King Kong Lives (1986)

Don't get me wrong: I love King Kong. It's my file photo for God's sake. But not killing Kong off after what he had been through for Ann was just unacceptable. May I remind you that Kong just fell off the World Trade Center (Yes, in the 1976 version Kong falls off the Twin Towers)? Kong spends 10 years in hospital and ends up surviving after a blood transplant from a female ape. So the race is on for America to capture Kong and his new bride. This movie features terrible ape costumes (Probably Peter Elliot as Kong). Well that is what you get when you keep a fictional gorilla going on for way to long. So if you like weird spin offs like 'Greystoke: The Legend Of Tarzan' then this movie is for you!

The 1976 version of King Kong, produced by the Dino De Laurentiis company and directed by John Guillermin, really didn't perform at the box office and was also poorly received by the critics. It is therefore something of a surprise that the same producer and director returned to the story for this sequel in 1986; alas, they seriously needn't have bothered. Few films can match the idiocy of King Kong Lives, with its lame-brained science, endless logic lapses, absurd dialogue and silly plot developments. It is a film which actually seems to show contempt towards its own audience. 'We think you're a bunch of dummies', the film is saying to viewers, 'and we're gonna treat you exactly as dummies deserve to be treated!' Unfortunately for the makers, audiences didn't want to be treated with such brazen disregard and were quick to reject the film; meanwhile the critics had a field-day all over again ripping the film to shreds.Starting with a recap of the climax of the 1976 film, we once more see the mighty Kong fall from the World Trade Centre to his death far below. But wait! No! He is not dead, just severely injured… and ten years later we catch up with the giant ape, comatose in a research facility where a team of scientists work round the clock to keep him alive. Feisty doctor Amy Franklin (Linda Hamilton) desperately wants to help Kong by giving him a blood transfusion but cannot find a suitable blood match for such a unique beast. "Only one thing can save Kong now; a miracle!" she laments. And a miracle is what she gets when American adventurer Hank Mitchell (Brian Kerwin) comes across a female Kong in the jungles of Borneo. The lady Kong is brought to America and her blood used to revive her male counterpart… but disaster strikes when both apes, horny and angry, escape from the research facility and flee into the neighbouring mountains. Obsessive soldier Lt.-Col R.T. Nevitt (John Ashton) pursues the giant beasts but, despite clear orders to bring them back alive, his overwhelming desire is to kill the runaway creatures… There's really little more to be said about King Kong Lives. It's yet another film which proves that Linda Hamilton has little-to-no star attraction away from The Terminator movies; plus it makes thorough fools of Brian Kerwin and John Ashton (the latter particularly absurd as a military zealot). Its special effects are generally laughable, its occasional touches of comedy woefully misjudged. In one notably silly scene a golfer hits a perfect drive only for his ball to strike Kong on the forehead as he emerges from the trees – there follows a dull 'clonk' followed by an enraged roar from Kong. When the mighty Kong is reduced to being the butt of slapstick golf course pratfalls, you know you're in dire trouble. And so is the film. Avoid.

I am surprised that even many kong fans didn't like this movie. It may not be in the same league as King Kong and Godzilla. But it is an entertaining flick all through. It is also the most moving and touching of all kong movies. I watched it in a theater when i was a kid and have fond memories so I may be biased. But it is not as bad as most of the reviews are saying. If you are looking for a Godzilla like stomp city monster destruction flick or Kong climbing a empire state type of monster classic then this is not the film for you. This is just a simple monster movie with fun action and campy acting with some emotional punches thrown in. So overall a good adventure film that makes you nostalgic of your childhood days.

Now, don't make the mistake in thinking that this is a work of art. This film follows the tradition of the great Godzilla movies made in Tokyo. If you like those, you will like this film.It has it all - rednecks, sex, the Army, and Kong himself. No, he didn't die when he fell from the skyscraper. He has been in a coma for the last 10 years.The NRA may tell us that hunters want to preserve the population of animals for all to enjoy, but the rednecks in this film do a disservice to the organization. There was a sense of satisfaction when Kong snapped one in two like a twig, and ate another whole -- redneck poppers! Linda Hamilton is always a joy, and she did a good job here as a scientist wanting to save Kong.Kong doesn't make it, but he manages to hook up with a female and after a quickie in the bushes, they have a son. Yeah, they really stretched that, didn't they.It is just the think to watch on a Saturday afternoon with a bowl of popcorn.