King Kong
The most exciting original motion picture event of all time.
1976 • 134 min • Adventure · Fantasy · Horror
Synopsis
An oil company expedition disturbs the peace of a giant ape and brings him back to New York to exploit him.
Our family guide
Best from age 10- 60 Reviewers · 5 · 65%
- 63 Audience · 938 · 35%
An oil expedition discovers a colossal ape on a remote island and brings him to New York, where he becomes a spectacle. The ape's longing for freedom and a young woman leads to tragic consequences across the city.
- Violence & peril
- 5/10
- Language
- 2/10
- Drinking, drugs & smoking
- 1/10
- Romance & sensuality
- 3/10
- Scary moments
- 6/10
Heads up
- Scenes of peril and destruction
- Some suggestive moments
- Brief alcohol use of alcohol
What it models well
- Compassion for animals
- Consequences of exploitation
- Courage in dire situations
Talk about it after
- The ethics of capturing wild animals
- How fear can lead to destructive actions
- The film's portrayal of indigenous people
Written by the Movie Knight editorial team for King Kong. Our own words, our own scoring — always double-check against your family's standards.
Where to watch
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- Apple TV Store
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- YouTube
- Fandango At Home
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Top billed cast
Director: John Guillermin • Crew: Lorenzo Semple Jr., Ruth Rose, James Ashmore Creelman
Trailers & clips
Reviewer notes
RecommendedUsually I hate remakes... but I also used to not like DC. And then the heavily bashed New 52 came around, I was talking to a friend of mine, and the Flash in New 52 wasn't his Flash. He hated it out of principal. I think that is what happened here, because the '33 film reached for the stars. The technology they had wasn't all there, and they did their absolute best with it to make the absolute best film they could.…
Not recommendedOK, so it was always going to be very difficult to get anywhere near the 1933 version so I suppose the question here is - why bother? Well, they did - and what we have here is a bit of a shocker.…
RecommendedA bit long but not terrible and had some adorably funny moments like seeing a man in an ape outfit tossing around a model train or hiding behind a building to avoid a helicopter. But seriously, the ape costume wasn't bad however his expressions were at times creepy, especially when looking at Dwan. Certainly one of the lesser of the Kong movies (though haven't seen King Kong Lives) but I guess watchable. **3.0/5**
Not recommendedTrusted family reviewersNo, you're dead wrong. He was the terror, the mystery of their lives, and the magic. 1976 and I had already been spellbound and terrified by Jaws the year previously, I mean I was only 10 years old. Having been introduced by my film loving parents to the original King Kong from 1933, as soon as this update - in colour - was released, I stood in that queue for two hours to see it.…
RecommendedTrusted family reviewersI had first seen the outstanding original of 'King Kong', still transcendent and captivating in its then-prescient use of special effects wizardry, then Sir Peter Jackson's recent remake, which was still extremely impressive.…
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Gallery
Details
- TMDB audience
- 6.3/10 (938)
- Age rating
- PG
- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $23,000,000
- Box office
- $90,614,445
- Franchise
- King Kong (1976) Collection
- IMDb
- tt0074751
