Different movies, different scoring needs, different approaches-- and above all, the difference between genius and excellency (or "just" good).
I like what Howard does a lot, and liked what I heard. I won't compare this assignment with what Goldsmith might have been able to do with as little time; it would be unfair to Howard, who is a fine composer. Everybody just can't be a Goldsmith.
Jackson did seem to have some specific ideas in mind, anyway-- like the boy singing at the end, which is lifted from TLOTR (and I have yet to hear in a Howard score).
As for the movie, I enjoyed it a lot, but I won't jump on the "Jackson = Spielberg = Hitchcock = ..." bandwagon. He is talented, but some scenes were definitely overkill-- the unnecessary and really badly done slow motion (the "Skull Island" one was particularly painful because totally unnatural / artificial), the stampede (not a bad idea, but a wasted opportunity), the drawn-out Rex fight that went on in the vines, ...
As I pointed out on JWFan.Net, one my favorite moments is actually a very simple, original scene: Kong wandering in a dark street, totally lost and confused.
A good movie, but not the masterwork of a genius director. And a good score, which I should receive from Intrada very soon.
