King Kong (1933)

Composite Score: 85.53

Starring: Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot, Frank Reicher, Sam Hardy, Noble Johnson, Steve Clemente, and James Flavin

Directors: Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack

Writers: James Ashmore Creelman, Ruth Rose, Merian C. Cooper, and Edgar Wallace

Genres: Action, Adventure, Horror, Sci-Fi

MPAA Rating: Passed

Box Office: $651 worldwide

Why should you Watch This Film?

                King Kong is the original film featuring the titular giant ape, which follows a film crew who travels to an uncharted island in the South Pacific to shoot a jungle film and leaves with an even bigger story. The film stars Fay Wray as the burgeoning starlet Ann Darrow, who becomes the object of Kong’s desire, alongside Robert Armstrong as the brash director Carl Denham and Bruce Cabot as the smitten and heroic Jack Driscoll. The film is considered by many to be the first “Big Monster” or “kaiju” (except it’s not Japanese, so there’s some dispute there) film, and its impact on the genre is undeniable – from visual effects development to storylines to settings. It’s an undeniable classic of the genre that holds up fairly well more than ninety years later.

Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?

                However, not every aspect of the classic has aged perfectly. Obviously, its visuals aren’t perfectly believable and often feel clunky, and the acting often feels overdramatic or wooden, depending on the situation, but those aspects feel more endearing than alienating. King Kong’s actual issue lies in its underlying thematic elements, which can be read in a fairly problematic light. The actual story of the film feels anti-imperialist in its treatment of Kong and those responsible for bringing him to America, which should be a positive thing. Unfortunately, the anti-imperialism/anti-colonialism stems from a nativist or isolationist perspective, painting Kong as the primitive (probably minority) savage who has come to the United States because of adventurous colonizers and is now seeking to rampage around “our” largest cities with the goal of capturing white women away from their protective husbands and fathers. To its benefit, the filmmakers stated that they never made the film with any agenda in mind, and it’s pretty easy to just watch as pure entertainment, but if you’re someone who looks for the subliminal political messaging in films, that undertone is certainly present not too far under King Kong’s surface.

So wait, why should you Watch This Film?

                Despite the flaws lurking beneath the surface, King Kong remains a crowd-pleasing delight more than ninety years later. The effects, while not great by modern standards, are still mind-blowing considering the era, utilizing and inventing so many visual effects methods that you can’t deny the film’s impact on the film industry as a whole. It’s fun to see a big gorilla fighting dinosaurs and chasing a woman around and climbing the empire state building and taking swipes at biplanes. This is a film that still feels like a blockbuster in its content even though it seemingly predates the concept, and you can’t help but enjoy the time you spend watching it and find yourself rooting for Kong in this terrifying new world that wasn’t yet ready for him.

                King Kong stands the test of time thanks to its innovative approach to visual effects and a genuinely engaging display of monster movie magic that combine to earn it a spot among the greats. Certainly, some of its thematic undertones ring a bit problematic in the modern era, but for that to be the biggest gripe against it not quite a century later, that’s quite an accomplishment. You can currently rent this film on most streaming platforms if you’d like to check it out in the near future.