In a nice touch, Jackson makes it a point not to talk about any material covered in the various documentaries or in the production diaries. So, this track isn’t bogged down with technical information but with more of an emphasis on how they tried to capture the spirit of the historical period, character motivation, references to the original Kong and filming anecdotes. Listening to this track you also find out what was real (as opposed to CGI) and this more impressive than all of the CGI creations because it has become standard for this kind of film. Jackson and Philippa talk about the changes from the original and why they tweaked characters like Jack Driscoll. This is a solid, chatty track packed with loads of information and told in an engaging way that really conveys how much of a labour of love it was for Jackson.

As The Cubist above me said, Peter makes a point of addressing the fact that he tries not to have any overlap between information in the commentary and information that can be found on the bonus features of the film itself. This is a treat, as some commentaries/movies out there have a lot of overlap between in these areas.

Highly recommend this track. Peter (Director/Writer/Producer) and Philippa (Executive Producer/Writer) wear enough hats that enable them to speak confidently about most aspects of the production and successfully navigate the movie's egregious runtime with very, very little dead air. They even manage to throw in a few moments of humour, which is a nice change from their (unfortunately) quiet and subdued manner of speaking.

For any fan of Peter Jackson, any fan of King Kong or any fan of movie production, this is a must-listen-to. Just maybe split it up between several viewings if you don't have 3+ hours to devote, ha ha.

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So weird that it let me post all those words but not as many of my own. This site is possessed.

Station51 - It fails to take your review if you have apostrophes (single quotes) in your text.

A really good track if you want new information, for explanations of reasons in the film, to learn about the history of making it, homages, and more. The original King Kong was Jacksons favorite film, and it really shows hearing him talk about what he did to make this release.

It is interesting that he says he wont repeat anything found in the 3 hours of documentaries also on the disc. This is both good and bad, as maybe the commentary is a great place to explain something in particular that I do not want to dig for in the documentary. But I appreciate his care in trying not to be boring or repetitive. That said, it is still packed full of information, and makes you appreciate various parts of the film more. Including understanding the extra twenty minutes or so found in this edition from the theatrical.

Sometimes with a commentary track, I just listen to it in the background while I am doing something else. Mostly because of the movie, but also a bit because of the commentary, I found myself having to sit down and watch most of the three and half hours again as he is pointing out things along the edges, or explaining some detail in a performance, that I couldnt avert my eyes from.