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King Kong

Play trailer Poster for King Kong PG Released Dec 17, 1976 2h 14m Adventure Fantasy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
55% Tomatometer 51 Reviews 31% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
When a research ship is sent to explore an island thought to be rich in oil, paleontologist Jack Prescott (Jeff Bridges) sneaks aboard, having heard strange rumors about the island. En route, the crew rescues Dwan (Jessica Lange), the sole survivor of a shipwreck. When they arrive, they find native people living in fear of a monster called Kong. The natives kidnap Dwan and sacrifice her to what turns out to be an enormous ape. Dwan is eventually rescued, and the ape captured for a gala exhibit.
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King Kong

King Kong

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Critics Consensus

King Kong represents a significant visual upgrade over the original, but falls short of its classic predecessor in virtually every other respect.

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Critics Reviews

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Rocco T. Thompson Slant Magazine The Dino De Laurentiis-produced remake of King Kong is a beautifully aged 1970s gem, uniting old-fashioned spectacle and contemporary concerns. Rated: 4/5 Jul 17, 2024 Full Review Pauline Kael The New Yorker It's a romantic adventure fantasy -- colossal, silly, touching, a marvelous classics-comics movie. Jan 22, 2024 Full Review Anton Bitel Little White Lies Kong is attacked with flame throwers and military helicopters, evoking Vietnam War imagery that had been playing out on America’s small screens till its end in 1975 – and that had divided audiences in their sympathies for ‘our side’ and ‘the Other’. Dec 13, 2022 Full Review Steve Warren The Barb (Atlanta) The funny thing is, the love story works! What isn't funny is that all the horror has gone out of it; to make Kong lovable, they've made him too human, the most three-dimensional character in the story. May 9, 2023 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews ...an excessively erratic blockbuster... Rated: 2/4 Jul 24, 2022 Full Review David Reddish Queerty Lange shouting Good monkey and Chauvinist ape will have viewers in stitches. Rated: 1/4 Mar 13, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Deron G I saw this cinematic gem when I was 10 years old in, 1976... I was always a wide eyed little kid that loved sci-fi. I grew up with the classics. Universal Studios and the legacy monster films of days ago... King Kong, though, 1933 RKO. Is my always, and forever, most favorite, monster movie of all time... I wanted to do make up effects when I was growing up. I mean, my goodness... All the great stuff that was then, was ground breaking. But, my oh my... Here we see a new and improved way of special effects. Rick Baker. My special effects hero. He and Stan Winston. Both, the greatest of all time. The musical score by John Barry was amazing... The great acting talents, established talent, and future academy award winning actors and visual effect artistry... Is a trestament to how wonderfully underrated this gem of a movie really is... It's worth a look. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/06/25 Full Review Rich A Jessica as Fay classic waterfall scene needs to be seen Jeff Bridges classic performance! I call this squirrel Kong must see! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/16/24 Full Review Ethan G The 1976 remake of "King Kong" is the original redone but without the necessary ingredients which made the 1933 classic a classic in the first place. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 04/02/24 Full Review Steve M Respectful remake with modern(70's) touches. Kong remains sympathetic and Rick Baker did a great job as the king. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/30/24 Full Review RobHorror240 This is the greatest movie (say it with me now) OF ALL TIME! I love the visual effects, and the story. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/24/24 Full Review Zinjx W The best King film, according to my taste, the effects are a bit primitive, but I think it's better than the old and the new ones. John Barry's music is just perfect Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/22/24 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

King Kong

King Kong: Official Clip - Don't Kill Him! King Kong: Official Clip - Don't Kill Him! 2:04 King Kong: Official Clip - An Escape-Proof Cage King Kong: Official Clip - An Escape-Proof Cage 2:13 King Kong: Official Clip - The Ape Had the Right Idea King Kong: Official Clip - The Ape Had the Right Idea 1:14 King Kong: Official Clip - Trapping the Beast King Kong: Official Clip - Trapping the Beast 2:12 King Kong: Official Clip - A Violent Encounter King Kong: Official Clip - A Violent Encounter 2:13 King Kong: Official Clip - Snake vs. Kong King Kong: Official Clip - Snake vs. Kong 1:24 King Kong: Official Clip - Showering Dwan King Kong: Official Clip - Showering Dwan 1:59 King Kong: Official Clip - An Offering King Kong: Official Clip - An Offering 2:11 King Kong: Official Clip - Put Me Down! King Kong: Official Clip - Put Me Down! 2:13 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis When a research ship is sent to explore an island thought to be rich in oil, paleontologist Jack Prescott (Jeff Bridges) sneaks aboard, having heard strange rumors about the island. En route, the crew rescues Dwan (Jessica Lange), the sole survivor of a shipwreck. When they arrive, they find native people living in fear of a monster called Kong. The natives kidnap Dwan and sacrifice her to what turns out to be an enormous ape. Dwan is eventually rescued, and the ape captured for a gala exhibit.
Director
John Guillermin
Producer
Dino De Laurentiis
Screenwriter
Lorenzo Semple Jr.
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Production Co
Paramount Pictures, De Laurentiis
Rating
PG
Genre
Adventure, Fantasy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 17, 1976, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 20, 2007
Runtime
2h 14m
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