Carl Denham needs to finish his movie and has the perfect location: Skull Island. But he still needs to find a leading lady. This 'soon-to-be-unfortunate' soul is Ann Darrow. No one knows what they will encounter on this island and why it is so mysterious, but once they reach it, they will soon find out. Living on this hidden island is a giant gorilla and this beast now has Ann in its grasp. Kong grows attached to Ann and protects her from all the prehistoric life that surrounds them. Carl and Ann's new love, Jack Driscoll, must travel through the jungle looking for Kong and Ann, whilst avoiding all sorts of creatures and beasts. Eventually, the gorilla is captured and brought to New York. In the middle of a show on Broadway, Kong escapes and mass panic ensues as he rampages through the city. What a classic film! One of the most iconic in cinematic history that has shaped the movie industry that has become so cemented in pop culture. Its importance and relevance are shown through countless references over the years in movies and other media. Films like King Kong show the amazing work of early movies and I can only imagine how amazing this was to people of the day. It must have been a true adventure and a real thrill. I love the models that are used for all the prehistoric creatures and Kong, which are well implemented into shots and are so well animated. I've always been a fan of stop-motion because of the amount of detail and time it takes to make the models come to life and the dedication put into it. Today CGI is the go-to method, it is stunning and believable but I appreciate the time and care these older movies put into such elements. One of my favourite uses of stop-motion and detailed models is in Clash of the Titans (1981) which was done by Ray Harryhausen who was inspired by this film. That can be said for most stop-motion animators as it inspired them to create their own and as they grew up they would later fulfil their love for it in movies like in Star Wars where the team of ILM used models like Kong. If you like seeing behind the scenes of stop-motion and the development of special effects check out the amazing documentary: Light & Magic (TV Series 2022). This feature is truly a spectacle that is extremely compelling with some great acting on display here, showing how truly incredible big blockbuster films were in their earliest years. To be transported into another world where a giant gorilla faces off against prehistoric creatures from the Tyrannosaurus to the Pteranodon, in huge battles. People then were only just getting used to sound being used in motion pictures and it will have been a tremendous leap into a picture like Kong. There had never been anything quite like this at that time and it went all out in creating some fantastic visuals and effects. Not only that, but this film is rather brutal too. We see Kong break a T-Rex's head by prising its jaws apart which is very gruesome however it is such a phenomenal moment. That whole fight sequence is a perfect demonstration of the sheer hard work put into this film, really pushing the boundaries and delivering a satisfying pay-off. A magnificent fight that combines real life with animation, blending them seamlessly. Everyone is familiar with the iconic scene of Kong climbing the Empire State Building and fending off the attacks of the airplanes, which is such a heartbreaking sequence. However, it is one of the most recognisable moments in film history and has equally sprouted many references in other movies over the years. Overall, King Kong has to be one of the most important and recognisable films in movie history with so many amazing scenes, great performances and effects it stands the test of time as one of the greatest. Also, if you enjoyed this classic why not check out the equally entertaining remake, King Kong (2005)? It uses CGI special effects that make the adventure all the more exciting making it an exceptional remake.
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