These films typically exist to cash in on the success of the original or rope in unsuspecting viewers who never saw the original. More often than not, they resemble cinematic photocopies with only slight changes in plot. With originality completely ignored, the result is a truly rotten film. "Cheaper by the Dozen 2," anyone?

Bigger problems exist when a filmmaker tries to remake a classic. Neither moviegoers nor critics like or want to see masterpieces messed with for the simple reason that you seldom can improve on a masterpiece.

It helps when the director is Peter Jackson, who follows up his Oscar-winning turn in "The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" with one of the best films of 2005. The movie succeeds on all levels -- as an enthralling adventure story, a heartbreaking love story and a fantasy film with mind-boggling special effects.

The actors, especially Naomi Watts in the Fay Wray role, excel and the script, which Jackson helped write, adds enough humor and wit to somewhat counterbalance all the mayhem.

But what separates "Kong" from most adventure films, even more than its eye-popping special effects and jaw-dropping action scenes, is its heart. Who knew that one of this year’s best cinematic love stories would involve a 25-foot-tall ape with anger issues and a 5-foot-5-inch-tall vaudevillian with employment problems?

The film is basically a love story, albeit one with a few inherent problems. Unlike the original, this film focuses more on intimacy than sexuality between the giant gorilla and Ann Darrow (Watts). Kong is also more playful here as he gets a kick out of gently knocking Ann down and picking her up. The two later enjoy a romp on an ice-covered pond in New York’s Central Park.

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