☰
Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

King Kong Lives

Play trailer Poster for King Kong Lives PG-13 1986 1h 45m Sci-Fi Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
8% Tomatometer 13 Reviews 17% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
The big ape receives a heart transplant and runs off with his blood donor, a she-ape having his baby.
Watch on Fandango at Home Stream Now

Where to Watch

King Kong Lives

Critics Reviews

View More (13)
Janet Maslin New York Times King Kong Lives ... has a dull cast and a plot that's even duller, but the ape himself is in good form. Rated: 2/5 May 20, 2003 Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times The problem with everyone in King Kong Lives is that they're in a boring movie... and they just can't stir themselves to make an effort. Even the lowliest extras in a 1950s' B picture would have been able to scream better and roll their eyes more. Rated: 1/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Eddie Harrison film-authority.com ...shockingly bad but blisteringly daft epic... Rated: 3/5 Nov 30, 2023 Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins There's still far too much comedy; any sense of awe (of which terribly little exists) is drowned out by constant, immature, generic attempts at laughs. Rated: 2/10 Jun 28, 2021 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy There's simply no reason for this movie to be this abysmal. Rated: 1/4 Mar 24, 2021 Full Review Tim Brayton Alternate Ending I have never seen a King Kong knock-off more lifeless and almost mean-spirited in its lack of narrative cohesion or functional human characters than this one. Rated: 0.5/5 Sep 18, 2017 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More (234)
randomshjt 2. Not as bad as people say, but definitely not one of Kong‘s best moments Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 08/21/25 Full Review Justin T This is an interesting King Kong movie with a story totally unlike the others. The elements are unfamiliar which makes it feel different. It’s still a story about a giant ape though with some human elements thrown in. The giant apes keep escaping, you’d think they’d have learnt and be able to keep them captive by now. Anyway it’s good that Kong is in it from the start, you don’t have to wait an hour to see the star. The cast do a great job even if Linda Hamilton’s character is very one-dimensional. The scale of King Kong is excellent, you really get a sense of how big he is. All of the practical effects are very enjoyable and have a better, albeit slightly comedic, feel to them compared to the CGI weightless beasts. Overall it’s an okay movie, a bit different which is refreshing considering how many kaiju movies I’ve seen recently. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 07/08/25 Full Review David M There is only one word to describe this: Garbage Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 03/02/25 Full Review Rich A I own this I watch it once a year it's silly Kong is violent on this one pushed to the edge I feel some folks could not handle him getting upset. Cheesy fun! Kong fans must watch monster fans as well my opinion! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/16/24 Full Review Ethan G With dull characters, boring action and a runtime that feels longer than it really is, "King Kong Lives" isn't even worth watching to see Kong smash and destroy, mostly because of how obvious it is this time around that it's a man in a suit. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 04/02/24 Full Review David C Los efectos secundarios son malos la historia es mala king Kong es una persona disfrazada y igual como la hembra Rated 1 out of 5 stars 04/02/24 Full Review Read all reviews
King Kong Lives

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

View All

John Guillermin

Director

Brian Kerwin

Hank Mitchell

Linda Hamilton

Amy Franklin

John Ashton

Lt. Col. R.T. Nevitt

Peter Elliot

King Kong

George Yiasomi

Lady Kong

More Like This

View All
Slipstream 43% 24% Slipstream Watchlist Runaway 48% 33% Runaway Watchlist Dreamscape 78% 46% Dreamscape Watchlist My Stepmother Is an Alien 20% 31% My Stepmother Is an Alien Watchlist Enemy Mine 61% 68% Enemy Mine Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More
View All

King Kong Lives

King Kong Lives (1986) King Kong Lives (1986) King Kong Lives (1986) King Kong Lives (1986) King Kong Lives (1986) King Kong Lives (1986) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis The big ape receives a heart transplant and runs off with his blood donor, a she-ape having his baby.
Director
John Guillermin
Producer
Martha De Laurentiis
Screenwriter
Ronald Shusett, Steven Pressfield
Production Co
De Laurentiis Entertainment Group
Rating
PG-13
Genre
Sci-Fi
Original Language
English
Release Date (DVD)
Nov 7, 2006
Box Office (Gross USA)
$4.3M
Runtime
1h 45m
Sound Mix
Surround
Most Popular at Home Now