Overall Rating
  Awesome: 70.59%
Worth A Look: 15.69%
Average: 5.88%
Pretty Bad: 1.96%
Total Crap: 5.88%
1 review, 45 user ratings
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| King Kong (1933) |
by Steve in Prague
"A part of American folklore...GIVE ME YOUR MONKEY LOVE!!!"
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A historic, important film whose special effects STILL surpass CGI even 70 years later. King Kong is one of "those" movies that have grown beyond their cinematic lives to become a big part of American culture. Oh, and its a kick ass movie as well!!Flashback time people!!
People attending movies in the first part of this century often were the audiences to have certain genres presented to them on the screen for the first time. Slapstick, westerns, period pieces and romantic dramas were among the most popular films of the silent era. With the invention of sound in film began the exploration into a new genre that would prove to leave audiences at the end of their seat and coming back for more: Horror films. With sound, there could be whispers and screams in the dark, and growls coming from monsters not of this earth. Monsters, large clumsy creatures and blood-sucking vampires seemed more life like with their ability to shock the audience before attacking with large roars, cries and moans. There was one monster who could roar louder and wreck more havoc than the rest, and he dominated horror and fantasy films. King Kong remains the true landmark of the Horror film around the world alongside Dracula and Frankenstein. Others have tried to match his size and strength, but none have had the lasting impression King Kong has earned.
Ok history lesson over, now onto the film:
King Kong opens with the talk of a grand voyage into the jungle by a film crew headed by Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) as the director and John Driscoll (Bruce Cabot) as the captain of the ship carrying the crew. The film crew realizes they need a woman this time to make their jungle adventure more appealing to the masses, so Carl hunts down Ann Darrow (Fay Wray). Carl tells her the trip is "money, adventure and fame. It's the thrill of a lifetime and a long sea voyage that starts at six o'clock tomorrow morning." Ann agrees, and ends up on board with Charlie the Chinese cook, Iggy the Monkey and a ship full of dirty sailors. They find their destination, and they arrive on land to find a tribe doing a ceremony dance in front of a grand wall. "Holy Mackeral, what a show!!" The film crew is spotted and kicked off the island by the tribe after they won't trade Ann for six women from the tribe. Later that night, the tribe kidnaps Ann from the ship and gives her as a blond hair surprise to King Kong. The sailors and film crew run into the jungle to hunt down their actress, despite the warning from the tribe.
Several wrestling matches occur for a good part of the rest of the film, and it's all for the sake of Ann as even the dinosaurs want a piece of her. Eventually Kong catches the bad end of some gas bombs, and lands a one way ticket to New York City as the new freak show attraction in town. In one of the most famous endings in cinema history, King Kong ends with our good friend falling from the Empire State Building after being shot down by fighter planes, one of which is flown by Cooper and Shoedsack. "It was beauty that killed the beast." Actually it was the directors
King Kong has become ingrained into American folklore. It has become as much a part of our past as Babe Ruth, Paul Bunyon, John Henry etc etc. Among the most recognizeable scenes in movie history (along with the Odessa Steps, the reaching hand for the butterfly, the rising sun over the plains of the dead etc etc) The final battle on top of the Empire State building still pakcs an emotional punch missing in today's CGI enhanced worlds.
And if I can turn to the CGI for a moment, remember something this film was made in 1932, and for all of CGI's womderous breathtaking spectacle, can it REALLY outdo the final, sad looks on Kong's face as he is about to fall off the Empire State building? No, it sure as hell CANNOT.King Kong is the icon, the man (ape), and it is still, 70 years later, a smashing great film. Long live the KING!!!!
 del.icio.us 
link directly to this review at http://efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=2305&reviewer=253
originally posted: 06/24/02 21:04:25
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OFFICIAL SELECTION: 2006 Boston Sci-Fi Film Festival For more in the 2006 Boston Sci-Fi Film Festival series, click here.
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USA
04-Apr-1933
DVD: 22-Nov-2005
UK
N/A
Australia
N/A
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