Cheap King Kong (DVD) (Jeff Bridges, Charles Grodin, Jessica Lange) (John Guillermin) Price

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Customer Reviews of King Kong

Decent remake
Okay, I admit that the original King Kong (1933) was technically a better film, and I admit I was innitially disappointed with this film -- mainly because it lacked the driving force of the original and its many cool prehistoric animals (the giant snake just doesn't hold a candle to the original's t-rex, triceratops, etc.). But this '76 version has many attributes that can't be denied -- many that the original version DOESN'T have. For instance, great photography (from Hawaii)and score. Jeff Bridges and the oil expidition leader (I forget his name) are great characters -- no where near as "campy" as some criticize. And how about Jessica Lange?! The scenes of her after their innitial arrival to the mysterious island are unforgettable! Lange is dressed in skimpy jeans shorts and a striped billy shirt and... guys, you just have to see her -- she is SO beautiful. No wonder Kong fell in love with her. For all these reasons, this movie is a must see. Buy it, own it -- if for no other reason than to possess the beauteous Jessica Lange captured on film in the prime of her physical beauty. I was glad I gave this film a second chance.

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This King Kong is no Turkey!!!
This was the first big film of my childhood, I'm 28 now, and I still really enjoy it. This ambitious re-telling of King Kong has it's share of faults but overall, it's still a pretty exciting adventure film. The story itself of course is absurd but it's played to the max here. The screenwriter knows this and gives the film a quirky sense of humor. Many of the special effects are outdated which simply can't be faulted here in 1999. The robotic Kong briefly seen in the presentation is laughable, but you got give them credit for actually building the beast. I still believe the acting is light years better than the original. Jessica Lange was perfectly cast as the naive starlet Dwan. She obviously wasn't a "dumb blonde" and had far more personality than Fay Wray. Jeff Bridges is just fine as the conflicted and noble hero and Charles Grodin is terrific as the weaselly and desperate oil executive. The haunting and evocative music by John Barry really gives the film character. Yes it was a guy in a gorilla suit, but that guy was Rick Baker, and his gorilla suit is simply amazing. He gives Kong a real personality and becomes a sympathetic character, which is the biggest difference in the two films. The original is a landmark film and was ahead of it's time in its production qualities, but the acting and characters leave a lot to be desired. The cinematography of the remake is another standout feature. This version of King Kong has gotten more than its share of punches, but I still find this to be a very entertaning and exciting adventure film with a breezy sense of humor. I don't have a DVD player just yet, but this will be one of the films of my collection.

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Pales beside the '33 original
Like most remakes, the film exhibits good intentions and even starts off well. However, its fundamental production quality and even its special effects (!) are dwarfed by those of the 1933 original. The acting in the 1933 film is also much more convincing, in my opinion. I formerly owned the LaserDisc issue of the 1933 King Kong, and that edition was terrific, featuring the movie in its _unedited_ version as well as a director's commentary pertaining to the detailed aspects of the making of this great film.

I suggest that you _skip_ this mediocre remake and save your hard-earned bucks to purchase the upcoming DVD version of the original King Kong. If it is anything like the LaserDisc version (it actually should be more, regarding "extras"), you won't go wrong!