King Kong
RKO Radio Pictures | Release Date: April 7, 1933 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
92
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger 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
The New York TimesMordaunt Hall
A fantastic film. Read full review
100
New York Daily NewsIrene 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
EmpireKim Newman
None of the humans — not even scream queen Wray — can compete with Kong. But the film remains a perfect star vehicle. It prepares for its hero's entrance with hints of mystery, violence, eroticism and fantasy, then cuts loose with all the action, adventure. Read full review
100
TV Guide MagazineStaff (Not Credited)
The ultimate monster movie and one of the grandest and most beloved adventure films ever made, KING KONG is a film that has given us one of the most enduring icons of American popular culture--a massively destructive but curiously sympathetic giant gorilla whose rampage through New York City suggests, on a psychological level, the re-emergence of repressed desire. Read full review
100
Entertainment WeeklySteve Daly
Granddaddy of beast-on-the-loose movies. Read full review
100
Los Angeles TimesMark Chalon Smith
The story, like "Frankenstein" and "Dracula," has taken on the significance of a modern folk tale, layered with obvious moralizing and as familiar as personal history. Read full review
100
USA TodayEd 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
90
TimeStaff (Not Credited)
Kong is an exaggeration ad absurdum, too vast to be plausible. This makes his actions wholly enjoyable. Read full review
88
ReelViewsJames 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
85
Film ThreatAlan Ng
As a fan of stop-motion animation and the works of Ray Harryhausen and Henry Sellick, King Kong will remain the granddaddy of the art form and remains a classic for all generations. Read full review
80
VarietyJoe Bigelow
Highly imaginative and super-goofy yarn. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderDave Kehr
Willis O'Brien did the stop-action animation for this 1933 feature, which is richer in character than most of the human cast. Read full review
60
Time OutStaff (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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