{"id":25974,"date":"2021-05-08T16:38:36","date_gmt":"2021-05-08T23:38:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/?p=25974"},"modified":"2021-05-08T16:38:36","modified_gmt":"2021-05-08T23:38:36","slug":"review-king-kong-1976-bd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/2021\/05\/review-king-kong-1976-bd\/","title":{"rendered":"King Kong (1976): Collector’s Edition Blu-ray Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"King Kong <\/em>(1976)<\/strong> is certainly a flawed movie, entertaining for the most part though, but the biggest drawback is with the Kong suit which sometimes looks fine but his facial expressions were at best goofy, at worst downright creepy.<\/p>\n

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King Kong
\n<\/span>\u2014 Collector’s Edition \u2014<\/span>
\n(1976)
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Genre(s): <\/strong>Adventure, Fantasy, Horror<\/span>
\nShout Factory| PG\/NR \u2013 134 min. \/ 182 min. \u2013 $34.98 | May 11, 2021<\/span><\/p>\n

Date Published:<\/strong> 05\/08\/2021 | Author:<\/strong> The Movieman<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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MOVIE INFO:
\n<\/u><\/strong>Director: <\/strong>John Guillermin
\nWriter(s): <\/strong>James Creelman and Ruth Rose (original screenplay), Merian C. Cooper and Edgar Wallace (idea); Lorenzo Semple, Jr. (screenplay)
\nCast: <\/strong>Jeff Bridges, Charles Grodin, Jessica Lange, John Randolph<\/span><\/p>\n
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DISC INFO:
\n<\/u><\/strong>Features: <\/strong>Audio Commentaries, Interviews, TV Version, Trailers, TV Spots, Radio Spots
\nSlip Cover: <\/strong>Yes
\nDigital Copy: <\/strong>No
\nFormats Included: <\/strong>Blu-ray
\nNumber of Discs: <\/strong>2<\/span><\/p>\n
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Audio: <\/strong>English (DTS-HD MA 5.1), English (DTS-HD MA 2.0)
\nVideo: <\/strong>1080p\/Widescreen 2.35
\nSubtitles: <\/strong>English SDH
\nDisc Size: <\/strong>49.42 GB (Disc 1); 49.38 GB (Disc 2)
\nTotal Bitrate: <\/strong>41.37 Mbps (Disc 1); 31.33 Mbps (Disc 2)
\nCodecs: <\/strong>MPEG-4 AVC
\nRegion(s): <\/strong>A<\/span><\/p>\n
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Shout Factory provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
\nThe opinions I share are my own.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

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THE MOVIE \u2014 3\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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Plot Synopsis: <\/strong>When a research ship, led by Petrox Oil Company executive Fred Wilson (CHARLES GRODIN), is sent to explore an island thought to be rich in oil, paleontologist Jack Prescott (JEFF BRIDGES) sneaks aboard, having heard strange rumors about the island. En route, the crew rescues Dwan (JESSICA LANGE), the sole survivor of a shipwreck. When they arrive, they find native people living in fear of a monster called Kong. The natives kidnap Dwan and sacrifice her to what turns out to be an enormous ape. Dwan is eventually rescued, and the ape captured for a gala exhibit.<\/p>\n

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Quick Hit Review: <\/strong>Never been a huge fan of the King Kong<\/em> movies though vastly appreciated the work that was done on the 1933 original and aspects of the effects work in subsequent movies, including Kong: Skull Island<\/em>, but I don\u2019t go, forgive me, ape over a new Kong <\/em>movie, just generally go in just wanting to be entertained, which generally they have been, the few I\u2019ve seen.<\/p>\n

This version of King Kong<\/em><\/strong>, released in 1976 from executive producer Dino De Laurentiis, certainly has some spectacle for sure and for the old guy in an ape costume, it\u2019s not all bad, albeit Kong\u2019s facial expressions ranged from unintentionally goofy to downright creepy, especially every time he\u2019s looking at, ogling perhaps a better word, at Jessica Lange\u2019s Dwan, although to be fair, I think many guys, ape or human, would be too. In any case, there is an adorable element to this movie, specifically when Kong is transported to New York and, in an attempt to grab Dwan, rips open a model train or in another scene, ducks behind a building to avoid being spotted by a helicopter. Those made me smile; doubtful it was the filmmakers\u2019 intent, however.<\/p>\n

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King Kong<\/em><\/strong> was directed by John Guillermin who has helmed a couple epic movies in the past including The Towering Inferno<\/em> and Death on the Nile<\/em> (as well as Shaft in Africa<\/em>) whose attitude behind the camera was something else and probably combined with a couple box office flops, last directed in 1988 (and passed away in 2015). In terms of his direction here, it\u2019s not bad and I actually liked some of the tricks he undertook and the combination of stages and miniature work; sometimes it looks cheesy but it often put a smile on my face.<\/p>\n

In the end, King Kong<\/em><\/strong> is not a terrible movie by any stretch but is very flawed and didn\u2019t exactly have the same emotional impact compared with its counterparts, both the 1933 and 2005 versions.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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SPECIAL FEATURES \u2013 4\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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This two-disc release comes with a matted slip cover<\/strong> and the inner sleeve is reversible with the original poster artwork.<\/p>\n

DISC 1 (THEATRICAL CUT):<\/strong><\/p>\n

Audio Commentaries:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n