Saw King King --a few thoughts. Like why does the black guy always die.

[bklyncowgirl]

First of all the special effects are everything that they said they are. Action was first rate. It was also one of the saddest movies I've ever seen.

King Kong came off as a believable character. He was a gorilla--alright an overgrown gorilla but he moved like a gorilla and by and large acted like a gorilla--alright there was that thing about the sacrificed virgins--a real gorilla wouldn't go anywhere near that but you kind of have to go with the story.

I found myself responding to him as a gorilla rather than a monster.

That made the ending all the more tragic because aside from the rather odd love story this was really about a frightened and abused animal who was trying to protect himself and the woman he loved.

One thing I've noticed about all of these disaster movies. Whenever there's a sympathetic minority character in a disaster movie--like the philosophical first mate in King Kong or the computer expert in Jurassic Park, you know that guy is toast. Unless he's played by Will Smith or Danny Glover or Eddie Murphy he is going to be eaten, drowned, burned alive--you name it.

I mean do they have a formula for these things that says "the nice black guy buys the farm".

[Strong Atheist]

1. You would like

a comic called Barry Ween, Boy genius. At one point, he shows how the Kong movies are racist...

[hfojvt]

2. didn't the black guy survive in

Phantoms? and The Matrix? and Armageddon?

[bklyncowgirl]

3. I didn't see those movies so I wouldn't know.

Can't say it's universal.

In t his movie, I said to my husband when I saw this character, who was a great guy, thoughtful, brave and a real leader, that "I bet the black guy gets killed." based on this pattern and I was right.

[Kire]

4. If it's any consolation,

...it was a noble death. He saved his friends by sacrificing himself. Content of character and all.

The white guys who died were sniveling and scared. But, it goes to show how Jack Black's character is a villain when he kept gushing about how he was going to donate the proceeds of the film to theirfamilies (and not the black guy).

[Orsino]

5. And the Scorpion King.

Overheard two rows behind us as the picture ended: "well, whaddya know? The black guy lived."

[NewJeffCT]

6. Independence Day, too.

with Will Smith...

And, Deep Blue Sea with LL Cool J surviving and the hot white scientist dying.