King Kong- '33, '76, '05?

The '33 is still my favorite. I liked the Jackson version and it is definitely much better than the '76 fiasco, but it suffers from poor pacing compared to the '33 which had me the whole way through. There are some really beautiful scenes in the original that still stand out vividly in my mind. One in particular is when the crew is in the long row boat and the fog is hovering over the water as the row to shore.

 

Oh I love him in lots of stuff. Just got Cutter's Way from 1981 just because it's a Bridges movie I haven't seen.

 

Okay, I saw it last night. it was better than I imagined, but it was about 30-40 minutes too long and I am not a big fan of CGI.

 

that's cool...better than expected.

 

It was way too long!

 

2005 holds a special place for me. I went opening day in my hometown theater.

 

1) 1933 - nothing beats the original, even when you could wish for it to be longer
2) 1976 - I watched that one as a kid, and YES, Jessica Lange made an impression on me!
But I also love to watch Jeff Bidges, and the modernization of the plot has its benefits. To me, it's also the only version where I get the impression of a "believable" and good working size of Kong.
3) 2005 - Not bad at all, but just too much. The length of the movie, the size of the ape, the grimness of the natives... too much.

 

I like all three and tbh Ranking them for Me..is a problem, esp tha 76 and 05..both have Merits and Flaws and well tha 33 is a timeless classic, but again has merits as well as flaws.. Would I own all three on DVD, yes I would..each version still captivates Me as soon as start watching em..maybe I'm just a sucker for this Movie or kinda movie..even like tha Mighty Joe Young remake(think was a remake) idk? Wonder when we'll get another KONG can't be long.. ..

 

Skull Island is on its way.

 

Even though it's cheesy, I still have a soft spot for the '76 Kong, as it was the first version of the story that I saw. If memory serves, when it premiered on TV in '78 or '79, NBC turned it into an "event" by stretching it out into two parts, over two nights!

I revisited it awhile ago for the first time in dog years (via Netflix) and I was still entertained by it. Yeah, the special effects haven't aged well (tho they were pretty hot stuff by 1976 standards) but Charles Grodin chews the scenery for all he's worth and dang, Jessica Lange was fiiiiiiiine back then!!

 

I rank 'em 1933, 2005 . . . . . . . . . . . 1976.

The '76 version is weak, and too "70s."

 

Yes, they did stretch it out over two nights.

 

'33 all the way! Followed by '05. The '78 version stunk, really a Godzilla vs. King Kong level movie. I own the '05 and the way I make this way-too-long movie shorter is just start watching when they get to Skull Island, takes about an hour for them to get there!

 

I already stated this, but I just feel the need to reiterate my preference for '76. It took the flat, one-dimensional '33 and injected some much needed emotion into it. Jackson may have given a nod the the visual aspect of '33, but, whether he acknowledged this or not, he gave a nod to the emotional aspect of '76. Kong became a sympathetic character for the first time in '76.

 

-Kong became a sympathetic character for the 1st time in'76-

Couldn't disagree with you more. In the original, I can't believe there'd be a single moviegoer who wouldn't have been rooting for Kong by the time he was on the Empire State Building. In retrospect, in the '76, I was totally indifferent to the big ape!

 

I worked on the home video version of that for weeks, and I hated, hated, hated that film. It's ugly, stupid, and horrible. Bad movie. The 1933 movie is very poignant and touching, a classic film in every way. The 2005 film is not horrible, but I think it's guilty of a lot of wretched excess; it would've been a lot better if it had been an hour shorter.

I'm looking forward to Skull Island, and I hope it doesn't suck too much. Unfortunately, judging by the clips below, they're setting this prequel in the present, which makes no sense given that the original King Kong and the 2005 remake were both set in the 1930s:



I previously thought that Peter Jackson was an executive producer or something on this show, but apparently he's not. It's a $190 million (!!!) production by Legendary and Warner Bros. (Jackson's 2005 film was Universal.) Me personally, I think it's a big gamble.

 

I guess I'll have to file my preference for '76 under the category of films I like but everybody else seems to hate. I suppose that most everybody has at least a couple of those films in their closet.

 

I would say 33.. 76 is good also but not quite as good......

The 2005 one is garbage....

 

Do you think nostalgia might be part of it?

 

Every blockbuster today looks like a war film. This is just terrible. There's no sense of adventure, only militarization.

 

Possibly. I was thinking that myself. I haven't seen the film in 30-35 years. I loved it as a kid. I'm not sure how I would react to it as an adult.

 

The 2005 version would have to be my favorite.

 

Would have been more if John Lone received an Oscar nomination for playing title character in "The Last Emperor".

 

'33 version for me. I love the stop motion effects. Its just a classic film that nails the creepy vibe of being on that island.

There are things I like about Jackson's film, but it just too bloated and long. If there was ever a director badly in need of an editor, its Peter Jackson. Or should I say an editor that insists a film needn't be 3 1/2 hours long to be a great movie. And enough with the stupid "slo-motion to add dramatic effect." It doesn't work, Pete. Its just cheesy as hell. And that "running with the dinosaurs" scene. Ouch.

By the way, the 2 disc Collector's Edition DVD for King Kong '33 is friggin' amazing. I got the one that came in a tin case full of extra goodies like reproduction KK postcards and a repro of the Grauman's Chinese Theatre programme from March 24, 1933 (the L.A. premiere). But even without that stuff the extras on that second disc are pretty amazing, especially the documentary. Awesome stuff, highly recommended.