I have absolutely loved "King Kong" since I first saw it as a boy. I remember owning an old paperback book about movie monsters. There were many pages dedicated to "King Kong", but just a couple of paragraphs and a single photo that spoke to its follow up, "Son Of Kong". It was exciting to know that there was another movie out there that expanded on the wonderful adventures on Skull Island.
As a kid growing up in a rural area, we had 3 channels that our old black and white TV could tune in. One of the stations would show a Science Fiction/Fantasy movie on Thursday afternoons, and man, did I love Thursday afternoons. I'd get off the school bus, run in the house and sit myself down in front of the TV. Many times, my Grandmother would be there to watch with me, in case something got a little too scary. The Thursday afternoon movie was where I first saw "The Fly", "The Blob" and of course, "King Kong". I recall wanting to see "Son Of Kong" in the worst way, but never being lucky enough to catch it.
As time passed, I lost interest in movie monsters for a while, replacing them with rock music, cars and girls. And it's funny now that I've been married with teenagers of my own, I've gotten back the time to recall old favorites and discover the never before-seens. A number of years ago, I purchased the "King Kong" Collector's Edition on DVD. This particular edition has a couple of intriguing extras, "Mighty Joe Young" and "Son Of Kong".
I recently remembered that old book with the photo of Baby Kong standing in the temple doorway and I dug up that "Son Of Kong" DVD. It took me 40 years after first reading of the movie to actually get around to watching it.
Carl Denham was a greedy, manipulative blowhard in the first Kong. The character has always been very unappealing, but to my surprise "Son Of Kong" redeems him. Somehow I felt sympathetic and the kindness that he showed to Helene and Baby Kong was endearing. Helene was a sweet character and gave the movie an even bigger heart. Baby Kong was a funny creation and I cannot believe the personality that Willis O'Brien brought to the Kongs.
The ending earthquake was sudden but I'll give it this, it was spectacular. I marveled at the detailed special effects. If the story had continued, there's no doubt that Denham and Helene would be headed for trouble, which they surely would narrowly escape. Denham has that way about him.
There's no other way to put it: "The Son of Kong" is a cheap attempt to cash in on the success of "King Kong." Released in the same year as the first movie and shot on a much lower budget, the film doesn't even come close to matching the spectacle of the original. Especially as the monster action (which is much more slapsticky this time) only starts in the second half of the film, which doesn't leave much room for escalation with a meager 69-minute runtime. The story wasn't that great in the first part, and it doesn't really matter here either. In any case, I'm not surprised that it took a few years after "The Son of Kong" for King Kong to return.
Of course the masterpiece King Kong is far superior, but this film is really entertaining to watch. It's hilarious with some cool fights. My 10 year old me would love this so much.
Slapped together sequel has no adventure. No charm. Decent effects, but with no one in peril....who cares? Watch the first film twice and skip this. Watchable but makes me sad for what could have been.
Horribly ill-conceived, Son of Kong has none of the thrills or amazement that the original had. Trying to stay ahead of a grand jury indictment for the Kong incident, Carl Denham skips town with Captain Englehorn and heads for the open seas; but the tides soon take him back to Kong’s Island when he gets wind of a secret treasure that’s hidden there. The script is a real problem and doesn’t know where it’s going or why half of the time; particularly the ending, which comes out of nowhere. Little Kong is also an issue, as he lacks the fierceness that King Kong had and is played more for laughs. Incredibly disappointing, Son of Kong doesn’t deliver any of the excitement or adventure that the first film did.
Shout by Joshua R SwansonVIP OG 12BlockedParent2015-09-08T06:44:32Z
The Forgotten Sequel made to the Original King Kong. It touches on the aftermath of Kong's rampage and Denham be sued for damages. He ends up needing to escape from New York. There is a very awkward relationship Between Denham and Helene.