King Kong

Name: King Kong
Genre: Adventure, Sci-Fi, Horror
Released: April 7, 1933
Duration: 100 min
Rating: 92
Cast: Bruce Cabot, Fay Wray, Frank Reicher, James Flavin, King Kong

1933

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 14 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 71 Ratings

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7.9

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7.9	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 71 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

RKO Radio Pictures | Release Date: April 7, 1933 | Passed

Starring: Bruce Cabot, Fay Wray, Frank Reicher, James Flavin, King Kong, Noble Johnson, Robert Armstrong, Sam Hardy, Steve Clemente, Walter Ackerman

Summary: A film crew travels to a tropical island for an exotic location shoot and discovers a colossal ape who falls for their blonde starlet. He is then captured and transported back to New York City for public exhibition.

Director: Ernest B. Schoedsack and Merian C. Cooper

Genre(s): Adventure, Sci-Fi, Horror

Rating: Passed

Runtime: 100 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Roger Ebert

But King Kong is more than a technical achievement. It is also a curiously touching fable in which the beast is seen, not as a monster of destruction, but as a creature that in its own way wants to do the right thing. Read full review

100

Irene Thirer

King Kong, as spectacular a bolt of celluloid as has thrilled audiences in a couple of sophisticated seasons, is the product of a number of vivid imaginations...We've got to admit that there's a certain tenseness about King Kong which defies you to glance away from the screen before the entire tale is told. It fascinates, to be sure. Read full review

100

Ed Symkus

King Kong was a film that was way ahead of its time, and it remains one of the greatest films of all time. Read full review

100

Mordaunt Hall

A fantastic film. Read full review

Staff (Not Credited)

Kong is an exaggeration ad absurdum, too vast to be plausible. This makes his actions wholly enjoyable. Read full review

James Berardinelli

Despite its various deficiencies and occasionally antiquated style, King Kong remains not only a milestone of movie-making, but a magical experience. Read full review

Staff (Not Credited)

If this glorious pile of horror-fantasy hokum has lost none of its power to move, excite and sadden, it is in no small measure due to the remarkable technical achievements of Willis O'Brien's animation work, and the superbly matched score of Max Steiner. Read full review

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User Reviews

kyle20ellis

Mar 17, 2022

This version of King Kong is a classic, it may be a monster movie but it has something that most of the other versions of the story don't have- heart. The story is basically a take on the timeless story of Beauty and the Beast but it is a powerful, beautiful, tragic and beguiling one. TheThis version of King Kong is a classic, it may be a monster movie but it has something that most of the other versions of the story don't have- heart. The story is basically a take on the timeless story of Beauty and the Beast but it is a powerful, beautiful, tragic and beguiling one. The cinematography is beautiful and crisp, and the scenery is convincing enough, plus the score is a gem. In terms of acting, Faye Wray is stunning as Ann Darrow and Robert Armstrong does well with a role that is admittedly on the corny side but hey I can live with that. But what made the film was King Kong himself, he is absolutely amazing to look at, he looks and acts very convincingly. Maybe scary to start with but as the film progresses (like the Beast in the fairytale Beauty and the Beast) you feel for him. The climax on top of the Empire State Building is one of cinema's greatest climaxes, and this is the only film version of King Kong where I had to stop the video to go and sort myself out from crying at the end. Overall, a beautiful timeless film. As said already, while essentially a monster movie, it is that with a lot of heart. 10/10 Bethany Cox… Expand