Movie-to-game translations are often abysmal, unfun, and disgraceful.  However, Peter Jackson's remake of the 1933 classic is not only strong gaming material, but Ubi-Soft and Jackson collaberate to make one of the better gaming experiences based on a film.  The pride and passion are evident throughout most of this adventure piece, because not only does it attempt to use the movie material faithfully, it also is a unique twist on the first-person-shooter genre.

GRAPHICS
---The GameCube's graphics in this game are a mix of great and underwhelming.  The best graphics are in the creature animations.  Dinosaurs, flying predators, and the ape beast himself have fluid movements, and never look like stiff robots.  The water and fire patricle effects are also very crisp.  The human characters don't look bad, but they don't move well.  Part of their jerky movements are due to some scripting glitches (think "Medal of Honor), where the computer-controlled characters move to eagerly too their next destination.  The level environments aren't jaggy or poorly-drawn, but the coloring of this game made me a little bored.  The jungles of Skull Island are so blue and green, and when you're navigating claustrophobic environments very quickly, this can become an uncomfortable experience.  As for New York, the climactic sequence of the movie, I wasn't too impressed, because it's so dark you can barely see anything.  Overall, a solid graphical presentation, but with some sore spots.

SOUND
---The music is not James Newton Howard's from the film (damn!), but it is actually an originally composed score just for the game.  And a very good musical composition it is.  I can't say anything really stands out to me, but when the final Credits roll, you'll listen with a smile.  The voice actors in the English language setting (one of several) are those from the film.  The acting isn't bad, but the written dialogue, which (ironically) was supervised by film co-writer Philippa Boyens, is pretty lame.  Listening to the talented Naomi Watts speak so insightfully on the nature of Kong is cringe-inducing.  Jack Black...well, that depends if you liked him in the film, but everybody else is fine.  The enemies and environment sounds are crisp and very well-done.  If you can forgive some bad dialogue, then turn your bass all the way up, because when you fire those guns, your heart is gonna race.

GAMEPLAY
---The first-person gaming of "King Kong" isn't typical.  There is no HUD (health bar, ammo count, etc); instead, Jack Driscoll (you) can only survive a few attacks and vocally tells you how much ammo is left in your guns (you'll use 4).  You'll mostly be grabbing nearby spears and throwing them at the island's predators, and it's going to be an intense experience most of the time.  Crocodiles, bugs, dinosaurs, flying bats (can't remember their names) --- they're all dangerous if you're not careful.  The spears are also interact with the environment to break doors and burn areas like torches & fields.  There will also be a few protect-segments and chase sequences.  This is mostly pretty good stuff, if a little repetitive.  The 25% of the game where you play as King Kong, however, is going to polarize gamers.  I personally don't care for it.  The camera is too awkward, the combat too simple, the button-mashing redundant, and the jumping and chasing feel like they're on automatic pilot.  Basically, I didn't enjoy this mode at all.  The animations of Skull Island's beasts are fantastic, but the gameplay just isn't fun.  The New York levels have shoddy cameras, so the game actually ends on a poor note.  These final stages should've been the culmination of everything that "King Kong" is about, but the payoff is weak at best.

MOVIE-TO-GAME TRANSLATION
---You won't see a few characters, and the plot doesn't really follow the film's storyline.  But the actual movie is one hour of exposition, and two hours of non-stop action anyway.  What I miss about this game is the beautiful moments featured in the film.  The quiet tender scenes between Ann Darrow and Kong would've made a stronger impact in this game.  Instead, Ubi-Soft (and Peter Jackson, I guess) took the adventure segments, changed the plot to be more gamer-convenient, and extended the two hours of action to 6 hours of gaming.  Not a bad idea, but then some of the attempts to portray some of those tender scenes come off as completely corny and obligatory.  As I said, "King Kong" is one of the better translations, but that's not saying much.

