Since he first rampaged on the silver screen in the original 1933 classic film, King Kong has become one of the world’s most famous icons. With the much-anticipated Godzilla vs. Kong arriving at cinemas on March 26, it is the ideal time to look back at the five greatest King Kong movies.
5. Kong: Skull Island (2017)
There have been twelve live-action King Kong movies so far, although King Kong has also been featured in numerous other mediums over the years, including television, animation, literature, and video games. There are even King Kong slot games available, such as King Kong, King Kong Fury, and King Kong Cash, which you can play at a casino online. Until the thirteenth King Kong film hits the screens in March, Kong: Skull Island remains the most recent film in the series. Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts, the 2017 movie rebooted the franchise. It is set in 1973 and follows a team of scientists and soldiers traveling to the uncharted Skull Island. Of course, they soon meet the gigantic gorilla-like creature, King Kong. But he is not the only threat lurking in the bushes.
4. King Kong (1976)
Starring Jeff Bridges and Charles Grodin, and Jessica Lange in her debut film appearance, the 1976 movie King Kong is the first remake of the original 1933 film about a huge ape-like creature who is caught and taken to New York. Only, instead of the original iconic scene of King Kong swinging from the Empire State Building, Kong now leaps atop the World Trade Center. The 1976 King Kong movie is a colorful cinematic adventure you do not want to miss.
3. King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)
The two greatest monsters in cinematic history meet in this 1962 Japanese movie directed by Ishir Honda. King Kong vs. Godzilla is the third film in the King Kong franchise. The plot involves Godzilla being awakened by an American submarine and King Kong being caught by a pharmaceutical company. The company wants to use King Kong for promotional purposes, of all things! Did it not see the destruction that King Kong caused in the previous two movies? Anyway, it is not long before the two monsters are battling each other on Mount Fuji.
2. King Kong (2005)
The 2005 King Kong motion picture is the second remake of the original 1933 movie. The epic film was co-written, produced, and directed by Lord of the Rings maestro Peter Jackson. It is set in 1933 and stars Naomi Watts, Jack Black, and Adrien Brody, while stalwart of green-screen acting Andy Serkis portrays King Kong. The film became the fourth-highest-grossing movie in Universal Pictures history at the time and it won three Academy Awards.
1. King Kong (1933)
The original 1933 King Kong movie is still widely considered to be the best film in the franchise. Based on an idea by Merian C. Cooper and Edgar Wallace, King Kong’s screenplay was written by Ruth Rose and James Ashmore Creelman and directed by Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack. Along with the fantastic script and engaging direction, not to mention the stellar performances of Fay Wray, Bruce Cabot, and Robert Armstrong, the monster adventure romance featured some of the best stop-motion animation techniques seen in film at the time. It opened to rave reviews and fast became known as a classic of cinema. As surely you know by now, the story is about a massive gorilla-like creature who is captured on Skull Island and brought back in chains to New York. Not before long, King Kong breaks loose and goes on a rampage while attempting to possess the beautiful Ann.
