KING KONG: All Three Versions

This thread is for discussing the various versions of KING KONG. I realize this isn't exactly a timely thread, but it is a favorite topic of mine and I hope others will be interested in discussing it too.

Recently in the Amphitheatre Forum, I had a discussion with various members about the various versions of KONG, during which I defended the much-derided 1976 re-make (which I adore unabashedly), and in turn I criticised the 2005 re-make as bloated and overwrought. (See quotes below for a copy of this discussion.) Of course most people tend to agree that the 1933 original is still the best -- in terms of cinematic aplomb and sheer originality, I wholeheartedly support that opinion.

I've seen all three versions many, many, many times, and I rank them in order of their release:

* 1933 = 5 stars
* 1976 = 4 stars
* 2005 = 3.5 stars

Currently, I'm watching the 2005 version again, and I must say I'm enjoying it more than I ever have before. In the past I've been hyper-critical of it, and I still think it's bloated and I'd trim a few scenes and lines of dialogue (more on this later, but a good example is the absurd "It's not an adventure story is it?" / "No, Jimmy -- it's not." ), but for the most part it's extremely well made and incredibly exciting.

I'll add more thoughts as they occur to me. Please join in and discuss your favorite -- and least favorite -- versions and elements of the KING KONG "Trilogy".

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Jackson uses a sledgehammer for most of the LotR movies too. Take another look at Frodo going into the woods if you need a reminder.

 

I liked 2005 version. You can say they went overboard with adding stuff, but it was all popcorn cgi scenes and looks amazing. The bug scene is creepy enough that I almost can't watch it. I thought Jack Black did very well considering you go into it thinking he's just some silly comedian. However, I found Naomi Watts bland.

1976, its been too long, I don't remember it. I do remember that was my first "scary movie" and it scared me. My dad liked it, and he's old school

1933, again been to long. All I remember is the Kong vs Dinosaur, which was cool.

 

Allow me to pass on a truth, or an axiom if you will, that has been circulating in the SFF community for many decades: That any fan, young or old, of science-fiction/fantasy films is contractually obligated, as part of earning the title "SFF fan", to see the 1933 KING KONG is its entirety.

Folks, it is THE movie that started it all. It's considered one of the all-time greats for a reason: It truly is as amazing, as entertaining and as moving as its reputation describes. Peter Jackson saw it when he was 12, wept at the end, and decided on the spot to become a film-maker. I'm certain there are many others, of this and previous generations of "genre" movie-makers, who have experienced a similar epiphany.

Don't think that because you have to see this movie that it's going to be a dull-fest, underwhelming on a technical level, or charming-yet-outdated. It is a product of its time, certainly, and it can be fun to grin at the goofiness (in places) of the stop motion animation. But the drama is rich. The characters are indelible, the dialogue witty and well-written. The sheer plethora of dinosaurs on Skull Island -- scene after scene after scene of prehistoric beasties trying to eat our protagonists -- awes and excites like no other film of its kind. Combine all three Jurassic Park films, and I think you might have as many dinosaur sequences as exist at the heart of the '33 KONG. They will leave you as breathless as they do Ann and Jack.

Jackson's film is largely an homage to, and expansion of, the original. It's a re-telling with better effects and cinematography, and a more potent emotional pull. The powerful scenes of bonding between Ann and Kong are a product of the modern era, first explored in the 1976 re-make and taken to their fullest extent in 2005. In 1933 there is no connection between girl and gorilla: he's a beast, a monster; she a beauty, a hapless victim who only wants to screech and get away. Knowing that before you go in will help, I think, enjoy the film for what it is, the first -- and arguably greatest -- adventure/horror/science-fiction/fantasy/monster film in Hollywood history.

I give the 1933 film 5 stars; it's on my Top 10 List and will remain there in perpetuity. After you've seen it, please drop by this thread and tell us what rating you assign it, what your thoughts are, how it compares to its re-makes and to your expectations. And remember:

"It wasn't the airplanes that got him; it was beauty killed the beast."

 

My question to you is... what do you think of King Kong Lives?

 

I refuse to dignify that question with a response. Oh, wait, I just did.

Okay, in brief, I watched KKL once on cable in about 1987. Words cannot express my mortification at seeing two icons from previous favorite films -- Linda Hamilton and Rick Baker's Kong -- reduced to such absurd goings-on as mechanical hearts and Kong-to-Kong blood transfusions.

I understand this thing is now something of a cult hit/drinking game, but honestly I don't think I could give it the time of day. The less said about it here, the better.

 

Seems both Kong 33 and Kong 76 have sequels nobody is particularly interested in then. Son of Kong and King Kong Lives.

 

We can talk about them if you want to, LOL. For that matter, we can talk about Toho Studios' 1962 film King Kong vs. Godzilla, in which Kong is suddenly 30 stories tall, and defeats Godzilla in one-on-one combat (in the American release version, anyway). There was a 1967 sequel to this called King Kong Escapes, featuring a gigantic five-hundred-foot-tall robot Kong of steel. This robot Kong was also used on a Japanese cartoon show of the same period.

I've seen every Kong film at some point in my life, and am prepared to discuss them all if you like! I do enjoy the 1933 Son of Kong, which is a kind of sweeter, gentler re-visit to the original island, with a big, cute, albino baby Kong as the title character.

I also have my own concept for a sequel to the 1976 film, which of course will never be made considering how loathed that movie generally is, and the fact that it's been replaced by the 2005 version.

So... let's discuss KONG sequels! I'm game!

 

I've never seen it but am curious as to what it was like.

I can definitely say that the 76 version is my least favorite. Both the 33 and the 05 versions are very good in their own ways.

 

KKL is Kong getting an artificial heart after everyone feels bad about gunning him down in the 76 version. Then they go to the island, find a lady Kong... she and Kong mate after Kong goes on a rampage to find her... and there's a baby Kong. Also, Kong eats rednecks. I liked it, saw it in the theater with my dad when I was 6.

Also, Kong v Godzilla is awesome!