringing long into the new year.

'King Kong' is released on December 15, and Time Out will feature full online interview with Andy Serkis nearer the time.

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