2005's "King Kong" & Its Coming Prequel

Think back on the biggest films of the past decade in scope, magnitude, and impact. Few titles come readily to the surface. There were innovative visual masterpieces like "Gravity" and "Avatar"; mind-bending adventures like "Inception" and "The Dark Knight"; historical masterpieces along the lines of "12 Years A Slave" and "Lincoln"; and any number of other noteworthy works. But one film curiously left off these lists is 2005's "King Kong." While the film is not quite as original or exceptional in its execution as the other titles mentioned, its impact was huge. Also, it's worth looking back at now that there's word of a prequel in the works.

For starters, let's remind everyone of the numbers. According to Box Office Mojo, "King Kong" — working with a gigantic $207 million budget — raked in over half a billion dollars worldwide, which is good for full-on blockbuster status. Glancing back at the film, it's actually somewhat easy to dismiss. Giant CGI monsters have become commonplace, and the concept of Jack Black starring in a semi-serious "King Kong" flick was a little bit silly to begin with. But the critical reception may remind you that this was actually a pretty serious and extremely impressive exercise in filmmaking. Roger Ebert himself gave the film four stars, calling it "a surprisingly involving and rather beautiful movie."

There's also the cultural impact of "King Kong" to consider in giving it its proper place among the most impressive films of the past decade. While the box office numbers speak to the film's popularity with audiences, it also managed to spawn more than one successful video game. The most noteworthy was "Peter Jackson's King Kong," a Ubisoft game for major consoles that earned an 8.0 rating at IGN. The game portrayed the Skull Island setting with satisfying graphics for its time while its action let players alternate between man and beast, creating a unique gameplay experience. And then there is the King Kong-themed game hosted at Betfair's online casino. It went so far as to include actual clips and footage from the film in order to cultivate a cinematic arcade experience. Its use of music, themes, and images from "King Kong" actually capture the film's spirit in a pretty satisfying way. Both games, and their respective runs of success, further indicate the lasting impact of the film on fans.

And then there's the apparent impact Peter Jackson's 2005 "King Kong" has had on the film industry as a whole. While it's difficult to quantify, it does feel very real. Again, we've grown used to building-sized monsters portrayed with stunning detail, but "King Kong" was one of the first films to demonstrate this scale in modern fashion. Who's to say some of the films we've seen since — "Godzilla" and "Pacific Rim," for example — would look the same if "King Kong" hadn't paved the way?

All of this is reason to be more than a little excited about the forthcoming addition to the King Kong canon. Love it or not, the 2005 film was a memorable experience, and it's only natural that its scope and quality cast have placed high expectations on the follow-up project. So here's a bit about what we know concerning the new film, which will apparently be called "King Kong: Skull Island."

To begin with, the film is an "origins" story, likely depicting Skull Island before the known discovery of King Kong. This naturally invites a lot of potential for creativity because a giant mystical island filled with beasts evolving in isolation has virtually endless possibilities. We may just get to see what Kong's average day consisted of before he came into contact with humans.

However, the film will not be devoid of a human presence. The Guardian reported last month that Tom Hiddleston has accepted the lead role for the film. While it's unclear what exactly that role may be, it certainly represents a big opportunity for Hiddleston. The actor's signature role thus far is playing the villain Loki in Marvel's various Avengers-related stories.

But if the "Skull Island" film does well, it could be a true break for him. That said, however, the same Guardian report named Jordan Vogt-Roberts as the director for the film, which is a somewhat puzzling move by Legendary Pictures. Vogt-Roberts did "The Kings Of Summer" in 2013 and earned a fair bit of praise, but he's stepping into new territory with a project like this one. It's either an enormous vote of confidence from Legendary or an indication that the project is more side project than blockbuster.

Only time will tell what the new film will look like. But re-watch "King Kong" and we're betting you'll start getting excited either way!