King Kong 1933 vs 1976 vs 2005 – Conclusion

Three movies, three Kong’s but only one that can rule them all.  Which version of King Kong is the best?  

As we all know, the best special effects will not always guarantee a better movie.  In deciding this we take into account how the story is told, if the actors and director pull it off convincingly and how effective it is overall.  We have three movies where as at June 2016 the original is 82 years old, the 1976 remake is 39 years old and the latest version is only just becoming a teenager at 11 years.  So whilst I will not ignore special effects, I will take into consideration the time period and available technology at the time to bring the movie to life.

If you don’t want to read all this stuff below, I would rate the movies in the following order.  1933 takes the prize and just a little behind that would be the 2005 Jackson remake and then somewhat further behind is the 1976 mash-up.

4.5 ferrets for 1933
4 ferrets for 2005; and lagging somewhat behind
3 ferrets for 1976

First up we have the story.  The 1933 and 2005 are very similar, in fact Peter Jackson had his personal copy of the 1933 script and throughout his movie he gives homage to the original.  The 1933 is taut and flows well while the 2005 offers the most complete Kong experience spending a good part of the movie preparing the audience for the island, then plenty of story and action on the island and finally a good deal of time in New York whist the 1933 gets on the boat quickly but progresses through the story at an even pace. 2005 can get a bit long in the tooth at times but is still engrossing but not as engaging as the tight script of the 1933.  The 1976 film however tells the story from a different slant.  Oil is the main focus and it just so happens to be on an island.  The damsel in distress is conveniently picked up on the way to the island in a dingy but in the older and newer version she is an actress, planned from the start.  On the island we have plenty of action from all three movies each compelling in their own way.  One thing I didn’t like about the 1976 version was the connection between Kong and Dwan.  There is a bit of nudity in the movie whilst on the boat going toward the island, then there is a short glimpse of it from Dwan whilst Kong was giving her a wash under the waterfall and also touching her.  What the heck is that all about?  It just seems like the people in charge of the movie had it in the contract to have sexual themes so they just added it between Kong and Dwan.  Yes, the original did have the thought by the way Kong looked at Ann but nothing like the 1976.  And in the 2005 it’s not really present at all which is a nice change from modern movies.  Sure, there is a connection and Kong wants to protect her but neither the 1933 or 1976 is like the 1976.

In all versions Kong has natural enemies in the island, though the 1976 cuts this short and the 2005 expounds on it greatly.  The 1933 feels more balanced but the 2005 is certainly a blast to watch not just from Kong’s point of view but also from the human’s view.  I really like how Kong plays with his dead enemies in the 1933 film where he opens and closes the other beast’s mouth just to make sure it’s dead and that is also shown in one scene in the 2005 film.

The 1933 film was a challenge to bring to the big screen with is combined stop animation and live action effects and the 1976 had a 40 sized mechanical Kong made for the movie but was only used in one scene.  The 2005 had an almost perfect looking Kong with battle scars and everything which gave him a bit of history. There is no doubt that the 2005 rules the roost when it comes to visual effects.

Overall, the 1933 makes you connect with the characters and care more about Ann, whilst the other two come up a little short in this area. But the 1976 makes you care more about the beast (maybe animal rights activists were involved in making the movie!) which the 1933 lacked but 1933 excelled in many areas over the 1976.  The 1933 is a tighter script than the 2005 with the 33 showing what needs to be shown and the 05 giving you everything even if it’s a bit too much.

So there we have it.  In my viewing, the 1933 was surprisingly the best but very close behind was the 2005 then somewhat further down the ladder is the 1976 version.

Would love to hear your comments on what you think.