King Kong (1976)

Director: John Guillermin
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Charles Grodin, Jessica Lange

Synopsis:
An expedition to uncover an untapped oil field in the Pacific leads to the discovery of the great mystery of an uncharted island.

Impressions:
I remember not liking this movie all that much when I was younger, but seeing it again, I have more appreciation for it. Just as the original was a product of its time, this film is too, playing on elements like the '70s energy crisis to provide the premise and the hippie-ish Prescott and Dwan. Speaking of Dwan, her being such an airhead might annoy a little, but Jessica Lange does fairly well with this being her first major acting gig. Jeff Bridges is doing something of a prototype of the Dude, but the real star is Charles Grodin as the delightfully sleazy Wilson. Rather than stop-motion, this version opts to use a man in a suit for the wider shots, which works but isn't amazing. However, the animatronics used for the closer shots of the face are quite good. I will say that when it comes to making Kong feel scary, this version is the most effective for me. Rather than a nearly unbroken sequence of action set pieces like the original, this one plays up the romance between Kong and Dwan, which is a bit sweet but also can feel rather absurd. I like the score by John Berry and enjoy the overall vibe. You can definitely tell this is a Dino de Laurentis production. It's definitely worth a watch, maybe even a place in the collection if it really clicks with you.

Rating:
Watch It