TALKBACK: King Kong (1976)

[lhb412]

[MouthForWar]

This movie sucks. From the dialogue ("I can tell you're an Ares by looking at your ear lobes") to the characters to the version of Skull Island.

The only good thing is Rick Baker's Kong suit, but they even messed that up by forcing Baker to play Kong walking on two feet. Aside from a cool suit, the only other thing that's any good here is the score.

To quote Ray Harryhausen "They just took all the fantasy out." He's right. Who wants a King Kong remake without any dinosaurs? And no, that 4 second fight where he rips a rubber snake in half doesn't count. Maybe its because they spent most of the budget on that awful full size robot Kong that only made it into like 5 seconds of the movie.

If you read up on the production history of this movie, its a great example of how bafflingly stupid a big studio can be when they have a large budget and total creative control.

This movie sucks.

[MekaGojira3k]

[king_ghidorah]

[jellydonut25]

[briizilla]

[king_ghidorah]

[Gargantuan Gargantua]

[jellydonut25]

[king_ghidorah]

[Hybrid Gojira]

[eabaker]

[Gwangi]

[lhb412]

[tbeasley]

For me it's a lot like G98... just a really lame, dull, uninspired remake/reimagining. It does everything it can to take the fun and excitement out of Kong for the sake of realism and modernity. It comes across as dated, disappointing and disrespectful.

[mbozzo]

I remember seeing this movie, and as much as I like it, it wasn't one of the greatest King Kong movie ever made. I think that the 2005 King Kong movie did it better.

[mr.negativity]

John Berkey's art was awesome!

[mr.negativity]

[mr.negativity]

[lhb412]

Watched both today, and it's interesting that in the climaxes of both Kong '76 and '05 you had Kong temporarily turn his attention away from the attacking planes/helicopters to protect Ann/Dwan only to be cowardly shot in the back, just to ram home that Kong is the tragic hero and the humans are the baddies.

[Outkaster]

1976 is not that bad. I hate when it gets compared to modern film making. Too many people look at these old movies with a modern mindset, you just can't do that.

[jellydonut25]

I loved this movie as a kid. That's about the nicest thing I can say about it. Well, and it actually has the best male lead character of any Kong film to date (not seen Skull Island yet). Jack's interesting, sympathetic, has understandable (and intelligent) views and feels like a real person. It's unfortunate that he's the only person in the entire movie who feels like that, but it's a positive nonetheless. The train scene is great, and this is probably my favorite version of the Skull Island natives (though it's the lamest Skull Island). It's REALLY dull, and while the relationship between Kong and Dwan and the way she views him (with pity but not at all love) is fine, she's a vapid, horrible excuse for a heroine and the worst female lead in any Kong film. It can be said that's kinda the point and that she gets her comeuppance in a way at the end, but then we shouldn't be spending SO much time with her and Kong, bathing and hanging out on the dullest, least populated (with other creatures) version of Skull Island to date.
And the effects are really uneven, even for the time. Wires showing, blue screen and compositing hits and misses, and (worst of all) a moment so bad, its inclusion in the film is absolutely baffling, and unforgivable given that it's at the finale. I'm of course referring to Kong simply APPEARING out of thin air during his fall from the World Trade Center. It's insane how bad it is.

I'm honestly a little baffled by my enjoyment of this as a kid, but I guess I just really liked Kong and this movie was the most polished one at the time (and I cared about that kinda thing as a kid, more than I do as an adult).

This is my least favorite Kong movie, by kind of a bit.

[lhb412]

Is it weird that I don't have much affection for this movie and yet the expository '70s slide shows in Kong: Skull Island made me all nostalgic?

I suppose it's because I watched this film several times as a kid. Even though I wasn't a huge fan then, either, I couldn't be too choosy because I loved giant monsters and it could be slim picking sometimes.

[GFan]

I love Rick Baker's work and Jeff Bridges is pretty good in this, but this is the only Kong movie I don't own. It's just a big piece of blah. A few suitmation dinosaurs might have spiced it up a little...

I vastly prefer KING KONG LIVES for the glorious piece of ultra-entertaining b-movie cheese that it is. KKL still remains my go-to Kong movie after the '33 version (though KONG: SKULL ISLAND may very well now take its place).

[Jinzo Ningen]

I was thinking about that the other day. If only we had gotten something tossed in along the lines of the T-Rex from The Last Dinosaur, only a little more well-built and suit acted. Would have been a nice shot in the arm.