Directed by:
John GuillerminCinematography:
Richard H. KlineComposer:
John BarryCast:
Jeff Bridges, Jessica Lange, Charles Grodin, Jack O'Halloran, John Randolph, Rene Auberjonois, Julius Harris, Dennis Fimple, Ed Lauter, Jorge Moreno, John Lone (more)Plots(1)
Primate palaeontologist Jack Prescott (Jeff Bridges) sneaks aboard an expedition to the uncharted Skull Island, warning the ruthless oil executive Fred Wilson (Charles Grodin) against exploiting its resources with an ominous message about "the roar of the greatest beast" from previous doomed explorers. En route they rescue aspiring actress Dwan (Jessica Lange), the sole survivor of a shipwreck. Upon disembarking on the island they discover a strange primitive world of mystery and danger, where the natives live within the confines of a vast wall to protect them from the giant ape god, Kong. Dwan is abducted and offered as a sacrifice to the savage beast, before the crew rescue her and capture Kong to take him to New York. Wilson views him as a profitable Broadway attraction, but the ape has other ideas and escapes to rampage through the streets of the Big Apple. (StudioCanal UK)
(more)Reviews (2)
I used to watch it over and over again when I was a kid, and the huge walking ape really terrified me with its horrible roar. Now I saw it again after a long time and what scared me was Jessica Lange with her horrible screaming. It's not a bad version, but for being more than 40 years newer than the original, it really lags behind it by quite a bit.
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The 1976 King Kong is decent, in the sense of being average. The acting is interesting, but gradually you find it hard to bear. The screenplay is quite weak in places, and the film is unnecessarily drawn out, so the tension fades away. The finale reigns supreme, but it takes too long to get there, with some scenes being truly unnecessary. The intriguing essence it had in my childhood years has vanished. Unfortunately, some movies just get old.
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