Christopher Abel writes: I don’t know about you, but the previous two film versions of “King Kong” (the 1933 original starring Fay Wray and the 1976 remake with Jessica Lange) presented a relationship between the titular ape and his female hostage that seemed to me rather creepy. In the history of odd couple romances brought to the screen, King Kong and a screaming blonde takes the cake, and nobody (I hope) wants to see a 30-foot tall ape poking suggestively at his sexy captive. Such an awkward physical romance, mutual or otherwise, could easily have sunk Peter Jackson’s $200 million remake. But he’s smarter than that, and fresh off his Oscar wins for “The Lord of the Rings,” he’s managed to breathe new life into an old story, infusing it with dazzling visual flair and, more importantly, an emotionally resonant dramatic story that turns that creepy relationship between Kong and Ann Darrow into something sweetly innocent. [More]