King Kong (1976) 4K [Blu-ray] Review

4 star restoration of a classic B movie remake.

This retelling of the King Kong story was originally released in 1976, produced by Dino De Laurentiis (Conan the Barbarian, Dune) and directed by John Guillermin (The Towering Inferno, Death on the Nile).

This 2022 restoration is presented for the first time in 4K courtesy of Studiocanal and Paramount Pictures.

“In 1749, a waterlogged lifeboat was found in the same area, it was empty, but drawn in blood on the thwart was the likeness of some huge, slouchy humanoid thing. And this strange warning — “From the wedding with the creature who touches Heaven, lady, God preserve thee.”

Fred Wilson (Charles Grodin – Catch-22, Midnight Run) is an executive of the Petrox Oil Company. He has got wind of a potentially huge new source of oil, on a remote island in the Indian Ocean, revealed by infra red scans.

He charters a boat, captained by Captain Ross (John Randolph – You’ve Got Mail, Serpico) and heads off to find his fortune. Also aboard the ship is stowaway Jack Prescott (Jeff Bridges – R.I.P.D., The Big Lebowski), a primate paleontologist who has heard reports of an previously undiscovered species of ape on this cloud shrouded island, Skull Island. They also take on board a young woman, Dwan (Jessica Lange – Tootsie, Blue Sky) found floating at sea.

As soon as they arrive, they realise that this island is not inhabited, a hude wall rears before them and the locals are offering some sort of sacrifice to a giant gorilla. As soon as they see the blonde Dwan they decide she would be perfect for the job. She is taken and soon calms the angry beast.

Following the discovery that the oil is useless, a rescue mission is launched for Dwan and Fred decides that he has an even greater treasure in the form of Kong, who he can take back to New York to display. What could possibly go wrong?

“I’m Dwan. D-W-A-N, Dwan. That’s my name. You know, like Dawn, except that I switched two letters to make it more memorable.”

King Kong is a very enjoyable B-movie, with plenty of action. It is worth mentioning that it was made in the seventies and thus contains language and attitudes which are considered inappropriate in modern society, so watch with this in mind.

Jessica Lange does much less screaming than previous incarnations which is very nice and all the acting is pretty good. There are also lots of close up creature-feature moments, featuring mechanical effects by Carlo Rambaldi (Alien, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial) and make-up effects by Rick Baker (An American Werewolf in London). Interestingly, this is the only film in the King Kong franchise to feature the World Trade Center rather than the Empire State Building.

This is a great restoration with excellent picture and sound quality and with plenty of special features, it will make a brilliant addition to any B-movie collection.

“No, you’re dead wrong. He was the terror, the mystery of their lives, and the magic. A year from now that will be an island full of burnt-out drunks. When we took Kong we kidnapped their god.”