TALKBACK: King Kong Escapes

[lhb412]

I love this movie. When people mention another Honda kaiju-centric picture outside the holy trinity (Gojira - Mothra - Rodan) and the subsequent Godzilla franchise they usually mention War of the Gargantuas, which is technically a superior film to King Kong Escapes... but I can't help it. I love KKE a bit more. There's just an infectious joy with it that evokes '60s genre films and TV. It feels like there was a film series called 'Commander Nelson: Action Scientist' (a ridiculously macho, square-jawed type and his over-the-top, character actor having a ball evil genius arch enemy!) and we're just seeing the one movie that was a King Kong crossover.

Commander Nelson: Action Scientist is clearly assembled from choice bits of Johnny Quest, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and James Bond.

The style, the sets and clothes, is just fab. This is so '60s and I love it.

It's interesting the way Kong's persona evolves on film and what it says about the times these films came out. Here we're deep into the era of the monster kids turning their fearsome favorites into toy heroes, and that's what Kong is here. This is the film of King Kong the superhero, the one who doesn't die but rides into the sunset.

This film also has a special significance to me because it was the only non-Godzilla Toho film I saw as a very little kid besides Rodan. The image of Kong in a giant jail cell really made an impression on me, and I drew many a picture of Kong in captivity.

[Shonokin]

[Shin_Edda_Robo!!!!!]

[lhb412]

[MekaGojira3k]

I just watched this last night. I adore this movie. It's easily my favorite King Kong film. So much works. I'm not fond of the Kong suit in this, but it's really my only flaw with the film. A flaw that the other film overcomes and overshadows with all of its greatness.

Also, it has the two prettiest ladies in all of the Toho-verse.

[Shin_Edda_Robo!!!!!]

[MouthForWar]

[Shin_Edda_Robo!!!!!]

[Xenorama]

[king_ghidorah]

[klen7]

[sentaison]

[jellydonut25]

[Russzilla]

Easily one of the best Toho kaiju movies made. This was a favorite of mine as a kid watching it on Creature Double Feature a number of times. There are a number of shots of Mecha Kong that I love and his performance in the film is very good. It is also one of the best dubbed Toho movies also. I like it so much that I haven't even watched the original Japanese version yet. Ever.

[Russzilla]

[Dr Kain]

I haven't seen this movie in years and most of it has to do with Universal not giving us the original Japanese version. The last time I saw it was off of a VHS tape as my dad had recorded the movie back when TNT aired it during the mid 90s. I remember it being pretty cool and Mecha Kong was interesting. There is not much I can say of the movie outside of that though.

[klen7]

it also stars the adorable Linda Miller ::swoon::

[Dr Kain]

[klen7]

That was the name of the adorable blonde actress that played LT Susan Watson.. ::swoons::

[king_ghidorah]

This is probably a top five kaiju film for me. Perfect.

[Gwangi]

Saw this movie many times in the 70s (thanks to KHJ Channel 9 in Los Angeles), but would not see it again until it resurfaced in the 90s on TBS or TNT and I ended up taping it and it was that version that I had until it finally came out on DVD in 2005.

The Kong suit is better here than in KK vs. G. But it was Gorosaurus and Mecha Kong that looked impressive.

Had this movie been done in the 1950s as a Hollywood production, it would have been a good bet that Nelson and Watson would have been the love interest, while they would have paired Jiro with Madame X. It is refreshing that Toho decided to mix it up.

[lhb412]

[kiryugoji04]

[Russzilla]

[Russzilla]