I will admit to owning and loving the cheesy 70s remake--but this new one was absolutely heartbreaking and beautiful (albeit a little flawed in places). Kong was finally given a back story and a personality and a soul--and the result was magnificent. Naomi Watts should have gotten a nod for her work--she, in essence, helped create his character through her performance.
Oh, I could go on and on about it, but I already hear a bunch of freepers groaning... ;-)
King Kong was the only movie we paid money to see this past year. It comes out on DVD this month - and we're buying a copy of it as well (the only other DVDs we've bought have been the Lord of the Rings movies, Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz. You're not alone gushing about King Kong. We do, however, plan to see Narnia. Everyone who has seen it has told us it is excellent.