Average Rating: 
Rating:  - The "Rolls Royce" of the Monster Thrillers
This is a thrill-packed monster movie that has achieved cult-classic status. The imaginative and skillful special effects are outstanding (considering that this film was released some 70 years ago), setting the standard for countless action/adventure films to follow. The story of the giant ape who is captured and transported from the jungle to contemporary New York City shows similarities to the fairy tale "Beauty And The Beast". The now legendary scenes with King Kong and a terrified Fay Wray, along with the closing remarks "...it was Beauty that killed the Beast" will stay with the viewer as a powerful commentary on society and its norms. This is clearly the greatest cinematic achievement in the genre of horror movies. This classic ranks with "Bride of Frankenstein" and the original "Dracula" as the leader in this art form. A must-see for any horror film enthusiast. The soon-to-be released DVD version promises to be the ultimate experience in viewing this masterpiece....
Rating: - BEAUTY AND THE BEAST...
As a young child in the nineteen fifties, I used to watch this film whenever it appeared on TV on "Million Dollar Movie". I loved it then. I love it now. Time has not diminished the capacity of this film to mesmerize and hold the viewer in its thrall.The story line is basic. Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong), a filmmaker and entrepreneur, leads an expedition to Skull Island where he discovers its deep, dark secret. It is a land where time has stood still, and prehistoric monsters still hold sway over the island and its inhabitants. There, the natives pay homage to the one whom they revere as "Kong", and who is, indeed, king of the island. Denham, together with his beautiful, budding starlet, Ann Darrow (Fay Wray), as well as with the crew of the ship that brought him to Skull Island, investigates the strange ritual being performed on the island by its native population. Before she knows it, Ann finds herself captured by the natives. She is to become the bride of the mysterious "Kong". When Ann discovers who the mysterious "Kong" is, she starts screaming and doesn't stop. The ship's first mate, Jack Driscoll (Bruce Cabot), who happens to be in love with Ann, manages to rescue her from the clutches of "Kong". Notwithstanding the fact that "Kong" has taken a shine to her, Ann is relieved to have been rescued by the man whom she loves. Denham then arranges to capture the creature, whom he calls "King Kong" and takes him back to New York with them on the ship that brought them to Skull Island. There, King Kong makes his debut, one that movie lovers will long remember. The special effects of this film were superlative for its time and still pass muster today. The relationship between the beauty and the beast still makes the viewer sit up and take notice. This is an attention grabbing film that is as exciting today, as when it was first released over seventy years ago. It is a truly timeless, cinema classic. Bravo!
Rating: - "It Reminds Me of That Awful Day on the Island!"
So Fay Wray confides into the tuxedo lapel of Bruce Cabot, the brave first mate who saved her from the clutches of Kong. They stand in the wings of a theatre, looking at the giant ape now held by chrome steel chains on stage, but little do they know that Kong is far from vanquished, that his fury is only moments from being unleashed on New York City itself. "King Kong" really is one of my favorite movies of all time. Where else can you find gritty Depression era sentiments mixed up with a wild action horror film? Other horror movies from the 30s--"Dracula", "The Mummy", even "Frankenstein" for the most part--concern elegant drawing room aristocrats in full evening costume, but "King Kong" is about working class folks trying to make a living, whether it's cranking out a jungle movie like Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) or running a ship like Jack Driscoll (Bruce Cabot). And poor Ann Darrow, who can't even find work back in NY, becomes a figure of obsession for the dangerous natives of Skull Island. If you love movies like "42 Street" and "It Happened One Night", I assure you, you would find the same kind of dialogue in "King Kong". Every time I watch it, I focus on some other detail, like the mutterings of the ship's crew as they make their way through the marshes trying to track down Kong, who has absconded with Fay Wray in his fist. Or the wonderful histrionics of Fay as she reacts to Kong's battle with a Tyrannosaurus Rex--and remember, she's really seeing nothing, all the figures are really clay models added later! Or the little faces at the skyscraper windows who watch as Kong destroys an elevated train near Herald Square. Here is one movie I genuinely never tire of watching. I can't imagine that there's somebody who has never seen "King Kong", but if that's so, don't deny yourself the pleasure any longer!
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