King Kong (1933)

Originally reviewed on 10/22/22.

Painted poster of King Kong on the empire state building with a destroyed plane in one hand and a woman in the other.

King Kong, while flawed, is still a cinematic classic and the great great grandfather of all giant monster movies.

Has a good pace, engaging plot, nice monster action, and a cast that's easy to keep up with. I don't need to point out how incredible the special effects are for its time. Sometimes the timing of events that are meant to be dramatic end up comedic instead. I'm sorry, but I just can't take little stuffed dummies being tossed around seriously.

It's characters are dated and sometimes offensive, featuring native people who practice human sacrifice and openly misogynist main characters. Somehow the monster of this film was a nicer guy than any of the human men. I laughed hysterically when I suddenly got hit in the face with that "I guess I love you." "But Jack, you hate women." line. At least he's honest?

★★★★☆