King Kong

(update of a previous post - original is here)



Data
Title: King Kong
Year: 1933
Length: 104 minutes
Directors: Merian C. Cooper & Ernest B. Schoedsack
Writers: James Ashmore Creelman & Ruth Rose; story by Merian C. Cooper & Edgar Wallace
Starring: Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot, Frank Reicher
Music: Max Steiner
Distinctions: currently #198 on IMDb's Top 250



My reaction
Synopsis: uh, yeah… giant monkey
How I saw it: on video a couple times, most recently (have on DVD) yesterday
Concept: Great. Off-the-wall fantasy adventure-serial-type iconic kitsch fun.
Story: Good.
Characters: Bad.
Dialog: Good.
Pacing: Great.
Cinematography: Indifferent.
Special effects/design: Indifferent. If you compare the special effects to something like Jurassic Park or a 60’s Japanese monster movie, it looks pretty good – which is a nice way of saying it looks like cartoons and puppets.
Acting: Good. I can't believe I'm actually giving this movie points for acting. Most of the cast ranges somewhere between mediocre and complete sh**. But Fay Wray makes up for them. You know how in every monster movie ever made, there's a woman who screams for minutes on end, and it's about the most annoying thing anyone could think to put on film? Fay Wray in King Kong is the reason all those misguided filmmakers were convinced it was a good idea.
Music: Great. A major film score milestone.
Subjective Rating: 8/10 (Great).
Objective Rating: 3.0/4 (Good).