By Kit-Kat

Peter Jackson has my utmost respect as a director (as anyone that has read my reviews from the King Kong movie, and the Production Diaries Special DVD set will be able to tell) and it was of course a given that I would grab the opportunity to review the King Kong 2 Disc Special Edition DVD at first chance.

I'm not going to give another review of the movie, so you can refresh yourself of my original review by checking it out below:

King Kong Movie Review

I was just as blown away watching it again on DVD as I was in the theatre. Though much like War of the Worlds, which also was a fantastic theatrical experience in good part due to the sound, King Kong does loose a little something when going to DVD. It's still a phenomenal movie, and the DVD sound is exceptional, but there is no mistaking that while DVDs are fantastic in their own right, a theatrical experience will never be outdone.

Now on to the DVD Bonus Features! As usual, Peter Jackson gives fans the best insight into the other side of the production, as well as providing a fantastic history for Skull Island and New York. I've seen a lot of behind the scenes features on DVDs and of them all, Peter Jackson does the best job. The way the special features on the DVD are set up is reminiscent of the Lord of the Rings DVD.

If you're familiar with the Production Diaries, you'll be pleased to note that the final months, April through December of 2005 are on this Special Edition Movie DVD set. Not to be confused with "Peter Jackson's Production Diaries" DVD set - which released in December 2005. That fantastic set contained the production diaries from September through December 2004 and January through April 2005 along with a slew of other collectible items that any Peter Jackson or King Kong fans will already have on their shelf (like me!). If you wish to refresh yourself on that special DVD set, you can read my review about it below:

Peter Jackson's Production Diaries DVD Review

The bulk of the Special Features seems to be the production diaries- your glimpse into the last few months of behind the scenes production of King Kong. And much like the previous production diaries there is humor, great cast and crew interaction and a priceless look into the filming world. Skull Island: A Natural History was a great feature. I loved the commentary with the cast and crew (as well as the impressive art and commentary with Alan Lee). To get a glimpse into the imagination of the team, as well as their reasoning for the island inhabitants and future was priceless. Kong's New York 1933 feature was also greatly informing and explained a lot as it explores the period with Vaudeville, Skyscrapers, the Depression and more. Considering Peter Jackson's amazing bonus features, I wonder if there will not be something more coming. I know there is under an hour of unseen footage which smacks of extended edition, and these bonus features, while terrific, are just shy of what you would expect from Jackson considering his phenomenal DVD history.

I do highly recommend adding this to your collection. This DVD, while on the fewer features side, does not disappoint at all! And if you combine it with the Production Diaries DVD set, you have an exceptional collection.