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)
Fred Wilson (Charles Grodin, Midnight Run), a big-shot oil magnate from Petrox Oil, sets off for new petroleum deposits on a recently discovered Pacific island. Stowing away on the ship is Jack Prescott (Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart) - a free-spirited palaeontologist who warns that they are headed for Skull Island, a seemingly mythical land where prehistoric monsters are believed to still exist. Also making the journey is down-on-her-luck actress Dwan (Jessica Lange), a Hollywood starlet in need of a fresh break. When resident of Skull Island, a giant ape known as Kong, kidnaps Dwan it is up to Prescott to help rescue her from the ape’s hefty clutches. Ever the capitalist Wilson sets out to capture the prized creature and transport it to New York City. But is the world ready for a spectacle of such scale and magnitude? (Umbrella Entertainment)
(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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