King Kong

1933 Directed by Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack

A Monster of Creation’s Dawn Breaks Loose in Our World Today!

A film crew discovers the "eighth wonder of the world," a giant prehistoric ape, and brings him back to New York, where he wreaks havoc.

Robert Armstrong Fay Wray Bruce Cabot Frank Reicher Victor Wong James Flavin Sam Hardy Noble Johnson Steve Clemente Roscoe Ates Merian C. Cooper Frances Curry Paul Porcasi Ernest B. Schoedsack Harry Strang Bill Williams Dick Curtis Reginald Barlow Roy Brent Edward Clark Harry Cornbleth James Dime Charlie Hall Allen Jenkins George Magrill John Northpole Gil Perkins Jack Perry Harry Tenbrook Show All…

Alternative Titles

King Kong 1, 金刚：1933年版, Die Fabel von King Kong - Ein amerikanischer Trick- und Sensationsfilm, King Kong Colourised Version (1933), Кінг-Конг, King Kong (1933)

drama adventure horror

100 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by Monday Seagull 8

Do you hate monkeys? Then don't watch this movie. It's got one of the biggest monkeys I've ever seen.
Review by SilentDawn ★★★★★ 4

94/100
King Kong was and always will be a rip-roaring, dynamic, and stunning adventure film, overloaded with spectacular set-pieces and a classical sense of tragedy. The magical stop-motion effects still are unmistakably brilliant, and combined with the marvelous matte work, this 1933 classic is unrelentingly vital, never stopping and always providing a genuine aura of spectacle.
Review by Karsten Runquist ★★★★ 5

I watched this in a class when I was super young but I barely remember it so I figured I’d rewatch.
Such an entertaining time. Something about the shaky stop-motion still holds up really well and adds a lot to it. Oh but it is also very sexist AND racist.
“I love you”
“But Jack, I thought you hated women”
“You aren’t women”
L M F A O
Review by WraithApe ★★★★ 13

First time watch believe it or not! A first time watch ruined by a couple of inconsiderate 🔔🔚s talking through the entire thing and clinking ice in their glasses like goddamned dice jars*. But hey ho, when I wasn't silently fuming in my seat or turning around to give them the evil eye, I still enjoyed the hell out of this seminal classic.
Yeah the acting is a special kind of wooden, the dialogue ranges from casually misogynist, "Oh, you're all right. But women just can't help being a bother. Made that way I guess.", to laughably pedestrian, "Say, Ann... I don't suppose... I mean... well, you don't feel anything like that about me... do you?" but let's not pretend…
Review by josh lewis ★★★★ 2

my sweet, large son.
Review by Justin Peterson ★★★★ 9

(Criterion Laser Disc Collection)
The original version of one of the greatest monsters in movie history.
Some how I had never seen this movie, and I had a blast watching it with my 6 and 4 year old sons. The beginning did test their patience some with how it slowly it gets going with filmmaker Carl Denham looking for a leading lady to take with him to Skull Island.
But once they make it to the island and Kong shows up they were glued to the screen, loving ever moment of the whirlwind of action that drives the story to its climax with Kong climbing the Empire State Building. I have always heard the special effects in this movie were…

Recent reviews

Review by 21benschindler ★★½

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

The first 25 minutes contains some interesting characterization, and the stop motion effects are still mind-blowing.
After that they go to an island except there are dinosaurs and also animals except they’re like really big animals. And big monkey takes only girl character and now the strong men have to save the princess from Konky Dong so they can get their kiss on the cheek and some cake at the end.
The last 20 minutes should’ve been a short film
Review by stevienjcks ★★

Watched this movie for my film class and the scariest thing about it was the misogyny
Review by Saber ★★★½ 1

Carries a lot of the hallmarks of old school movies. I legit laughed out loud when the sailor guy told the girl that he loved her, it was so sudden. That being said, this film is one of the fathers of special effects. It's amazing what they were able to do considering the infancy of film-making around that time
Review by Hammad Jibrin ★★½

JESUS THAT MONKEY IS HUGE!!!
This movie was hard to watch as in constantly focusing my eyes on the screen was an active task. The pure anthesis to "timeless". But it does have an odd charm to some scenes in how far visual effects went because of this movie. I guess we can thank the Great Depression for that?
Review by tvNmovies ★★★½

it's pretty crazy & ground breaking what they achieved here.
Review by Thomas ★★★★½ 3

Wow, this film blew me away. I didn´t expect to love it so much, but I truly enjoyed every moment.
“King Kong” is the granddaddy of all adventure and monster films. It´s a cinematic milestone that influenced countless other movies and still lives up to its status as a classic.
The non-stop action and excitement, the infectious sense of adventure, and the dedication and passionate filmmaking that is evident in every scene make this film an unforgettable experience.
“King Kong” has spectacular set pieces, , stylish visuals, stunning production design, a perfect pacing, exciting (and quite brutal) monster fights, a bombastic score, several iconic moments (more iconic than Kong climbing up the Empire State Building is hardly possible), and, of…
Review by Jordan James Brooks ★★★★½

“Oh, no, it wasn’t the airplanes. It was beauty that killed the beast.”
This has always been the superior version for me, ever since watching it as a young kid; I remember seeing it regularly in the TV guide and always racing home from my great-grandma’s in time to watch it. It was my first introduction to stop-motion animation in film, and the fact that they made a monster movie on such a huge scale in the early thirties always impressed me.
The story itself has everything - adventure, horror, romance and tragedy; it’s just about everything you could want from a cinematic experience. The story is equaled by some great performances, namely Fay Wray as Ann Darrow; I’ve never…
Review by Mark Quilty ★★★★★

My favourite movie of all time. King Kong is a classically tragic story, one that could only be told in the medium of motion picture. The special effects are so groundbreaking and the imagery is so iconic that nearly a century later it remains one of Hollywood's crowning achievements.
Review by Ryan Terry ★★★★½

If a movie has a giant ape in it, regardless if it’s any good or not, I’ll probably watch it at some time!

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