John Shirley reviews the new King Kong

By at 6:10 pm Saturday, Dec 10

John Shirley looks deep into the savage breast of Peter Jackson.
Symbolism enwraps interlocked themes; male sexuality, female desire, hidden agendas, friendly faces hiding monsters, human indifference to suffering, the mindless savagery that is civilization—crueler than any giant ape could be, calling us to a need to redefine our relationship with wildness, with the animal world itself. At one point Jackson rather heavy handedly quotes Heart of Darkness to explain his subtext, telling us we all have to explore our own Skull Islands, come face to face with inner beast, see it as it is, and if not tame it, come to terms with it.
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Mark Frauenfelder

My latest book, Made by Hand, now in paperback. Follow me on Twitter.

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