Review of King Kong (1933) by Emmanuel T — 18 Jul 2012

When a film crew goes to a tropical and exotic island to shoot, they discover that an enormous gorilla has a liking for their blonde female star. Now, they must rescue her. However, the director has some plans of his own.

King Kong remains one of Hollywood's greatest triumphs, not just for its dazling special effects, but for so much more. It does what most monster movies nowadays does not-it explores the monster itself. Somtimes, we need to see more than screaming bystanders in danger, buildings being collapsed, etc. Sometimes, we need to develop a relationship with the monster in the movie, understanding the very characteristics on what makes it a monster. King Kong is able to do that perfectly, because by watching it we can easily understand that he is a wild animal who does not understand humanity, he is an animal who should have never been taken out from the jungle, for that is where he belongs. However, we are now living in a newer time with improved special effects, and because of this one fact alone, modern audiences may tend to laugh at King Kong's stop motion effects. But it must not be forgotten that this film was released in 1933, making it's effects groundbreaking. This is the kind of film that is saved by its own idea, script, and storyline, excluding its wooden acting.