King Kong Ult. Ed. (2005) NOW IN 4K UHD -- July 11, 2017

[The Shadow]

[Jinzo Ningen]

I'd much rather see Universal give us a Blu of the '76 Kong... with some decent extra instead of just a barebones offering. Maybe the Japanese BD for their master? C'mon. Do it Universal! (I expect them to puke up anything & everything they have to leech off the Skull Island release.

Keeping fingers crossed...

[lhb412]

^Isn't Kong '76 with Paramount? They had a distribution deal with WB, but that's expired. They are beginning to put out catalog titles themselves, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

[Jinzo Ningen]

Yep, you're right... Paramount. I have the DVD but keep hoping for a loaded Blu-ray because...

1) I just enjoy the film, warts & all.

2) With all of the $$$ that went into this film I know there are lots of cool info & behind the scenes pics of the human suit w/ Rick Baker and the giant animatronic 1/1 scale Kong.
I know these photos exist because I had a "Making of..." paperback that was PACKED with tons of really cool photos & drawings. Stupidly, I sold the book year ago. (Duh!)

3) F/X work alone warrants an in-depth bonus content section; let's see interviews with Rick Baker and Carlo Rambaldi.

4) Main 3 stars are still alive and active. Let's see fresh interviews with Jeff Bridges, Jessica Lange and Charles Grodin, and anyone else willing to stop in and share memories of the film. (Some vintage interviews, and premier footage, press conferences, etc. would also be nice.)

5) Let's get a look at the conceptual & promotional artwork; let's see pics or footage of the product tie-ins (board games, posters, Burger King collectible glasses, puzzles, etc. etc.) that flooded the market during the film's initial release.

6) Some info on the tremendous John Barry score would be welcome, too.

[Shokara]

I'm also surprised that Paramount hasn't announced a Blu-ray release for King Kong (1976) yet, even if it were going to be just a bare bones release. I'll certainly take this, though. Nice to finally have a release that potentially has everything produced for it up to now in one convenient package.

[lhb412]

[Jinzo Ningen]

OK. Thanks for the heads-up. I just went and ordered the JPN blu. I should have remembered that their stuff plays in US machines since I bought the Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster blu from Japan a month or so ago. Took a while to get here, and I'm sure this one will, too. But I'm in no hurry. )With my luck, Paramount will announce a MASSIVE, bonus-stuffed 2-disc Blu-ray super ultimate hyper-deluxe release of KK'76 the day my JPN blu arrives. LOL.)

[Gwangi]

I didn't think much of Kong 76, but I am surprised at Paramount not taking advantage of another King Kong theatrical release, to promote their own film for blu-ray, not to mention it is the 40th anniversary. Earlier on this thread, it was mentioned that they should do interviews with the three leads. Jeff Bridges actually became a professional photographer as a result of his character doing the same thing in 1976, so that would have been an interesting perspective.

As for this new 2005 blu ray, I actually won those Kong dairies in a contest, so I am fine with not purchasing this new release.

[Tom R VanSlambrouck]

Well if it does indeed contain all the extras ever released I'll part with my first run DVD that had that Skull Island Mockumentary on it, the "directors cut" DVD and the first run BD. I really need to condense my collection down I have a lot of multiples.

[lhb412]

[Shokara]

[Tom R VanSlambrouck]

Welp its safe to say I'll be getting rid of my DVDs and BD of this and replace it with the new BD.

[Deathless]

Niiice!!!

I Wish This Happened With All Movies...

[jellydonut25]

"Ultimate Edition"?

They make it even LONGER?

I've seen the movie twice since theaters and each viewing was so exponentially worse than my theatrical experience for me that I've just called it a day with this movie. Blegh.

[lhb412]

^ Oddly enough, there are scenes in the director's cut that I think should absolutely be in the film, while there is about an hour's worth of stuff that's in the theatrical version that I'd cut.

[DannyBeane]

[lhb412]

^The little added backstory stuff for Ann at the beginning, the crew's first encounter with a dinosaur and the raft attack are all elements from the director's cut that should have been left in. Those last two essentially fill the same narrative purpose as the brontosaurus stampede in the theatrical version, but are much better. Leave them in and drop the stampede, I say!

Several of the subplots could be dropped entirely, others shortened. Basically; anything that's not Kong and Ann (the two heroes of the film who's relationship is the spine of everything good about the film) should be on the table.

[tbeasley]

I like this movie, there are a ton of cool ideas about Skull Island (which you can read about in the great World of Kong tie-in book), but the 'more is more' approach (especially in the extended cut) can be a bit tiring... Jackson hasn't been able to shake that approach off post-LOTR and it definitely had a negative impact on The Lovely Bones and The Hobbit trilogy (which should have been a two-parter at max).

[Tom R VanSlambrouck]

We got this in at Wal-mart. It's $14.97 but our website has it for $13.44 so you can price match it keep in mind it might not be available at all wal-marts though since mine got it it should be available at most if not all.

[lhb412]

Looked at this at the store today: it has a nifty holographic cover!

Still, I'm content with my original Blu-Ray with just both cuts of the movie. It's the same disc as the Ultimate Edition disc 1; the new stuff is the extras disc. Still, for those hoping for all the extras plus and imprioved visual experience: the 4K version is on the way.

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=21239

[jellydonut25]

I watched the extended cut for the first time recently, and it definitely pushed me into the "maybe I'll grab the original Blu-ray if I find it in the bargain bin" camp. Nothing in the extended cut really 'did it' for me in terms of improving the overall experience in any way....and that's with me enjoying the film as a whole more than I have in quite some time (I'd been hewing closer and closer to "It's a bad movie with some good moments," but now I feel like "It's a good movie, marred by some AWFUL moments") I'm honestly more interested in seeking out shortened fan edits.

[The Shadow]

Heads up! Amazon currently has King Kong Ultimate Edition on sale for

No idea how long that price will stay, so if you're interested in the 2005 film now is a great time to pick it up.

===============================================================================================================

And in other news, Universal is releasing a 4K UHD set for the 2005 movie on July 11, 2017. Currently available for pre-order, Amazon is selling it at $27.99. The first major difference (outside of switching to a black case) is that the 4K release drops the DVD in favor of the 4K disc. I assume only the theatrical cut is in 4K (as that's what usually happens) but I can't find a good image of the back to verify that.

Extras-wise the upcoming 4K release appears pretty much identical; I did a comparison with what Amazon has listed for the 4K and standard blu-ray versions and there are a couple differences that likely don't mean anything but I thought folks should be aware.

The 4K release extras list is missing or replaces these specific entries that are on the normal blu-ray release:

--Digital Copy of King Kong - Extended Version (Subject to expiration. Go to NBCUCodes.com for details.)

--Includes UltraViolet (Subject to expiration. Go to NBCUCodes.com for details.)

--See More of NYC in "Wish You Were Here"


***The digital copy & Ultraviolet entries are replaced with:

--Digital Copy of King Kong - Ultimate Edition (Subject to expiration. Go to NBCUCodes.com for details.


***The 4K release adds a second line noting commentary by Peter Jackson and Philipa Boyen; I assume this is an error rather than an entirely new commentary for the 4K release:

Commentary entry on both releases: Feature Commentary with Writer / Director Peter Jackson and with Co-Writer / Producer Philipa Boyen

Extra entry listed on 4K release: Feature Commentary with Director/Co-Writer/Producer Peter Jackson and Co-Writer/Producer Philippa Boyens