OVERALL
---"King Kong" is a solid game, but 50 bucks is way too much for a 6-hour game.  Even the current $20 price is a jip.  There are extra goodies after you beat the game, but the final New York levels aren't that great, and playing as Kong just wasn't very fun for me.  I will confess that I thought the 2005 version of "King Kong" was an average movie (6.5 out of 10), but this is a game that you should only rent or borrow, because I can't imagine many revisiting this one after a single play-through.
Movie-to-game translations are often abysmal, unfun, and disgraceful. However, Peter Jackson's remake of the 1933 classic is not only strong gaming material, but Ubi-Soft and Jackson collaberate to make one of the better gaming experiences based on a film. The pride and passion are evident throughout most of this adventure piece, because not only does it attempt to use the movie material faithfully, it also is a unique twist on the first-person-shooter genre. GRAPHICS
---The GameCube's graphics in this game are a mix of great and underwhelming. The best graphics are in the creature animations. Dinosaurs, flying predators, and the ape beast himself have fluid movements, and never look like stiff robots. The water and fire patricle effects are also very crisp. The human characters don't look bad, but they don't move well. Part of their jerky movements are due to some scripting glitches (think "Medal of Honor), where the computer-controlled characters move to eagerly too their next destination. The level environments aren't jaggy or poorly-drawn, but the coloring of this game made me a little bored. The jungles of Skull Island are so blue and green, and when you're navigating claustrophobic environments very quickly, this can become an uncomfortable experience. As for New York, the climactic sequence of the movie, I wasn't too impressed, because it's so dark you can barely see anything. Overall, a solid graphical presentation, but with some sore spots. SOUND
---The music is not James Newton Howard's from the film (damn! ), but it is actually an originally composed score just for the game. And a very good musical composition it is. I can't say anything really stands out to me, but when the final Credits roll, you'll listen with a smile. The voice actors in the English language setting (one of several) are those from the film. The acting isn't bad, but the written dialogue, which (ironically) was supervised by film co-writer Philippa Boyens, is pretty lame. Listening to the talented Naomi Watts speak so insightfully on the nature of Kong is cringe-inducing. Jack Black... well, that depends if you liked him in the film, but everybody else is fine. The enemies and environment sounds are crisp and very well-done. If you can forgive some bad dialogue, then turn your bass all the way up, because when you fire those guns, your heart is gonna race. GAMEPLAY
---The first-person gaming of "King Kong" isn't typical. There is no HUD (health bar, ammo count, etc); instead, Jack Driscoll (you) can only survive a few attacks and vocally tells you how much ammo is left in your guns (you'll use 4). You'll mostly be grabbing nearby spears and throwing them at the island's predators, and it's going to be an intense experience most of the time. Crocodiles, bugs, dinosaurs, flying bats (can't remember their names) --- they're all dangerous if you're not careful. The spears are also interact with the environment to break doors and burn areas like torches & fields. There will also be a few protect-segments and chase sequences. This is mostly pretty good stuff, if a little repetitive. The 25% of the game where you play as King Kong, however, is going to polarize gamers. I personally don't care for it. The camera is too awkward, the combat too simple, the button-mashing redundant, and the jumping and chasing feel like they're on automatic pilot. Basically, I didn't enjoy this mode at all. The animations of Skull Island's beasts are fantastic, but the gameplay just isn't fun. The New York levels have shoddy cameras, so the game actually ends on a poor note. These final stages should've been the culmination of everything that "King Kong" is about, but the payoff is weak at best. MOVIE-TO-GAME TRANSLATION
---You won't see a few characters, and the plot doesn't really follow the film's storyline. But the actual movie is one hour of exposition, and two hours of non-stop action anyway. What I miss about this game is the beautiful moments featured in the film. The quiet tender scenes between Ann Darrow and Kong would've made a stronger impact in this game. Instead, Ubi-Soft (and Peter Jackson, I guess) took the adventure segments, changed the plot to be more gamer-convenient, and extended the two hours of action to 6 hours of gaming. Not a bad idea, but then some of the attempts to portray some of those tender scenes come off as completely corny and obligatory. As I said, "King Kong" is one of the better translations, but that's not saying much. OVERALL
---"King Kong" is a solid game, but 50 bucks is way too much for a 6-hour game. Even the current $20 price is a jip. There are extra goodies after you beat the game, but the final New York levels aren't that great, and playing as Kong just wasn't very fun for me. I will confess that I thought the 2005 version of "King Kong" was an average movie (6. 5 out of 10), but this is a game that you should only rent or borrow, because I can't imagine many revisiting this one after a single play-through.