King Kong is one of the most famous movie monsters in the west. Ever since King Kong came out in 1933, he's been as iconic to western audiences as Godzilla is to eastern audiences. Unlike Godzilla however, Kong has not enjoyed a long run of successful giant monster brawls, but hopefully, that will begin to change with the rumored Son of Kong MonsterVerse film.
With only nine live-action films, three of which are basically the same movie, Kong still manages to have a variety of films that range in quality. Letterboxd s are often film fans who give their opinions based on a rating of five stars. This is what some of them had to say about each live-action King Kong film.
King Kong Lives (1986) - 2.0/5
Set 10 years after the first King Kong remake, Kong is in a coma after falling off the Twin Towers. In King Kong Lives his heart starts to fail and they build a bionic heart and require a transfusion. When a female of his species is discovered on Skull Island, they bring her to the mainland to give Kong a blood transfusion. He wakes up and searches for his potential mate and they both cause havoc.
Not as cinematically confident as the first film, this film is weird, to say the least. Many reviewers on Letterboxd were put off by the plot of the film, which is basically that Kong is trying to "get the girl," via rather questionable methods. Ultimately it's an uncomfortable and unnecessary sequel that probably shouldn't have been made.
Son of Kong (1933) - 2.6/5
Sometime after the events of King Kong, Carl Denham blames himself for what happened to Kong and he leaves New York. He returns to the island and discovers the natives aren't happy because Kong is gone and the island is sinking. While traveling through the jungle of the island Denham finds that Kong had a child and the child begins to cling to the travelers as friends.
Even in 1933, a sequel coming out in the same year was rare. Unfortunately, the film fails to meet the high bar set by the original. The movie failed to offer comparable thrills and ultimately ends up a pretty ok monster film. The ending is pretty sad though.
King Kong (1976) - 2.8/5
The first remake of King Kong brought the story to the modern day in 1976. An oil tycoon named Fred Wilson wants to find Skull Island for the oil that it could provide. An environmentalist named Jack Driscol stows away to try and foil his plans. When they discover the giant ape Kong, they bring him back to New York where the familiar chaos ensues.
While not the best of the three mainline Kong films, it does have plenty of fans. The environmentalist message resonated with enough people and the updated characters are fun and colorful. The special effects hold up very well even to this day. It's a bold reinvention of the Kong story, that ended up being the highest-grossing film of 1976.
King Kong Escapes (1967) - 2.9/5
King Kong Escapes exists in a strange part of history for Kong. It's an adaptation of a Japanese anime made for Americans called The King Kong Show. The evil Dr. Who has created Mechani-Kong in order to have a Kong of his own. The film ultimately culminates in a fight between King Kong and Mechani-Kong.
Like a lot of the 60s Japanese Kaiju films, King Kong Escapes is a silly affair that tries to emulate a Bond-type adventure but with a giant monster. There's a lot of emphasis on the villain plot which weighs the movie down and the climactic fight leaves a bit to be desired. Kong doesn't get a lot of foes to face, so Mechani-Kong still ended up a nice addition to the franchise.
Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) - 2.9/5
The rematch almost 60 years in the making. Godzilla vs. Kong sees the two kings go up against each other after Kong is forced to leave Skull Island for the Hallow Earth. After two major fights, Kong and Godzilla have to team up to fight back MechGodzilla, a manmade Titan that threatens to destroy the planet.
Not much can be said about the human characters in this film. Many s believed the human arcs were cut down significantly in the edit to make room for the giant monster spectacle. Luckily, where the movie chooses to focus is a solid spectacle, delivering on the promise of these two monsters going toe to toe.
King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) - 3.0/5
The third Godzilla film had him go up against King Kong. Kong is taken from his island to help a failing media conglomerate. When Godzilla emerges, they set Kong loose to try and get him in Godzilla's path so that they could fight each other.
The director of the first Godzilla film, Ishirō Honda, returns to direct this one to pretty good results. While not as strong as either the original Kong or Godzilla film, the film has a lot to say about the media and their desire to do whatever it takes for ratings. This was something that surprised many first-time viewers on Letterboxd.
Kong: Skull Island (2017) - 3.1/5
Kong: Skull Island takes a new and refreshing take on the giant ape. Now he's the last of his kind who protects Skull Island from the malevolent monsters in Hollow Earth. When a group of scientists and military arrive on the island, they awaken the beasts and Kong is mad.
This is the first American Kong movie that didn't end with the titular monster dying in New York. It seemed to be a take that worked well for Letterboxd s. The film has a gorgeous color palette and many found some of the action scenes fun and exciting. It's definitely one of the best King Kong films.
King Kong (2005) - 3.3/5
Peter Jackson's loving remake of King Kong follows much of the same story beats as the original. Jack is reimagined as the scriptwriter for Carl's movie and Carl tricks everyone into going to Skull Island because this is his last hope at making a movie. There, Anne is sacrificed to Kong who begins to grow fond of her as he protects her from the island's dangers. Kong is taken back to New York where he meets his destined end.
Peter Jackson had a lot of goodwill coming off the Lord of the Rings Trilogy and even though the movie is sometimes criticized for being too long, King Kong remains a good follow-up. The 1930s setting helps Jackson poor his love of the original movie and adventure movies of the past. While not quite the original, many have found a great many things to enjoy in this remake.
King Kong (1933) - 3.9/5
When Carl Denham leads a film crew to Skull Island, they find the 8th wonder of the world, Kong. In their attempt to save Anne from being sacrificed to Kong, they capture the giant beast and bring him back to New York for the world to see. Kong breaks out and climbs to the empire state building with Anne in hand, only to be shot down and killed.
King Kong has one of the most iconic lines in cinema, it's truly a staple of American filmmaking that is unmatched, even today. The stop motion effects are still some of the best and most inventive of the medium. Letterboxd s point to its tight runtime and quick pace that help the movie stand the test of time. Truly one of the greats.
