King Kong

Director - John Guillermin (Sheena, King Kong Lives)

Starring - Jeff Bridges (The Big Lebowski, R.I.P.D.), Charles Grodin (Beethoven, So I Married an Axe Murderer), and Jessica Lange (American Horror Story, Tootsie)

Release Date - 1976

Genre - Adventure/Horror

Tagline - "The most exciting original motion picture event of all time"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I watched my fair share of great horror and sci-fi movies with my grandmother when I was growing up.  My dad would often leave town and I would spend a lot of time with her.  It was here that I watched Night of the Living Dead and Savini's remake for the first time.  It was also her that introduced me to showed like Red Dwarf, Doctor Who, Lexx, and so on.  I watched a lot of classic films with her.  I remember many years ago, I was maybe 8 or 9 at the time, I was sent home from school.  I was sick and had developed a fever.  My dad knew he would be leaving out of town soon and dropped me off.  My grandmother made me some soup and we watched t.v. together.  This was the first time I saw the 1976 remake of King Kong.  I have watched this one several times since then and I really enjoy it.  Sure, it doesn't have the same atmosphere and energy as the original but it's still fun in it's own right.  A few weeks ago Umbrella Entertainment announced that they would be releasing the film on blu.  I reached out and was able to secure a copy for review.  Thanks guys!

     The film follows a group of explorers searching for crude oil when they enter a strange island.  When they don't find oil they find something else that can make them rich, a giant gorilla named Kong that is worshiped by the locals.  They tranq the beast and bring him back to the states as a sideshow exibit but he escapes his cage and flees through the city leaving devastation in his wake.

     The original King Kong is legendary.  The effects and story were something that still stands as a marvel in cinematic history.  The remake, though it did very well, it was met with hostitlity from avid fans of the original.  It's a solid film, a fairly decent remake, but it is a product of it's time.  Regardless of what others think, I enjoy it and always will.  The acting in this one is great but I never really cared for Lange's performance.  Her character just didn't work for me and there was several times where her character created awkward tension during the scene.  I don't think this was intentional and if it was what the purpose of it was.  With that being said, I really liked Jeff Bridges performance.  It's awesome to see how far he has come over the years and seeing him so young yet so talented.  The story for this one is a solid approach to the original.  It does feature a little more sexuality than the original mixed with the greedy "American" oil cliché that most companies make fun of us for.  I liked how close they stayed with the original but the dumb American trope and sexuality really did stick the movie in the 70s.  It is very dated and not a timeless classic like the original tale.  Finally, the film is not a marvel like the first film.  We do get some classic camera tricks and the like that makes the film work.  I never really cared for how Kong looked in this one but I have definitely seen far worse gorilla suits.  Overall, King Kong is a fun watch.  It's nothing amazing or something we haven't seen before but it's fun.  It works for a theatrical release from the late 70s and still entertains.  The blu from Umberlla looks solid.  The video and audio looks good  but I've seen blu releases that looks better.  It's still a worthy addition to any collector's collection.