King Kong

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King Kong

Released Mar 2, 1933

1h 40m

Adventure

Fantasy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

97%

Tomatometer

116 Reviews

86%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Actress Ann Darrow (Fay Wray) and director Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) travel to the Indian Ocean to do location shoots for Denham's new jungle picture. Along the way, the actress meets and falls for rugged First Mate John Driscoll (Bruce Cabot). Upon arriving at a mysterious island, Ann is taken hostage by natives who prepare her as a sacrifice to the enormous ape Kong who rules over their jungle. But when Ann is rescued and Kong is captured, the real trouble begins.

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Critics Consensus

King Kong explores the soul of a monster -- making audiences scream and cry throughout the film -- in large part due to Kong's breakthrough special effects.

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Mae Tinee

Chicago Tribune

King Kong is one of the most original, thrilling and mammoth novelties to emerge from a movie studio. A great show! But don't take nervous children to see it.

Nov 10, 2022

Full Review

Len G. Shaw

Detroit Free Press

Trickery? Nothing else, of course. But it is so ingenious, and on such a stupendous scale as the studios seldom if ever before yielded. It doesn't matter how the "shots" were made. You will be too busy wondering what is to happen next to Fay Wray.

Nov 10, 2022

Full Review

Edwin Schallert

Los Angeles Times

This is a great circus show. And it outdoes circuses, because it has its own menagerie. The kind that a paleontologist would rave about, and the sort that will make you believe that the screen has grown up overnight scientifically.

Nov 10, 2022

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Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

King Kong might seem dated because of the 1930s visual effects but the pioneering effects are a primary reason why this film is a classic and still discussed today.

Rated: 5/5

Sep 6, 2023

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

In the days of modern special effects, the stop-motion giant gorilla Kong may not be realistic to contemporary eyes, but he is a fully realized character in his own right, brought to life with personality and passion.

Aug 19, 2023

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Zita Short

InSession Film

At its core, this is about the fragile, complicated relationship between King Kong, a giant ape living on Skull Island, and Ann Darrow...

Feb 2, 2023

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Justin T

This looks amazing considering when it was made. Like even today I enjoy looking at this film. Even the sound was good for the time. It was a bit hissy and obviously has issues but overall the sound is fine. The pace of this movie is so much better than the Peter Jackson remake. It is so much less boring. In fact this version is not boring at all, it is genuinely a good and entertaining movie. Most importantly though, Kong did not go ice skating!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/11/24

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Rare T

The effects in this movie may be referred to as ahead of their time, although many would label them old and outdated. I wouldn’t. This is one of the rarer times where I find those effects gripping and actually convincing of the wrath and magnitude of the beast before us, even by today’s standards. Once one gets sucked into King Kong, it’s hard to get out, and both meanings are intended through this sentence. One would be convinced a whole beast was actually sitting atop the Empire State Building. Also, Fay Wray is as pretty as a picture.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/10/24

Full Review

Audience Member

I love the movie. Actors, setting, stop motion puppets, everything! I’m actually making a remake go check out my YouTube Channel: Michaelzilla 64 and you’ll see everything about making Kong the ape of terror!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/08/24

Full Review

NiB Y

The (not really but still) original monster movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/03/24

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Walt S

I recently watched a restored version of this film and it truly is a storytelling classic. Today’s audience may find the stop motion animation a little hokey, but this was the best technology of the day, and I would put Kong’s fight with the T Rex up against any CGI blockbuster of today.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/10/24

Full Review

Riley T

a hood classic. what more needs to be said

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/22/24

Full Review

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Merian C. Cooper

Director

Ernest B. Schoedsack

Director

Fay Wray

Ann Darrow

Bruce Cabot

John Driscoll

Robert Armstrong

Carl Denham

Frank Reicher

Captain Englehorn

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King Kong: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Actress Ann Darrow (Fay Wray) and director Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) travel to the Indian Ocean to do location shoots for Denham's new jungle picture. Along the way, the actress meets and falls for rugged First Mate John Driscoll (Bruce Cabot). Upon arriving at a mysterious island, Ann is taken hostage by natives who prepare her as a sacrifice to the enormous ape Kong who rules over their jungle. But when Ann is rescued and Kong is captured, the real trouble begins.

Director: Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack
Producer: Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack
Screenwriter: James Ashmore Creelman, Ruth Rose
Distributor: RKO Radio Pictures
Production Co: RKO Radio Pictures Inc.
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 2, 1933, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 28, 2008
Runtime: 1h 40m

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