He’s 24-feet-tall, very hairy, and has a soft spot for blondes. While Naomi Watts, Adrien Brody, and Jack Black, the stars of the epic King Kong, have all perfected their frightened looks and tearful gazes, the film really belongs to that misunderstood, giant ape Kong. He gets shot practically 500 times and still manages to (almost) get the girl. Can’t this guy get a break?

Director Peter Jackson is no stranger to big-budget blockbusters, having directed all three Lord of the Rings films, and he brings that same extravagant, fantastical appeal to Kong. The film seamlessly combines a touching yet inevitably hopeless love story and rousing action sequences ending with Kong raging through 1930s Manhattan. The special effects are astounding, especially the iconic scene with Kong climbing up the Empire State building, Watts in hand.

King Kong follows crazed director Carl Denham (Black) as he first meets and offers a role to Ann Darrow (Watts), a struggling vaudeville actress who desperately needs a job. Denham is forever looking to film the unseen and undiscovered and has decided to shoot his next movie in an uncharted location known as Skull Island.

There, he encounters not only Kong, but countless other terrifying creatures including digitally super-sized dinosaurs, insects, and bats. The zombie-like native people take Darrow prisoner and as a sacrifice, bring her to Kong, where he falls in love with the dauntingly beautiful actress. Darrow is soon saved, but as soon as Denham lays eyes on the magnificent beast, he decides to capture Kong and chain him up for all of New York to see.

Kong eventually breaks free and wreaks havoc on the city, destroying building after building in search of Darrow. They reunite for one last time before Kong is killed, in all his chest-pounding glory, atop the Empire State Building.

Watts is exceptional as the tortured damsel in distress and Black, who takes on a slightly more serious role than usual, captures the essence of Denham, a maniacal director who would risk anything for the perfect shot. Brody is equally as brilliant as writer Jack Driscoll, Darrow’s heroic love interest, who has to deal with the shame of losing out to a giant ape.

Jackson has elevated King Kong above just another bland Hollywood remake or special effects machine. He makes you feel sad for a savage beast and believe that there is indeed a beautiful woman who loves him. By the end of the film, I didn’t even care that all of New York was destroyed or that I had been sitting there for nearly three hours.